Tuesday, December 13, 2016
The Solipsist re-emerges from her semester
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/upshot/the-power-of-simple-life-changes-to-prevent-heart-disease.html This was a column in the NYT (Science Times) reporting on a study published in NEJM about lifestyle changes and how they are effective against heart disease even if you have a significant number of risk factors working against you. It is a summary of four studies. A risk score was generated using SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) which might predispose an individual to get heart disease. Researchers used some simple lifestyle changes and examined what the effects were on the actual incidences of coronary events. The result showed that lifestyle changes were even effective in those individuals deemed to be at high risk for a cardiovascular event.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Adios Fidel
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/well/move/born-to-move.html?_r=0
This is an article from the NYT about an article in the American Journal of Human Biology summarizing a study done at Yale and the U of Arizona about the Hazda, a hunter-gatherer people. 46 people from this tribe agreed to wear a chest monitor. One conclusion from the study is that we were "born to move" not stare at or swipe screens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/opinion/sunday/octopuses-and-the-puzzle-of-aging.html?_r=0
This is a column in the Sunday Review section of the NYT about our lifespan. The writer/researcher uses the example of octopi, which have a lifespan of only two years. Nautiluses who are also cephalopods. live for 20 years. Why is this?
This is an article from the NYT about an article in the American Journal of Human Biology summarizing a study done at Yale and the U of Arizona about the Hazda, a hunter-gatherer people. 46 people from this tribe agreed to wear a chest monitor. One conclusion from the study is that we were "born to move" not stare at or swipe screens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/opinion/sunday/octopuses-and-the-puzzle-of-aging.html?_r=0
This is a column in the Sunday Review section of the NYT about our lifespan. The writer/researcher uses the example of octopi, which have a lifespan of only two years. Nautiluses who are also cephalopods. live for 20 years. Why is this?
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Maybe Snow Flurries
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/opinion/climate-change-in-trumps-age-of-ignorance.html?_r=0 An article in the NYT by Robert Proctor of Stanford about the election of a president with no interest in the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Dedicated to Susan Lindquist
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/science/susan-lindquist-scientist-who-made-genetic-discoveries-using-yeast-dies-at-67.html?_r=0 This is the obit of Susan Lindquist, a personal hero of mine, who did extremely important work on protein folding and diseases resulting from improper protein folding. She used yeast cells to stdu neurodegenerative diseases.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2016/10/30/new-study-further-proves-why-anti-vaccination-thinking-is-deadly/#5ef6918c5de2 This is an article from Forbes about a new measles study on SSPE (Subacute-Sclerosing Pan Encephalitis) which someone who has had measles can contract and is fatal 100% of the time. Normally it shows up in 1 out of 100,000 but it has increased in infants and children who contract measles before vaccination. This is another effect of the anti-vaxx movement.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47392/title/FDA-Approves-Clinical-Trials-to-Test-Cuban-Cancer-Vaccine/ The FDA is poised to begin clinical trials of the Cuban NSSLC lung cancer vaccine. It is to be combined with an FDA approved immunotherapy called Opdivo. The vaccine is called CIMAvax.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47289/title/Immune-System-Maintains-Brain-Health/ This is an article from The Scientist about the immune system and the brain. Findings have shown that mice without T-cells don't perform cognitive functions as well as those with intact immune systems. This work was done in 2004 at the U of Virginia and has heralded a wave of research on the connections between immune cells and the brain.Michal Schwartz at the Weitzmann Institute has founded a company to test antibodies against T-cell checkpoints as therapy for Alzheimers Disease.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/video-how-cram-your-entire-genome-tiny-nucleus Video from Science magazine showing compaction of DNA into nucleus.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/watch-these-ticklish-rats-laugh-and-jump-joy This is an article from Science magazine about research that shows that rats are ticklish. There is a tickle center in the mammalian brain that when stimulated causes rats to "chortle". This work was done at Humboldt University in Berlin and published in Science.
