6 November 2009

“Genome 10K” proposal aims to sequence 10,000 vertebrates

An international group of scientists is proposing to generate whole genome sequences for 10,000 vertebrate species using technology so new it hasn’t yet been invented. But the scientists say new genome sequencing instruments that will allow them to embark on the project may be available within a year or two. Their proposal, called “Genome 10K,” was published this week in the Journal of Heredity.
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4 November 2009

Over a third of breast cancer tumours change form when they spread

Research published this week in Annals of Oncology found that over a third of breast cancer tumours change form when they spread. Scientists from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh analysed 211 tumours which had spread from the breast to the lymph nodes, in the armpit. This is where breast cancer cells usually spread to first. In the largest study of its kind they found that in 82 (39%) cases the disease in the lymph nodes had changed type.
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19 August 2009

At last! A quick and accurate way of diagnosing endometriosis

A quick and accurate test for endometriosis that does not require surgery has been developed by researchers from Australia, Jordan and Belgium, according to new research published on Wednesday 19 August in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction. Until now there has been no way of accurately diagnosing endometriosis apart from laparoscopy – an invasive surgical procedure – and this often leads to women waiting for years in pain and discomfort before their condition is identified correctly and treated.
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15 July 2009

IQ explains some of the difference in heart disease between people of high and low socio-economic status

A unique study looking at the difference in cardiovascular disease and life expectancy between people of high and low socio-economic status has found that a person’s IQ may have a role to play. Authors of the study published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, analysed data from a group of 4,289 former soldiers in the USA. They found that IQ explained more than 20% of the difference in mortality between people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds compared to those from more advantaged backgrounds.
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18 June 2009

St Gallen consensus 2009: a radically different approach to treating early breast cancer

A radically different approach to choosing the best treatment options for early breast cancer has been proposed by an international panel of experts in a report from the 11th St Gallen conference. The report is published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology and represents the consensus on early breast cancer treatment that emerged from the conference of more than 4,800 participants from 101 countries, which took place in March 2009.
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3 June 2009

World first: Chinese scientists create pig stem cells. Discovery has far-reaching implications for animal and human health

Scientists have managed to induce cells from pigs to transform into pluripotent stem cells – cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of developing into any type of cell in the body. It is the first time in the world that this has been achieved using somatic cells (cells that are not sperm or egg cells) from any animal with hooves (known as ungulates). The implications of this achievement are far-reaching; the research could open the way to creating models for human genetic diseases, genetically engineering animals for organ transplants for humans, and for developing pigs that are resistant to diseases such as swine flu. The work is the first research paper to be published online today in the newly launched Journal of Molecular Cell Biology.
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29 May 2009

Worldwide report shows an increase in assisted reproduction: an estimated 250,000 babies are born in one year

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is responsible for an estimated 219,000 to 246,000 babies born each year worldwide according to an international study. The study also finds that the number of ART procedures is growing steadily: in just two years (from 2000 to 2002) ART activity increased by more than 25%. The study, which is published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction, gives figures and estimates for the year 2002, the most recent year for which world figures are available.
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27 May 2009

Cancer drug causes patient to lose fingerprints and be detained by USA immigration

Immigration officials held a cancer patient for four hours before they allowed him to enter the USA because one of his cancer drugs caused his fingerprints to disappear. His oncologist is now advising all cancer patients who are being treated with the commonly used drug, capecitabine, to carry a doctor’s letter with them if they want to travel to the USA. The incident is highlighted in a letter to the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology.
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20 May 2009

Protein powers spider monkeys and humans

Behavioural ecologists working in Bolivia have found that wild spider monkeys control their diets in a similar way to humans, contrary to what has been thought up to now. Rather than trying to maximize their daily energy intake, the monkeys tightly regulate their daily protein intake, so that it stays at the same level regardless of seasonal variation in the availability of different foods. The research is published in the journal Behavioral Ecology.
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20 May 2009

Study finds higher risk of problems for twins born after assisted reproduction

Twins born as a result of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care and to be hospitalised in their first three years of life than spontaneously conceived twins, according to new research published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.
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29 April 2009

Excessive increase in heart rate during mental stress before exercise doubles the risk of dying suddenly from a heart attack in later life

French researchers have discovered a simple and cheap method of predicting who is at greater risk of dying suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack. In a study of 7746 French male civil servants, published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, the researchers found that men whose heart rate increased the most during mild mental stress just before an exercise test had twice the risk of dying of a sudden heart attack in later life than men whose heart rate did not increase as much. The study is the first to discover this association and since taking a patient’s pulse is an easy and inexpensive procedure, it suggests a way of identifying people who may be at increased risk.
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22 April 2009

Eating fatty fish and marine omega-3 fatty acids may reduce risk of heart failure

