Sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS) results in the deaths of approximately 53 out of every 100000 infants. One unique aspect of SIDS is that the root cause is unknown. In the majority of cases the infants are put to bed and are found dead in the morning with no obvious cause of death.
There are several characteristics that are associated with cases of SIDS. Two of the most common are putting the baby to sleep on their side or stomach and the use of soft bedding in cribs. These are commonly associated with SIDS because one of the causes may be suffocation.
Although the use of soft bedding is associated with cases of SIDS, many parents in the United States still choose to use soft bedding in their infant's cribs. The rate of parents using soft bedding has decreased from 86 percent in the mid-1990s to roughly 55 percent in the past few years. This rate is still alarmingly high considering that the majority of SIDS cases occur when soft bedding is used.
Several recommendations to reduce the risk of SIDS are avoiding the use of soft bedding in cribs, having the infant sleep on their back and using a firm mattress. It is also recommended that parents avoid placing toys and pillows in the crib.
References
://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2014/12/01/babies-still-sleeping-with-soft-bedding-despite-sids-risk-cdc
http://sids.org/
Monday, December 1, 2014
Diagnosing dementia prior to cognitive symptoms
Memory loss, accompanied with the
loss of control of everyday activities, is a scary thing to imagine.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a degenerative brain disease, affects behavior,
language and motor control. However, as with many incurable diseases, early detection
can help prepare providers and patients with the necessary tools to alleviate
symptoms. A recent study has discovered that those with a specific genetic
mutation, and therefore increased risk for developing FTD, show a thinning of
the retina prior to any symptoms of dementia (Ward et al. 2014). Over time,
researchers correlated retinal thinning with disease progression. These findings make neurological sense as the retina is directly connected to the brain
through these neurons. As one of the earliest manifestations of this
disease-associated mutation, this finding is a potential, less invasive, diagnostic
tool to observe neuronal changes before cognitive symptoms present.
References:
Ward ME, Taubes A, Chen
R, Miller BL, Sephton CF, Gelfand JM, Minami S, Boscardin J, Martens LH, Seeley
WW, Yu G, Herz J, Filiano AJ, Arrant AE, Roberson ED, Kraft TW, Farese RV, Green
A, Gan L. 2014. Early retinal neurodegeneration and impaired Ran-mediated nuclear import
of TDP-43 in progranulin-deficient FTLD. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 211(10): 1937-1945.
Other resources:
Gladstone Institutes. 25 August 2014. Changes in eye can
predict changes in brain. ScienceDaily [Internet]. Available from: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140825100037.htm
http://memory.ucsf.edu/ftd/overview
Need A Hit for that Anxiety?
It seems
fitting that while we are in the Mile High city we should talk about one of its
defining characteristics. By this I mean
the overwhelming acceptance of marijuana use.
As we know marijuana has been legal for recreational use in the last few
years and even longer for medical purposes.
One of the leading reasons that individuals are prescribed marijuana is
for anxiety and depression-like symptoms. For many individuals this develops
into costly medication in more than one facet.
However, researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered a
possibility to achieve a “natural” high and to avoid the chronic use of medical
marijuana.
Many
individuals that use medical marijuana complain of anxiety and depression like
symptoms. These symptoms are caused by
the decreased activation of cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoid receptors are activated by
endocannabinoids, which are typically the active ingredient in marijuana. The most common endocannabinoids is called
2-AG. Additionally these receptors are
found heavily in the ventral nucleus of the amygdala, the emotional hub of the
brain.
The
researchers at Vanderbilt University developed 2-AG knockout mouse models in
order to test how to obtain this natural high without marijuana. They did this very simply blocking the enzyme
that normally breaks down 2-AG within the brain. This research into finding substitutes for
marijuana is important in these patients because their treatment is also their
curse. Research has show that chronic
marijuana use down regulates the cannabinoid receptors themselves. Thus increasing the amount of anxiety and
depression without ingesting more marijuana.
This enzyme blocker is thus a more effective way to achieve the same
effects of marijuana without the negative side effects.
If this
research can continue to show to give the same outcome of marijuana use is it
still ethical to allow these patients to use marijuana even though it causes
this “vicious cycle”? Or should this be
the patients decision as to how they want to treat their symptoms?
References:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141201113253.htm
Is Abstinence Unhealthy?