https://youtu.be/KnHtxknPVvg
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2016/10/30/new-study-further-proves-why-anti-vaccination-thinking-is-deadly/#5ef6918c5de2 This is an article from Forbes about a new measles study on SSPE (Subacute-Sclerosing Pan Encephalitis) which someone who has had measles can contract and is fatal 100% of the time. Normally it shows up in 1 out of 100,000 but it has increased in infants and children who contract measles before vaccination. This is another effect of the anti-vaxx movement.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47392/title/FDA-Approves-Clinical-Trials-to-Test-Cuban-Cancer-Vaccine/ The FDA is poised to begin clinical trials of the Cuban NSSLC lung cancer vaccine. It is to be combined with an FDA approved immunotherapy called Opdivo. The vaccine is called CIMAvax.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47289/title/Immune-System-Maintains-Brain-Health/ This is an article from The Scientist about the immune system and the brain. Findings have shown that mice without T-cells don't perform cognitive functions as well as those with intact immune systems. This work was done in 2004 at the U of Virginia and has heralded a wave of research on the connections between immune cells and the brain.Michal Schwartz at the Weitzmann Institute has founded a company to test antibodies against T-cell checkpoints as therapy for Alzheimers Disease.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/video-how-cram-your-entire-genome-tiny-nucleus Video from Science magazine showing compaction of DNA into nucleus.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/watch-these-ticklish-rats-laugh-and-jump-joy This is an article from Science magazine about research that shows that rats are ticklish. There is a tickle center in the mammalian brain that when stimulated causes rats to "chortle". This work was done at Humboldt University in Berlin and published in Science.
https://youtu.be/KnHtxknPVvg
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Working Title
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n17/steven-rose/how-to-get-another-thorax
This is an article from The London Review by Steven Rose on Epigenetics, which has to do with influences beside the genotype on phenotype, such as environmental influences. This topic is quite controversial as there are strict "fundamentalists" who believe in the overriding nature of the gene. Epigenetics might explain differences between genetically identical twins. Epigenetics is also providing a way for Developmental Biologists and strict Geneticists to have a conversation. Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote a piece in the NYer on Epigenetics that is inciting many corrections and responses. In any case, the issue is by no means settled.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/science/ancient-dna-human-history.html?_r=0
This is an article from the NYT about an article published in Nature recounting the discovery of a single mutation in the DNA indicating that all non-Africans trace their lineage to a single population emerging from Africa from 50,000 to 80,000 years ago. This would have been one dispersal, although there were more, but these are our ancestors. Three research teams sequenced the genomes of 787 people, including Basques, African pygmies, Bedouins and others.
http://healthjournalism.org/blog/2016/09/confusion-persists-over-timing-of-flu-shots-for-older-adults/
This is an article from the American Society of Health Care Journalists about the timing of flu shots for older adults (65 and older). It also addresses the different vaccines that are available. It may be more advantageous to wait until the flu season starts to get full protection.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/health/birth-of-3-parent-baby-a-success-for-controversial-procedure.html?_r=0 This is an article from the NYT describing the birth of a 3- parent baby. What this means actually is that the genetic material of a donor is in the genetic make-up of the offspring in addition to the genetic material of the two conceiving parents. The mother had mutated mitochondria so the nuclear DNA of the mother was moved to the egg of a healthy donor after removing the donor's nuclear DNA. This method was tried in China 30 years ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/may/24/why-women-leave-academia Article in the Guardian Professional about the consequences of women leaving academia for industry. At the start of their careers 72% of women want to pursue an academic career but by the the end of their first year the numbers have decreased to 37%. By the third year 21% of men can be compared to 12% of women seeking academic jobs.