Eating fatty fish and marine omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, seems to protect men from heart failure according to one of the largest studies to investigate the association published in the European Heart Journal. However, the effect was seen only in men who eat approximately one serving of fatty fish a week and who had a moderate intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids (approximately 0.3 grams a day). Eating more did not give a greater benefit and, in fact, returned the chances of heart failure to the same level as that seen in men who never consume fatty fish or fish oils.
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25 March 2009

Single embryo transfer is the cheapest and most effective strategy for assisted reproduction

Transferring single embryos to women’s wombs over several assisted reproduction cycles that use both fresh and frozen embryos is more effective and cheaper than transferring two or more embryos at one time, according to data from the world’s longest running series of patients who choose to have only one embryo implanted per cycle – elective single embryo transfer (eSET) published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.
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18 March 2009

Early detection of second breast cancers halves women’s risk of death

A group of international researchers has found the first reliable evidence that early detection of subsequent breast tumours in women who have already had the disease can halve the women’s chances of death from breast cancer. According to the research published in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology, if the second breast cancer was picked up at its early, asymptomatic stage, then the women’s chances of survival were improved by between 27-47% compared to women whose second breast cancer was detected at a later stage when symptoms had started to appear.
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12 March 2009

Study finds link between atrial fibrillation and an increased risk of death in diabetic patients

Results from a large, international, randomised, controlled trial have shown that there is a strong link between diabetics who have an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and an increased risk of other heart-related problems and death. The findings are published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal .
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11 March 2009

Now researchers can identify sections of DNA that predispose an embryo to develop cancer syndromes in later life

Researchers have used a common laboratory technique for the first time to detect genetic changes in embryos that could predispose the resulting children to develop certain cancer syndromes. Current preimplantation genetic diagnosis techniques can detect mutations in very small bits of genes or DNA, but, until now, it wasn’t easy to detect deletions involving whole genes or long sections of DNA in embryos. The study, published o in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction, uses a technique called fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect losses of small parts of whole chromosomes (microdeletions) in a single cell from an embryo.
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4 March 2009

Alcohol on TV makes people drink more

New research has shown for the first time that portrayals of alcohol in films and TV advertisements have an immediate effect on the amount of alcohol that people drink. The research, published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, found that people who watched films and commercials in which alcohol drinking featured prominently immediately reached for a bottle of beer or wine and drank an average of 1.5 bottles more than people who watched films and commercials in which alcohol played a less prominent role.
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29 January 2009

Exposure to perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) may reduce women’s fertility

Researchers have found the first evidence that perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – chemicals that are widely used in everyday items such as food packaging, pesticides, clothing, upholstery, carpets and personal care products – may be associated with infertility in women. The study published online in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction found that women who had higher levels of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in their blood took longer to become pregnant than women with lower levels.
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28 January 2009

Concussion in former athletes can affect mental and physical processes later in life

Researchers have found the first evidence that athletes who were concussed during their earlier sporting life show a decline in their mental and physical processes more than 30 years later. The research, published online today in one of the world’s leading neurology journals, Brain, compared 19 healthy, former athletes who had sustained concussion more than 30 years ago with 21 healthy, former athletes with no history of concussion.
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12 January 2009

Largest ever prospective medical study shows epidurals and spinal anaesthetics are safer than previously reported

The largest ever prospective study into the major complications of epidurals and spinal anaesthetics published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia concludes that previous studies have over-estimated the risks of severe complications of these procedures. The study concludes that the estimated risk of permanent harm following a spinal anaesthetic or epidural is lower than 1 in 20,000 and in many circumstances the estimated risk is considerably lower.
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6 January 2009

Tackling climate change with new permits to pollute

A new way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and tackle climate change had been unveiled by leading economists. The economists, whose work is published in Review of Environmental Economics and Policy along with two other research papers, say it could appeal to supporters of a carbon tax and also to those who favour the alternative, so-called cap-and-trade.
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11 December 2008

Panic attacks linked to higher risk of heart attacks and heart disease, especially in younger people

People who have been diagnosed with panic attacks or panic disorder have a greater risk of subsequently developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack than the normal population, with higher rates occurring in younger people, according to research published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.
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13 November 2008

Placebo acupuncture is associated with a higher pregnancy rate after IVF than real acupuncture

A study comparing the effects of real and placebo acupuncture on pregnancy rates during assisted reproduction has found that, surprisingly, placebo acupuncture was associated with a significantly higher overall pregnancy rate than real acupuncture. The study, published online in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction, looked at real and placebo acupuncture given on the day of embryo transfer in 370 patients in a randomised, double blind trial (where neither the patients nor the doctors knew which treatment was being given).
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1 November 2008