Life for many can become cluttered and busy;
focusing on careers or family or trying to remember if you left the stove on or
fed the cat. For some it is easy to forget about themselves and their
significant other or lack there of. So when it comes to sex, is it detrimental
to your health to abstain from such acts? Or were our junior high teachers
right when they said sex is bad? Well Professor Stacy Lindau of obstetrics and
gynecology from University of Chicago helped clear things up.
When speaking to the audience of her seminar she
asks, "Would you rather cut off your dominant hand or give up sex for
life?" Surprisingly 82% said they would remove their hand, yet when an
anonymous poll was taken of how many times a year people copulated the number
averaged below 25. Such a low average number for such a large percentage in my
opinion. Why do people think sex is so necessary?
Well from a physiological standpoint its not. The human body can
abstain from sex and still live a long successful life. It is not like food, or
water, or shelter. However, sex does provide some health benefits. Studies have shown that regular sex has a
protective effect on the heart, lowering the risk of heart attack in men. Other
benefits include increased blood flow to the genitals and "probably"
is beneficial to the immune system. But the psychological side of sex can have
just as many health benefits. Sex can reduce stress levels by releasing
"feel good" hormones of oxytocin and dopamine, while reducing levels
of cortisol. This can, in-turn, improve sleep, increasing energy
levels while simultaneously preventing Alzheimer's disease (see earlier
blog post).
The disadvantages to
not having sex are mostly geared toward women I am sad to say. Not having sex
can lead to atrophying of the unused vaginal or hip muscles. Vaginismus is a
common condition characterized by hypersensitivity of the muscles around
the opening of the vagina.
So when it comes
down to it, abstinence will not kill you and a person can live a very happy and
healthy life this way. Just turns out that conjugating may have some beneficial
attributes
Crane, Kristine. "Is Abstinence
Unhealthy?" US News. U.S.News & World Report, 7 July 2014.
Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
<http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/07/07/is-abstinence-unhealthy>.
Have you tried E-quitting?
We all know the dangers and negative health effects
associated with smoking cigarettes. Increased
risk for lung cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure are just a few of
the many negative physical impacts that smoking has on the human body. But what if I told you that smoking could
help you stop smoking? We’ve all seen
the students on campus and the people outside of bars exhaling the big clouds
of vapor from the new electronic cigarettes, or E-cigarettes. These work by electrically heating up a
flavored liquid that tastes like tobacco, but lacks the harmful smoke (2). A recent study, published at the end of
October of this year, cited that E-cigarettes can be an effective method of
quitting smoking. The study shows that
between two groups of cigarettes smokers, the group that changed to
E-cigarettes had decreased cravings and even showed a 60% decrease in cigarette
use over the eight month period (1).
This could be fantastic news as many smokers are aware of the risk
associated with smoking, but find themselves unable to break the addiction and
quit for good. Could this be the tool
that society uses to totally eradicate tobacco smoke?
Unfortunately, the answer is probably not.
Another study, published just a month later than the
first, November 2014, shows that certain brands of E-cigarettes contain ten
times the level of carcinogens as regular cigarettes (2). Several brands showed consistent increased
levels of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
These E-cigarettes have been considered safer since they became popular
and have even gotten high levels of non-smokers to try them (2).
So unfortunately, people are moving away from the
harmful effects of smoking to the potentially more harmful effects of
E-cigarettes. Proving once again that
there is no easy solution to get people to stop smoking.
Adriaens K, Van Gucht D, Declerck P, Baeyens F. 2014. Effectiveness
of the Electronic Cigarette: An Eight-Week Flemish Study with Six-Month
Follow-up on Smoking Reduction, Craving and Experienced Benefits and
Complaints. Int J Environ Res Public Health [Internet]. 11(11):11220-48. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25358095
Kanae Bekki, Shigehisa Uchiyama,
Kazushi Ohta, Yohei Inaba, Hideki Nakagome, and
Naoki Kunugita. 2014. Carbonyl Compounds Generated from Electronic Cigarettes. Int.
J. Environ. Res. Public Health [Internet].11(11), 11192-11200. Available from: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/11/11192/htm
Up-and-coming vaccinations
Vaccines are incredibly important for prevention of disease; polio, diphtheria, yellow fever, small pox, whopping cough, tetanus and measles are mostly eradicated due to vaccinations. Many new vaccinations are currently in trials for the prevention of a variety of diseases that are non-contagious.