This is an article from The London Review by Steven Rose on Epigenetics, which has to do with influences beside the genotype on phenotype, such as environmental influences. This topic is quite controversial as there are strict "fundamentalists" who believe in the overriding nature of the gene. Epigenetics might explain differences between genetically identical twins. Epigenetics is also providing a way for Developmental Biologists and strict Geneticists to have a conversation. Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote a piece in the NYer on Epigenetics that is inciting many corrections and responses. In any case, the issue is by no means settled.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/science/ancient-dna-human-history.html?_r=0
This is an article from the NYT about an article published in Nature recounting the discovery of a single mutation in the DNA indicating that all non-Africans trace their lineage to a single population emerging from Africa from 50,000 to 80,000 years ago. This would have been one dispersal, although there were more, but these are our ancestors. Three research teams sequenced the genomes of 787 people, including Basques, African pygmies, Bedouins and others.
http://healthjournalism.org/blog/2016/09/confusion-persists-over-timing-of-flu-shots-for-older-adults/
This is an article from the American Society of Health Care Journalists about the timing of flu shots for older adults (65 and older). It also addresses the different vaccines that are available. It may be more advantageous to wait until the flu season starts to get full protection.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/health/birth-of-3-parent-baby-a-success-for-controversial-procedure.html?_r=0 This is an article from the NYT describing the birth of a 3- parent baby. What this means actually is that the genetic material of a donor is in the genetic make-up of the offspring in addition to the genetic material of the two conceiving parents. The mother had mutated mitochondria so the nuclear DNA of the mother was moved to the egg of a healthy donor after removing the donor's nuclear DNA. This method was tried in China 30 years ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/may/24/why-women-leave-academia Article in the Guardian Professional about the consequences of women leaving academia for industry. At the start of their careers 72% of women want to pursue an academic career but by the the end of their first year the numbers have decreased to 37%. By the third year 21% of men can be compared to 12% of women seeking academic jobs.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Whither Goeth Hermine?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/opinion/sunday/youre-how-old-well-be-in-touch.html?_r=0 This is a column in the Sunday Review opinion section of the NYT about age discrimination in the workplace. According to this article 20% of Americans 65 and older are working. Why are people over 50 unable to find work? The column says a network of attitudes and institutional practices is to blame.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/technology/goodbye-ivory-tower-hello-silicon-valley-candy-store.html This NYT article is about economists moving from academia to private companies to help analyze data and improve sales.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/business/is-epipen-a-brand-name-or-a-generic-drug-mylan-casts-it-both-ways.html An article in the NYT about the profiteering in selling the Epipen by Mylan pharmaceuticals, which has exclusivity. Mylan has been saying it is a generic, resulting in Medicaid overpayment. Mylan has raised the price six-fold since 2007. Shares of Mylan have dropped 15% in the weeks since the attention to Epipen's overpricing has been publicized.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/business/at-mylan-lets-pretend-is-more-than-a-game.html
http://healthjournalism.org/blog/2016/09/modifying-use-of-some-prescription-drugs-may-reduce-fracture-risk-in-older-adults/ The JAMA Internal Medicine published a study about how changing the drug regimen of older adults may lessen the likelihood their sustaining fractures. The study was done at Dartmouth U. 21 drug classes were associated with increased fracture risk.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/science/south-african-mine-life-on-mars.html?