Link Possible Between Pet Food Contamination and Baby Formula Contamination

A study published in the November issue of a scientific journal, Toxicological Sciences describes the kidney toxicity of melamine and cyanuric acid based on research that was done to characterize the toxicity of the compounds that contaminated pet food in North America in 2007. This research points to a possible link between the pet food contamination that occurred in North America in 2007 and the recent adulteration of milk protein and resultant intoxication of thousands of babies from Asia.
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30 October 2008

Light drinking in pregnancy not bad for children

Children born to mothers who drink lightly during pregnancy - as defined as 1-2 units per week or per occasion - are not at increased risk of behavioural difficulties or cognitive deficits compared with children of abstinent mothers, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL. The research, based on data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
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1 October 2008

Danish study provides new information on hormone replacement therapy and the risk of heart attacks

It’s not what you take but the way that you take it that can produce different results in women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to new research on the association between HRT and heart attacks, published online in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.
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24 September 2008

Isoflavone dietary supplement improves the functioning of the arteries in stroke patients

A dietary supplement containing isoflavone – a chemical found in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers – can improve artery function in stroke patients according to new research published online in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.
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24 July 2008

Soy foods are associated with lower sperm concentrations

Men who eat an average of half a serving of soy food a day have lower concentrations of sperm than men who do not eat soy foods, according to research published online in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction. The association was particularly marked in men who were overweight or obese, the study found.
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23 July 2008

Heart disease is linked to worse mental processes

Coronary heart disease is associated with a worse performance in mental processes such as reasoning, vocabulary and verbal fluency, according to a study of 5837 middle-aged Whitehall civil servants. The study also found that the longer ago the heart disease had been diagnosed, the worse was the person’s cognitive performance and this effect was particularly marked in men. The study is published online in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal; the authors say it is important because impaired cognition predicts the onset of dementia and death, while coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of death in many western countries such as the UK. “It is important to elucidate the link between these two diseases,” said Dr Archana Singh-Manoux, who led the research. “The prevalence of dementia rises with age, doubling every four to five years after the age of 60, so that over a third of people older than 80 are likely to have dementia.”
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23 July 2008

Study finds link between small birth size and changes to the cardiovascular system

Researchers have found the first evidence that smaller size at birth is associated with specific alterations in the functioning of the heart and circulation in children and that these changes differ between boys and girls. The research by Dr Alexander Jones and colleagues, published online in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, adds to the evidence that adverse environments experienced by the baby before birth and indicated by low birth weight, can cause long-term changes in the heart and blood vessels, leading to heart and blood vessel disease in later life. So far, the mechanisms involved have been poorly understood, and there has been little research into the alterations that might occur during childhood.
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28 May 2008

Meta-analysis shows statins significantly reduce the risk of death and other complications if given before surgery

A study, published online in the European Heart Journal, has found that if doctors gave the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, to patients before surgery for heart disease, the patients were significantly less likely to die or suffer other serious complications post-surgery. The first author of this study, Dr Oliver Liakopoulos, said that the meta-analysis of over 30,000 patients provided the best evidence so far of the need for intensive statin therapy before cardiac surgery, but, as less than half of cardiac surgery patients currently received the optimum pre-surgery treatment even under existing guidelines, there was an urgent need to change clinical practice.
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28 May 2008

Study reveals “worrying” variations in the treatment of heart failure patients

A Europe-wide survey has revealed significant differences between doctors in the way they treat patients with heart failure, with many physicians failing to give the best care to their patients despite the existence of recommended guidelines. The elderly are particularly at risk, with only about half of primary care physicians correctly referring those aged 65-80 with suspected heart failure to a specialist for diagnosis. Professor Willem Remme, the first author of the study, which is published online in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, said the findings were “very worrying”.
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14 May 2008

First use of DNA fingerprinting to identify viable embryos: research could lead to improved pregnancy rates and fewer multiple pregnancies

Researchers writing in the journal Human Reproduction have used DNA fingerprinting for the first time to identify which embryos have implanted after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and developed successfully to result in the births of healthy babies. The technique, combined with sampling cells from blastocysts (the very early embryo) before implantation in the womb, opens the way to pin-pointing a handful of genes that could be used to identify those blastocysts most likely to result in a successful pregnancy.
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10 April 2008

Association between low birth weight, excessive weight gain and heart problems in later life: study suggests inflammation may be the cause

Researchers who have followed 5,840 people from before birth to the age of 31 have found evidence suggesting that small size at birth and excessive weight gain during adolescence and young adulthood may lead to low grade inflammation, which, in turn, is associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease. Previous epidemiological studies have linked environmental factors in early life with the risk of disease in adulthood, and this study identifies a possible causal mechanism. The study, which is published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, underlines the important role of healthy lifestyles, from the foetal period, through childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, in preventing heart problems.
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9 April 2008

Stopping a cancer trial early: is it for the benefit of patients or industry?

