MATERNAL OBESITY PUTS INFANTS AT RISK OF IRON DEFICIENCY
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2011) - Babies born to obese mothers are at risk for iron deficiency, which could affect infant brain development, according to a study presented on April 30 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
In non-pregnant adults, obesity-related inflammation hinders the transport of iron through the intestine, increasing the risk of iron deficiency anemia. When a woman is pregnant, iron is transferred through the intestine to the placenta, but it is not known how maternal obesity affects newborn iron status. Fetal iron status is important because 50 percent of the iron needed for infant growth is obtained before birth.
In this study, researchers studied 281 mother/newborn pairs. The women's body mass index was calculated before delivery, and a score of 30 or above was defined as obese. Investigators also determined infants' iron level by analyzing umbilical cord blood.
Results showed evidence of impaired iron status in newborns of women who were obese.
"These findings are important because iron deficiency in infancy is associated with impaired brain development, and we should understand all risk factors for iron deficiency in infancy," said Pamela J. Kling, MD, FAAP, principal investigator and associate professor of pediatrics/neonatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The researchers are investigating why obesity during pregnancy is a risk factor for poorer iron status at birth, Dr. Kling said.
"In non-pregnant adults, obesity has been linked to poorer dietary iron absorption and to diabetes, so both factors may contribute," she said. "Additionally, the link may be due to larger fetuses, because obesity during pregnancy results in larger fetuses, and iron needs are proportional to fetal size."
The study results also have important implications because the prevalence of obesity in women of childbearing age is increasing.
PROTEIN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DETECTION OF EXTREME HEAT AND PAIN DISCOVERED
ScienceDaily (May 13, 2011) - The protein responsible for the detection of extreme heat and pain resulting from infections has been identified by a team of K.U.Leuven researchers led by Professor Thomas Voets. The protein is a promising target for the development of new analgesic medications.
A rapid pain response to extreme temperatures is of vital importance to prevent being burned by touching a hot object or accidentally swallowing scolding soup, for example. Sensory nerves throughout the body -- including in our skin and mucous membranes -- detect temperature. In people who suffer from certain conditions, such as infections or nerve damage, these nerves become extra sensitive. This sometimes results in oversensitivity to innocuous temperatures and chronic pain.
There are ion channels in the cell wall around these nerves -- microscopic sluices that react to certain stimuli and then send electrical signals to the brain. Approximately ten years ago, American researchers discovered the capsaicin receptor: an ion channel that is responsible for the detection of heat and of "hot" chemical substances. Capsaicin is the substance that gives red peppers their spicy taste. Research demonstrated, however, that the capsaicin receptor is not responsible for all heat detection and that there must be other molecular detectors for extreme heat.
Research conducted by Doctor Joris Vriens, in collaboration with colleagues at the Leuven Laboratory for Ion Channel Research and German researchers, has demonstrated that the ion channel TRPM3 is also a molecular sensor for heat and for the hormone pregnenolone sulfate -- a precursor to the gender hormones oestrogen or testosterone. Mice with a defective TRPM3 gene appear to feel far less pain when exposed to heat or the steroid hormone. Moreover, these mice do not develop oversensitivity to heat when they have infections. These new discoveries make TRPM3 a promising target for the development of new analgesic medications
INCREASE IN INTERNET ACCESS PARALLELS GROWTH IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE
ScienceDaily (May 14, 2011) - Increasing access to rogue online pharmacies -- those which dispense medications without a doctor's prescription -- may be an important factor behind the rapid increase in the abuse of prescription drugs. In a report that was released May 12 online by the journal Health Affairs and will also appear in its June edition, investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of Southern California (USC) find that states with the greatest expansion in high-speed Internet access from 2000 to 2007 also had the largest increase in admissions for treatment of prescription drug abuse.
"We know we face a growing problem with prescription drug abuse in the United States. One need only look at statistics for college campuses, where prescription drugs are fast replacing illegal substances, to see the magnitude of the problem," says Dana Goldman, PhD, director of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC, the study's senior author. "Our findings suggest that Internet growth may partly explain the increase in prescription drug abuse, since it is well known that these drugs are easily available online." Goldman is also the Norman Topping/National Medical Enterprises Chair in Medicine and Public Policy at USC.
In their report, Goldman and lead author Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhD, of the MGH Department of Medicine, note that the recent marked rise in the abuse of prescription narcotic painkillers -- drugs like Percocet and Oxycontin -- corresponds with an increase in the presence of online pharmacies, many of which do not adhere to regulations requiring a physician's prescription. Drugs that are frequently abused -- painkillers, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers -- often can be purchased from rogue sites that may be located outside the U.S. The current study was designed to examine the potential link between online availability and prescription drug abuse, an association that has been suspected but not investigated in depth.
Using data available from the Federal Communications Commission, the researchers first compiled statistics on access to high-speed Internet service in each state during the years studied. Since actual rates of prescription drug abuse would be difficult if not impossible to calculate, they used information on admissions to substance abuse treatment facilities from a database maintained by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Changes in both measures over the seven years were analyzed on a per-state basis, and treatment admissions were categorized by the particular types of abused substances involved.
The analysis indicated that each 10 percent increase in the availability of high-speed Internet service in a state was accompanied by an approximately 1 percent increase in admissions for prescription drug abuse. The increases were strongest for narcotic painkillers, followed by anti-anxiety drugs, stimulants and sedatives. During the same period admissions to treat abuse of alcohol, heroin or cocaine, substances not available online, showed minimal growth or actually decreased.
"The lack of an increase in abuse of drugs not available on the Internet suggests that an overall growth in drug-seeking behavior cannot explain the rise in prescription drug abuse," Jena says. "Further studies need to better evaluate how easily commonly abused prescription drugs can be purchased online and explore the importance to the problem of foreign Internet pharmacies, which are outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. government."
TRADITIONAL REMEDY OF BITTER CUMIN IS A GREAT SOURCE OF ANTIOXIDANT PLANT PHENOLS
ScienceDaily (May 21, 2011) - Bitter cumin is used extensively in traditional medicine to treat a range of diseases from vitiligo to hyperglycemia. It is considered to be anti-parasitic and antimicrobial and science has backed up claims of its use to reduce fever or as a painkiller. New research published in BioMedCentral's open access journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows that this humble spice also contains high levels of antioxidants.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), also known as free radicals, are produced as part of the metabolic processes necessary for life. Oxidative stress, however, is caused by overproduction or under-removal of these free radicals. Oxidative stress is itself involved in a number of disorders, including atherosclerosis, neural degenerative disease, inflammation, cancer and aging. Antioxidants are thought to mop up these free radicals, reduce oxidative stress, and prevent disease.
Phenolic compounds from plants, especially polyphenolic compounds, are often considered to be antioxidants. Researchers from Mysore, India, have used biochemical and biological techniques to show that seeds from bitter cumin (Centratherum anthelminticum (L.) Kuntze), a member of the daisy family, are a rich source of phenolic antioxidants.
Researchers from the Central Food Technological Research Institute said that, "Bitter cumin extracts were strong antioxidants in the free radical scavenging systems tested. The extracts were also strong electron donors and hence reducing agents, another marker of antioxidation. In biological tests bitter cumin inhibited the oxidation of liposomes (used as a model for cell membrane oxidation) and offered complete protection against DNA damage."
Dr Naidu said, "The amount of plant phenols we were able to extract and the antioxidant activity of bitter cumin depended on the method used. Nevertheless the antioxidant activity of bitter cumin correlated with total phenol content so it may well be that an array of phenolic compounds within bitter cumin seeds are responsible for the antioxidant activity seen."
P.S. : Cumin is Jeera in hindi.
