Injecting a cure

ith the help of a chemical, diabetes sufferer with early symptoms could be prevented from developing the disease completely, research has suggested. Trials found that a specific peptide- a substance formed from amino acids- halted the progression of Type1 diabetes (the insulin-dependent form that must be treated with injections) in humans and mice. Jerusalem- based Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical school and Peptor Limited, a pharmaceutical company also based in Israel, conducted the research. It is hoped that the discovery could lead to the development of new life-saving drugs.

December 31, 2023 Down To Earth

Bacteria modify the negative approach

ipid A constitutes much of the outer lipid coat of disease-causing Gram negative organisms such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Pseudomonas. A novel method of bacterial resistance has been identified, by which an unusual sugar, aminoarabinose, is attached to the lipid, with the overall effect of reducing the net negative charge of the bacterial coat. Antibiotics (e.g. polymyxin) attach to the bacterial lipid coat via positively charged groups, the interactions of which are lessened with weakened negativity of the aminoarabinose-coated lipid. Duke University Medical Center biochemist Christian Raetz (Durham, NC, USA) said, ‘…we have discovered the enzyme that attaches this modifying group to lipid A, as well as a novel precursor molecule (named undecaprenyl phosphate-aminoarabinose) that donates this aminoarabinose to lipid A. It might be possible to redesign peptide antibiotics to work even against bacteria with aminoarabinose attached to their lipid A. …Also, one could imagine devising inhibitors of our aminoarabinose transferase enzyme that would render polymyxin resistant mutants sensitive again.’ The transferase enzyme was pinpointed by genetically analysing a polymixin-resistant strain of Salmonella (the arn T gene codes for the protein responsible for transferring aminoarabinose to lipid A). A similar gene to arn T has been identified in resistant strains of E. coli. In future studies, the scientists will trace the full metabolic pathway, which could yield additional enzyme targets for inhibitory drugs. These finding are being published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

November 11, 2023 TRENDS in Biochemical Sciences Vol. 26 No. 11

pinach, the vegetable loved by Popeye, could prove to be a remedy for certain forms of blindness. Doctors now believe that an eyedrops containing a protein taken from spinach could be soon available to treat the millions of people suffering from age-related macular degeneration of the eye and retinitis pigmentosa.
            Age-related macular degeneration is a common eye disease associated with ageing that gradually destroys sharp central vision. The macula is made up of millions of light-sensing cells in the middle of the retina. When these cells degenerate, vision is impaired and if the disease progresses quickly, blindness follows. Retinitis pigmentosais a genetic disease which affect about one person in 4,000. Sufferers develop night blindness, then tunnel vision and finally lose their colour and day vision.

ashington female scientists have increased their representation in the US scientific community, but still lag behind their male colleagues in attending full-time, tenure-track positions, according to a report by the US National Academic of Sciences. Women had almost no representation in the community 25 years ago, but in 1995 they accounted around a third of new a science PhDs and academic faculty in many fields, though there is wide variation.
            In engineering just 7% of degrees and 5% of PhD-level jobs in 1995 went to women, whereas in the biological sciences female scientists were awarded 50% of all undergraduate degree and 40% of all PhDs.

 November 22,. 2001 NATURE Vol. 414

esides traditional medicinal systems, alternative medicine would have bright prospectus in the coming year, founder and chairman of Dhyanamandali (Vijayawada) C. Bhikshamaiah guruji predicted on Monday.
            Addressing a press conference after being awarded with ‘Star of Millennium’ by the National council of Alternative Medicine recently. Bikshmaiah said that amalgamation of meditation with radionics therapy was proving good for curing chronic disease.
            Stating that Reiki, pranic healing, oil pulling, acupressure, acupuncture, magnetotherapy, radiation technology, aroma therapy and naturopathy were some of the alternative medicinal systems available across, the world, he observed that all the disease were psychosomatic. Insomnia, depression and stress were responsible for the occurrence of the disease in a person.
            To cure chronic disease like a diabetes and arthritis, Dhyanamandali has been adopting a procedure called ‘Multiyoga therapy treatment’ by integrating available alternative medicine systems, he added.