New research has identified a growing trend for trials of new cancer treatments to be stopped prematurely before the therapies’ risks and benefits have been properly evaluated. In a study, published in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology, Italian researchers analysed 25 randomised controlled clinical trials that had been stopped early because they had started to show a benefit to patients and found that the numbers had increased dramatically in recent years. They warn that this could lead to a systematic over-statement of the effects of treatment, and that patients could be harmed by new therapies being rushed prematurely into the clinic.
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20 March 2008

First study to investigate the effect of father’s diet on chromosomal abnormalities in sperm reveals link with folate – a vitamin B

Researchers writing in Human Reproductionhave found an association between a vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, fruit and pulses and levels of chromosomal abnormalities in men’s sperm. Men who consumed high levels of folate (a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food) and folic acid (the synthetic form of the vitamin) tended to have lower levels of abnormal sperm where a chromosome had been lost or gained (known as aneuploidy).
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22 February 2008

Zoologists challenge longstanding theory that ‘eyespots’ mimic the eyes of predator enemies

Circular markings on creatures such as butterflies are effective against predators because they are conspicuous features, not because they mimic the eyes of the predators’ own enemies, according to research published in the journal, Behavioral Ecology. Zoologists based at the University of Cambridge challenge the 150-year-old theory about why these markings are effective against predators.
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20 February 2008

Listening to music improves stroke patients’ recovery

Listening to music in the early stages after a stroke can improve patients’ recovery, according to new research published online in the medical journal Brain. Researchers from Finland found that if stroke patients listened to music for a couple of hours a day, their verbal memory and focused attention recovered better and they had a more positive mood than patients who did not listen to anything or who listened to audio books. This is the first time such an effect has been shown in humans and the researchers believe it has important implications for clinical practice.
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7 February 2008

Teenage fathers are more likely to have babies affected by adverse birth problems. Fathers aged 40 and over are not at increased risk

Teenage fathers are at increased risk of having babies born with birth problems ranging from pre-term delivery or low birth weight, through to death in or near to the time of delivery, according to new research published in Human Reproduction. In contrast, the study also found that older fathers, aged 40 and over, were not at increased risk of having babies affected by these problems. The results were independent of the age of the mother or other maternal factors that might be expected to have an impact on birth outcomes.
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5 February 2008

New figures reveal changing patterns of stroke and heart disease related deaths in Europe

New figures show there are still large variations between and within European countries in the numbers of stroke and heart disease-related deaths. Several countries, particularly in northern and eastern Europe, have rates of death that are as much as 7-14 times higher than other countries, while countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the UK have large regional variations. Published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal today, the study looked at deaths from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) – a form of heart disease characterised by a reduced blood supply to the heart – and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) – defects in the blood vessels supplying the brain which can result in events such as stroke – for the year 2000.
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31 January 2008

Study of Whitehall civil servants explains how stress at work is linked to heart disease

New research has produced strong evidence of how work stress is linked to the biological mechanisms involved in the onset of heart disease. Published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, this research is the first large-scale study to look at the cardiovascular mechanisms of work stress in the population and provides the strongest evidence yet of the way it can lead to coronary heart disease, either directly, by activating stress pathways controlled by the interaction between the nervous system, the endocrine glands and their hormones (neuroendocrine mechanisms), or indirectly via its association with unhealthy lifestyles.
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9 January 2008

Staying active and drinking moderately is the key to a long life

People who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are physically active have a lower risk of death from heart disease and other causes than people who don’t drink at all, according to new research. People who neither drink alcohol nor exercise have a 30-49 per cent higher risk of heart disease than those who either drink, exercise or both. The research, which was published in the European Heart Journal, is the first to look at the combined influence of leisure-time physical activity and weekly alcohol intake on the risk of fatal ischaemic heart disease (a form of heart disease characterised by a reduced blood supply to the heart) and deaths from all causes.
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10 October 2007

Researchers find evidence linking stress caused by the 9/11 disaster with low birth weights

Researchers have found evidence of an increase in low birth weights among babies born in and around New York City in the weeks and months after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, they suggest that stress may have contributed to the effect.
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9 October 2007

Women with high or increasing blood pressure are up to three times more likely to develop diabetes

One of the largest studies to investigate the relationship between blood pressure and type 2 diabetes has found that women who have high blood pressure levels are three times more likely to develop diabetes than women with low blood pressure levels. This effect was independent of body mass index and other conditions that are known to predispose people to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Writing in the European Heart Journal, the authors say that clinicians should be aware of the relationships between blood pressure and type 2 diabetes to optimise the management of patients at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
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