_r=0 This article from the Science Times is about microbes in a South African mine. A Princeton-led team is examining a methane-fed community of microbes which could be similar to the community on Mars. There is a theory that life originated on Mars then traveled to earth by way of meteorites. This is called the earth's deep biosphere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/technology/goodbye-ivory-tower-hello-silicon-valley-candy-store.html This NYT article is about economists moving from academia to private companies to help analyze data and improve sales.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/business/is-epipen-a-brand-name-or-a-generic-drug-mylan-casts-it-both-ways.html An article in the NYT about the profiteering in selling the Epipen by Mylan pharmaceuticals, which has exclusivity. Mylan has been saying it is a generic, resulting in Medicaid overpayment. Mylan has raised the price six-fold since 2007. Shares of Mylan have dropped 15% in the weeks since the attention to Epipen's overpricing has been publicized.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/business/at-mylan-lets-pretend-is-more-than-a-game.html
http://healthjournalism.org/blog/2016/09/modifying-use-of-some-prescription-drugs-may-reduce-fracture-risk-in-older-adults/ The JAMA Internal Medicine published a study about how changing the drug regimen of older adults may lessen the likelihood their sustaining fractures. The study was done at Dartmouth U. 21 drug classes were associated with increased fracture risk.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/science/south-african-mine-life-on-mars.html?_r=0 This article from the Science Times is about microbes in a South African mine. A Princeton-led team is examining a methane-fed community of microbes which could be similar to the community on Mars. There is a theory that life originated on Mars then traveled to earth by way of meteorites. This is called the earth's deep biosphere.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Fall Semester
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46878/title/Caloric-Restriction-Turns-White-Fat-Brown/ A report in the New Scientist about research done in mice at the U of Geneva to be published in Cell Metabolism which showed that restricting dietary calorie intake turned white fat into energy-burning brown fat. Calorie restriction by 40% in animal models has been shown to lead to longer lifespans and improved health outcomes. Finding a way to make the transition could help with diabetes and other diseases.
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/graduate-students-the-laborers-of-academia Article in the NYer about (adjuncts and) grad students, the laborers of academia.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/353/6302/872.full.pdf This is a link to a commentary in Science by David Baltimore's group about new strategies for understanding neurodegenerative diseases. For those of us who still bear onus against Baltimore for his claiming credit for his student's work, this commentary is a step towards forgiveness. He suggests that, just as we undertook new strategies from a cellular perspective to figure cancer out, he suggests we similarly "rethink the path to progress" in the case of Alzheimers and other diseases.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-review-finds-nondrug-approaches-effective-treatment-common-pain-conditions This is a report of an NIH-funded study about non-drug treatment for pain.It was reported in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings that yoga, tai chi and acupuncture are effective treatments for back pain, osteoarthritis, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and severe headaches and migraine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/science/oldest-fossils-on-earth.html?_r=0 An article from the NYT about a fossil discovery in Greenland which may be the oldest fossils ever found. This publication will appear in Nature. These fossils are thought to be stromatolites, layers of sediment packed together by microbial communities living in shallow water. They may antedate the oldest previously known fossils by 220 million years. The U of Wollongong discovered the fossils.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/science/fda-bans-sale-of-many-antibacterial-soaps-saying-risks-outweigh-benefits.html From the NYT an article about the banning the sale of most antibacterial soaps by the FDA. Most of the banned products contain triclosan or triclocarban. In 2013 the FDA said the companies that marketed these products would have to prove they did more good than harm and this week the decision was made that they did not. Studies in animals have shown that these two chemicals disrupt normal reproductive development and metabolism and they may behave similarly in animals.