 January 2001, Health Action

isruptions in the human nervous system, or stress, can concentrate fat around the abdomen, raising the risk of diabetes as well as heart problems, a study by the university hospital in the Swedish city of Gothenburg found.
      “ The stress system has developed to deal with periods of brief stress for stone–age man preparing for battle or flight. But in today’s civilized world, stress is different. One does not beat up the boss or run away from the mortgage institute, “ said physician Thoman Ljung, who led the study.
         Researchers have found that fat plays an important role in protecting bones and organs, regulating hormones and the immune system and managing women’s reproductive systems. Fat produces an important hormone called leptin that communicates with the brain, informing it how the body’s energy levels are doing.
        Simon Coppack, a researcher at the St Bartholomew’s and the Royal Londan School of Medicine and dentistry said: “Fat is an organ. You should probably think of it as a little bit like the liver” the hormone tells the brain when the body needs to eat and when it has eaten too much. It also plays a role in the reproduction process. Women with very little body fat, such as anorexics, do not have periods. Simon Coppack said body fat can contribute to a healthy pregnancy. “If you went into a pregnancy malnourished, that would be catastrophic for both baby and mother”, he says.

 February 2002, Health Action

yurveda the ancient Indian system of medicine, will be taught as a short-accredited course in ten US medical schools by the end of 2002.
      Measures to popularize Ayurveda was discussed recently by Indian Health Secretary Shailaja Chandra and Joana Rosario, Director, National Centre for Complementary and Alternative medicine, Maryland, U.S.
      The Ayurveda course will be taught under the auspices of the National Institute of Health in Maryland.
       Teachers of Ayurveda system of medicine in India will be sponsored by their government to visit the Us in January 2002 and present model of the accredited course in Ayurveda at the NIH.
      According to the recent deliberations, ayurvedic and herbal medicine would be introduced and promoted in the US where alternative medicine has a big $27, billion market.
       “A lot of research carried out in the West has proved Ayurveda to be effective in finding a cure for certain psychiatric diseases, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, dysentery and skin ailments.” Said Navin Shah, a noted urologist of Mary land. Herbal medicines, he said, are becoming very popular in the US because allopathic drugs are expensive and have several side-effects.

 February 2002, Health Action

New anthrax medicine

cientist in India have created a new vaccine for anthrax, which they say could be less toxic and more effective than the one that is currently available. The alternative has been developed by a team from the Centre for Biotechnology at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. It is made up of harmless mutant forms of three key proteins that together make the toxin that does the damage to humans. Rakesh Bhatnagar, who led the research team, says the laboratory testing of the new vaccine has been completed and it would now be subjected to animal and human trials.

 Garlic, remedy for cold

arlic can help alleviate the misery of the common cold, say scientists who discovered an active ingredient in the plant which reduces symptoms like sneezing, coughing and a runny nose and speeds up recovery. The substance also slashes the chance of being re-infected with a new cold by boosting the immune system. Writing in the journal Advances in Therapy,  the researcher say allicin, a compound from the garlic bulb known to fight bacteria, may be a ‘cure’ for the debilitating common cold.

