Key to healthy brain: Exercise
A new study has discovered that exercising regularly can reduce one’s chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease, by keeping the brain healthy. Dr Maree Farrow, co-author of the paper released by Alzheimer’s Australia and Fitness Australia, said that about half of Alzheimer cases are potentially attributable to risk factors one can change, News.com.au reported. The study showed that a little boost in the number of physically active people could have a dramatic impact on the number of dementia cases. (ANI)
Secret behind Sherpa’s mountain fitness revealed
Eesearchers have found two mutations in Sherpa population from Zhangmu Town, Tibet, which could help explain their adaptation to the extreme Himalayan environment. Longli Kang, Li Jin sequenced 76 Sherpa individuals’ complete mitochondrial genomes living in Zhangmu Town, Tibet, and found two mutations that were specific to the Sherpa population. The authors suggest that variants for one recent mutation in particular that was introduced into the Sherpa population about 1,500 years ago, A4e3a, that may be an important adaptation for low oxygen environments, or hypoxic conditions. This mutation is found in an ‘entry enzyme’ stage in the mitochondrial respiratory complex, which may explain the importance of the role of mitochondria in the Sherpa population’s ability to adapt to the extreme Himalayan environment. (ANI)
Soon, damaged pancreas` may heal themselves
Scientists have successfully grown stem cells, which have the ability to develop into two different types of cells that make up a healthy pancreas. The research team led by Dr. Hans Clevers of the Hubrecht Institute, The Netherlands, have isolated and grown stem cells from the pancreases of mice using a 3-D culture system previously developed by the scientists. The results could eventually lead to ways to repair damaged insulin-producing beta cells or pancreatic duct cells. Cell signalling molecules known as Wnts and a protein called Lgr5 are essential to produce adult stem cells that can be coaxed to grow and divide rapidly. Clevers said that they have found a way to activate the Wnt pathway to produce an unlimited expansion of pancreatic stem cells isolated from mice. He said that by changing the growth conditions we can select two different fates for the stem cells and generate large numbers of either hormone-producing beta cells or pancreatic duct cells. In the study, the pancreases of mice were altered in a way that makes duct cells proliferate and differentiate. Some cells in this new population were stem cells that were capable of self-renewal. The scientists were able to culture these cells to give rise to large numbers of pancreatic cells or tiny clumps of tissue referred to as organoids. The results have been published in The EMBO Journal. (ANI)
Why fizzy drinks numb drinkers’ sense of sweetness
Carbonation, which is an essential component of popular soft drinks, alters the brain’s perception of sweetness and makes it difficult for it to determine the difference between sugar and artificial sweeteners. Study author, Rosario Cuomo, associate professor, gastroenterology, department of clinical medicine and surgery, ‘Federico II’ University, Naples, Italy, said that this study proves that the right combination of carbonation and artificial sweeteners can leave the sweet taste of diet drinks indistinguishable from normal drinks. She said that tricking the brain about the type of sweet could be advantageous to weight loss – it facilitates the consumption of low-calorie drinks because their taste is perceived as pleasant as the sugary, calorie-laden drink. The study identifies, however, that there is a downside to this effect; the combination of carbonation and sugar may stimulate increased sugar and food consumption since the brain perceives less sugar intake and energy balance is impaired. This interpretation might better explain the prevalence of eating disorders, metabolic diseases and obesity among diet-soda drinkers. Investigators used functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor changes in regional brain activity in response to naturally or artificially sweetened carbonated beverages. (ANI)
Blood test for early diagnosis of lung cancer
Scientist have revealed that a protein called isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) is available at high levels in lung cancers and can be detected in the blood, making it a noninvasive diagnostic marker for lung cancers. Jie He, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Laboratory of Thoracic Surgery at the Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing said that they have identified IDH1 as an effective plasma biomarker with high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of NSCLC, especially lung adenocarcinoma. He and colleagues found that IDH1 could be detected in the blood of lung cancer patients with 76 percent sensitivity and 77 percent specificity. When they used a mathematical model to combine the detection of IDH1 with the detection of existing markers CEA, Cyfra21-1, and CA125, the sensitivity increased to 86 percent. He and colleagues used blood samples collected from 943 patients with NSCLC and 479 healthy controls, enrolled between 2007 and 2011 in the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. (ANI)
Using methods called ELISA and ECL, they measured the levels of IDH1, CEA, Cyfra21-1, and CA125 in the participants’ blood.
The researchers then divided the samples into a training set and a test set to validate the detection efficiency of IDH1. They found the data obtained from the test set were as good as those from the training set, demonstrating the robustness of IDH1 as a biomarker for lung cancer diagnosis.
The median IDH1 levels in patients with two types of lung cancer, adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, were 2.7-fold and 2.2-fold higher, respectively, compared with healthy controls.
The study has been published in Clinical Cancer Research. (ANI)