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/graduate-students-the-laborers-of-academia Article in the NYer about (adjuncts and) grad students, the laborers of academia.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/353/6302/872.full.pdf This is a link to a commentary in Science by David Baltimore's group about new strategies for understanding neurodegenerative diseases. For those of us who still bear onus against Baltimore for his claiming credit for his student's work, this commentary is a step towards forgiveness. He suggests that, just as we undertook new strategies from a cellular perspective to figure cancer out, he suggests we similarly "rethink the path to progress" in the case of Alzheimers and other diseases.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-review-finds-nondrug-approaches-effective-treatment-common-pain-conditions This is a report of an NIH-funded study about non-drug treatment for pain.It was reported in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings that yoga, tai chi and acupuncture are effective treatments for back pain, osteoarthritis, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and severe headaches and migraine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/science/oldest-fossils-on-earth.html?_r=0 An article from the NYT about a fossil discovery in Greenland which may be the oldest fossils ever found. This publication will appear in Nature. These fossils are thought to be stromatolites, layers of sediment packed together by microbial communities living in shallow water. They may antedate the oldest previously known fossils by 220 million years. The U of Wollongong discovered the fossils.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/science/fda-bans-sale-of-many-antibacterial-soaps-saying-risks-outweigh-benefits.html From the NYT an article about the banning the sale of most antibacterial soaps by the FDA. Most of the banned products contain triclosan or triclocarban. In 2013 the FDA said the companies that marketed these products would have to prove they did more good than harm and this week the decision was made that they did not. Studies in animals have shown that these two chemicals disrupt normal reproductive development and metabolism and they may behave similarly in animals.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Below Ninety Degrees
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/woman-may-know-secret-saving-brain-s-synapses?utm_campaign=news_weekly_2016-08-19&et_rid=167369815&et_cid=731076
This is an article from Science about a neuroscientist at BostonChildren's Hospital working on gene knockout mice looking at the gene C1q, which is necessary for synaptic refinement, which is important in development for organization of the neurvous system, called "pruning". Later in life, C1q can cause nervous system damage. This may lead to therapies for glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/20/sunday-review/climate-change-hot-future.html?_r=0 This is a graphic in the Sunday Review section of NYT, with a projection forward to 2100, of the days over one hundred degrees in the US. In 1991-2100 Phoenix had 92, 2060 projection is 132, 2100, projection is 163. This work was done by an environmental research group called Climate Central. A publication in Nature last year said that 3 out of 4 daily heat extremes can be linked to global warming. Invest in sunscreen.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/donald-trump-s-lack-of-respect-for-science-is-alarming/ From Scientific American, a column devoted to Donald Trump's lack of respect for science. For the September 1 issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/22/us/dr-donald-a-henderson-who-helped-end-smallpox-dies-at-87.html?_r=0 This is an obit in the NYT for Don Henderson, one of my heros, who was significant in the worldwide eradication of smallpox.
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2543281 This is an article from JAMA Pediatrics about a data-mining study about the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy and behavioral difficulties in children. Confounding variables do not invalidate the association.
http://www.nytimes.com/by/gina-kolata This is an article in the Science Times by Gina Kolata about anew report that perhaps nodules on the thyroid do not necessitate surgery. This was a report in NEJM about the lifelong consequences of thyroid removal on patients with thyroid cancer, many of whose cancers never progress beyond the nodular stage.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/22/the-underused-hpv-vaccine/ Article in Science Times by Jane Brody about the underutilization of the HPV vaccine. Parents don't get their pre-teens vaccinated due to their wish to believe they are not sexually active. The CDC reports that about 14 million Americans become infected with HPV annually, most teens or young adults. HPV is a cause of cervical cancer.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2016/aug/23/scientists-losing-science-communication-skeptic-cox Article from The Guardian about scientists inability to communicate science to the public.
http://www.sciencealert.com/thousands-of-strange-blue-lakes-are-appearing-in-antarctica-and-it-s-very-bad-news Article in Science News, Durham University, UK, glaciologists, as reported by Chris Mooney in the Washington Post, note the appearance of lakes in Antarctica. This does not bode well for the stability of the entire ice shelf. This was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/24/health/zika-a-formidable-enemy-attacks-and-destroys-parts-of-babies-brains.html?_r=0 This is a NYT article reporting from the journal Radiology about possible other effects on the brains of babies whose mothers were infected with the Zika virus that may continue after birth or throughout their development.Zika's brain targets are the corpus callosum, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/science/gene-tests-identify-breast-cancer-patients-who-can-skip-chemotherapy-study-says.html?_r=0 This is an article from the Times about an important recent study published in NEJM of early stage breast cancer patients who were able to avoid chemotherapy and its consequences, which would not have been effective due to their genes. Their DNA showed they were at low risk for recurrence.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46600/title/New-Lyme-Disease-Test-Developed-by-Summer-Student/ This is an article from The Scientist about a new test for Lyme Disease that was developed by a summer student at George Mason U. It's a urine test that tests for the shedding of proteins by the causative agent, Borrelia Burgdorferi. The test will enableearlier stage detection. The work was published in Biomaterials.