wiss researchers have uncovered a protein involved in the response to skin injury that helps elucidate the molecular mechanism and genetics of wound healing, and might lead to identification of targets for the development of new treatments for skin disorders.
            Walter Wahli and colleagues had previously found that a nuclear receptor protein, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor b (PPARb), is a critical gene regulator in the cellular response to inflammation, and in differentiation and migration of keratinocytes in the epidermis.
            It has been demonstrated that the stimulation of the PPARb gene and then the activation of the PPARb  protein are required in wound healing thereby suggesting that healing defects may arise from a lack of PPAR gene expression, or a default in PPAR protein activation, or both combined”, says Wahli. The investigators also suspect that PPARb dysfunction could be one of the molecular mechanism underlying psoriasis, since keratinocyte differentiation induced by inflammation is impaired in psoriasis.
         Wahli suggests that drug therapies could be developed that accelerate the healing of surgical wounds and diabetic ulcers by inducing the PPARb gene or activating the PPARb protein. Drugs could also be designed to inhibit PPARb gene expression and PPARB protein  activity to address diseases with an underlying overexpression of PPARb. Further  research will hopefully identify the genes targeted by PPARb and explain how this mechanism might apply to other tissue in which PPARb is expressed.
       Theodora Mauro (University of California at San Francisco, CA, USA) is more sceptical about the findings. “A previous study using a PPARb activator improved psoriasis by decreasing keratinocyte differentiation, suggesting that this receptor stimulates differentiation, not proliferation”. Unfortunately, says Mauro, the proliferation of keratinocytes is necessary, at least in the early stages of the wound repair. She also asks whether PPARb  could function in wound healing without PPARa “It seems as if many of the functions ascribed to PPARb [anti-inflammatory, pre-differentiative] would hinder not help wound healing, and that PPARa may be directing the timing of PPARb activities for later in the wound healing process”, she says.

esearchers in Israel report this week that a high blood triglyceride concentration is an independent predictor of stroke in people with coronary heart disease (CHD). “This is the first large study to provide strong evidence that elevated blood triglyceride levels, independent of cholesterol levels and its fractions, can predict the occurrence of stroke among patients already suffering from heart disease”, asserts lead researcher David Tanne.
       Tanne and colleagues followed-up 11 177 people who had CHD, but no history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), for 6-8 years. Of the 941 individuals who developed cerebrovascular disease during follow-up, 487 had a verified ischaemic stroke or TIA (circulation 2001; 104: 2892-97). “We found that those with high blood triglycerides [> 200 mg/dL] have a nearly 30-50% higher risk of suffering an ischaemic attack or TIA, after controlling for well established risk factors for stroke such as high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, or diabetes”, Tanne told The Lancet. The researchers also found that people who had a stroke also had lower concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
        “This is well-conducted study that sheds new light on the relationship of lipids and stroke”, comments Ralph Sacco (Neurological Institute, New York, NY, USA). “Unlike heart disease, the relationship between stroke and cholesterol has not been as clear. New data such as this study provide a stronger link between stroke and lipids.”
          Sacco, who has previously shown that HDL cholesterol is a protective factor for stroke in elderly people, suggests that clinicians need to focus more on the control of lipids as an important modifiable risk factors for stroke.
         Tanne agrees with this view and suggests that clinicians should  measure triglyceride concentrations as part of their global risk factor assessment of stroke in all individuals. “Although measured as part of a lipid profile, triglycerides are not given sufficient attention for stroke prevention by practitioners. Triglyceride concentrations may help to refine the risk of ischaemic stroke.”
          Tanne stresses, however, that further studies are needed to determine whether there is a similar relation between triglyceride concentrations and stroke in people without CHD, and also whether lipid-lowering drugs or drug combinations can help prevent stroke in patients with raised triglyceride concentrations.

reatment with certain COX 2 inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that relieve the pain associated with arthritis, may increase the risk of heart attack according to a retrospective analysis of two separate marketing studies.
            The research comes within weeks of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence approving these types of drug for use in the NHS in England and Wales. The institute acknowledgement in a recent technology appraisal guidance bulletin that there is a such a risk and that COX 2 inhibitors should not be prescribed routinely to patients with cardiovascular disease.
            Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio analyzed the cardiovascular event rates in two randomized multicentre trials. They also looked at myocardial infarction rates in the placebo group (23407 patients) in a meta-analysis of four large aspirin studies.
            They found that the annual myocardial infarction rate in the aspirin placebo group was 0.52%. This compared with 0.74% (P=0.04) for the COX 2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) in the Vioxx gastrointestinal outcomes research (VIGOR) study and 0.80% for the inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex) in the celecoxib long term arthritis safety study (CLASS).
            Aspirin use was not permitted in the VIGOR study, in which 8076 patients were randomized to receive rofecoxib 50mg a day or naproxen 1000 mg a day. There were 111 cardiovascular events in the rofecoxib arm and 50 events in the naproxen  arm.

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