One vaccine that is in the early stages of clinical trials is against breast cancer. The vaccination has had success with patients in the early stages of breast cancer by slowing the progression of the cancer. The vaccination works by targeting mammaglobin, a specific gene expressed in specifically in 80% of breast cancers. The vaccination has only a few side effects, such as soreness at the site of injection, compared to the lengthy lists of side effects that occur with most oncology medications.
A vaccine against Lyme disease has been effective in mice against Lyme borreliosis with no adverse effects.There is still a long time before this vaccination could be approved by the FDA, though the question becomes, who should get this vaccination once it is available? Because Lyme disease is not contagious from person to person, herd immunity is not necessary. The vaccine would be most effective if given to people that are in geographic areas of high risk, such as people living in woodsy areas in the east coast of the United States. On the other hand, someone living in a city setting will most likely not be exposed to ticks containing the bacterium that causes lyme disease.
Both of these vaccines are far from becoming available to the general public, though the progression we are seeing with research with vaccines is promising.
Sources:
Breaking the Barrier
As we know, the blood brain barrier
has extremely selective permeability to protect the microenvironment of
neurons. Understandably, fluctuations in systemic blood components need to be
tightly controlled to maintain the integrity of the cerebral circulation. For
example, eating a protein rich meal will increase the concentration of certain
amino acids that serve as neurotransmitters, causing inappropriate neuronal
stimulation if there was no barrier in place (Boron & Boulpaep 2012).
The anatomy of the brain helps to
select for solutes that can pass from the blood to the brain extracellular
fluid (BECF). Capillary endothelial cells are found in the brain capillaries
and, unlike other body capillaries, they are connected to each other by
continuous tight junctions, providing the physical barrier to certain solutes (Boron
& Boulpaep 2012). To reiterate, certain solutes such as O2 or caffeine
can pass the blood brain barrier due to their properties, but other molecules,
such as potassium ions have a more limited access.
Capillaries of the brain. Photo credit: Dan Ferber.
Conceivably, this makes clinical
treatments that would otherwise target certain brain conditions, difficult. For
example, in the treatment of brain tumors, the successful passage of certain small
chemotherapeutic drugs is necessary (Silva 2008). Some therapies attempt to
pair therapeutic drug agents to transporters with the ability to cross the
barrier, however, this is not always efficient and has the potential to cause
other side effects—this emphasizes a need to explore the ability to manipulate
the blood brain barrier (Silva 2008).
A recent study sought to research
this particular concept, but with a completely novel approach. This new methodology
involves placing ultrasound emitters in the brains of patients with
glioblastoma (brain tumors). The pulses created by the ultrasound cause
vibrations that separate the capillary endothelial cells in a specific region,
for a specific period of time, allowing access to the brain extracellular fluid
(Canney et al. 2013). This access allows for the delivery of drugs that can
ablate the tumor and, in this study, allowed the barrier to remain open for up
to six hours. The long term effects/success of this treatment are still being
established, as the status of the tumors is still being measured; however,
limited peripheral tissue damage was observed. This has huge implications, not
only for administering chemotherapy, but also has been shown to reduce protein
plaque in the brains of mice with a disease comparable to human Alzheimer’s
(Thomson 2014).
As we know, scientific breakthroughs
come in small steps and more research is necessary to better understand the
success and capacity of this new ultrasound approach. What do you think about
its potential? What about possible consequences to opening the blood-brain
barrier for six hours?
References:
Boron WF, Boulpaep EL. 2012. Medical Physiology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders. 298-301 p.
Canney MS, Chavrier F, Tsysar S, Chapelon J, Lafon C,
Carpentier A. 2013. A multi-element interstitial ultrasound applicator for the
thermal therapy of brain tumors. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of
America. 134:1647-1655.
Ferber D. Bridging the Blood-Brain Barrier: New Methods Improve
the Odds of Getting Drugs to the Brain Cells That Need Them. PLoS Biology 5(6):169.
Silva GA. 2008. Nanotechnology approaches to crossing the
blood-brain barrier and drug delivery to the CNS. BioMed Central Neuroscience.
9(3): S4.
Thomson H. 2014 Oct. 22. Brain barrier opened for first time
to treat cancer. New Scientist [Internet]; 2922. Available from: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26432-brain-barrier-opened-for-first-time-to-treat-cancer.html#.VH0uNzHF-Sq
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