This is an article from Science about a neuroscientist at BostonChildren's Hospital working on gene knockout mice looking at the gene C1q, which is necessary for synaptic refinement, which is important in development for organization of the neurvous system, called "pruning". Later in life, C1q can cause nervous system damage. This may lead to therapies for glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/20/sunday-review/climate-change-hot-future.html?_r=0 This is a graphic in the Sunday Review section of NYT, with a projection forward to 2100, of the days over one hundred degrees in the US. In 1991-2100 Phoenix had 92, 2060 projection is 132, 2100, projection is 163. This work was done by an environmental research group called Climate Central. A publication in Nature last year said that 3 out of 4 daily heat extremes can be linked to global warming. Invest in sunscreen.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/donald-trump-s-lack-of-respect-for-science-is-alarming/ From Scientific American, a column devoted to Donald Trump's lack of respect for science. For the September 1 issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/22/us/dr-donald-a-henderson-who-helped-end-smallpox-dies-at-87.html?_r=0 This is an obit in the NYT for Don Henderson, one of my heros, who was significant in the worldwide eradication of smallpox.
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2543281 This is an article from JAMA Pediatrics about a data-mining study about the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy and behavioral difficulties in children. Confounding variables do not invalidate the association.
http://www.nytimes.com/by/gina-kolata This is an article in the Science Times by Gina Kolata about anew report that perhaps nodules on the thyroid do not necessitate surgery. This was a report in NEJM about the lifelong consequences of thyroid removal on patients with thyroid cancer, many of whose cancers never progress beyond the nodular stage.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/22/the-underused-hpv-vaccine/ Article in Science Times by Jane Brody about the underutilization of the HPV vaccine. Parents don't get their pre-teens vaccinated due to their wish to believe they are not sexually active. The CDC reports that about 14 million Americans become infected with HPV annually, most teens or young adults. HPV is a cause of cervical cancer.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2016/aug/23/scientists-losing-science-communication-skeptic-cox Article from The Guardian about scientists inability to communicate science to the public.
http://www.sciencealert.com/thousands-of-strange-blue-lakes-are-appearing-in-antarctica-and-it-s-very-bad-news Article in Science News, Durham University, UK, glaciologists, as reported by Chris Mooney in the Washington Post, note the appearance of lakes in Antarctica. This does not bode well for the stability of the entire ice shelf. This was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/24/health/zika-a-formidable-enemy-attacks-and-destroys-parts-of-babies-brains.html?_r=0 This is a NYT article reporting from the journal Radiology about possible other effects on the brains of babies whose mothers were infected with the Zika virus that may continue after birth or throughout their development.Zika's brain targets are the corpus callosum, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/science/gene-tests-identify-breast-cancer-patients-who-can-skip-chemotherapy-study-says.html?_r=0 This is an article from the Times about an important recent study published in NEJM of early stage breast cancer patients who were able to avoid chemotherapy and its consequences, which would not have been effective due to their genes. Their DNA showed they were at low risk for recurrence.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46600/title/New-Lyme-Disease-Test-Developed-by-Summer-Student/ This is an article from The Scientist about a new test for Lyme Disease that was developed by a summer student at George Mason U. It's a urine test that tests for the shedding of proteins by the causative agent, Borrelia Burgdorferi. The test will enableearlier stage detection. The work was published in Biomaterials.
Monday, August 15, 2016
2000 page views
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160812073647.htm
Report of a study in Science News about childrens' food preferences from the Journal of Pediatrics and that they are highly influenced by the commercials they watch on TV. This is an fMRI study of their brains.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160811190751.htm Another study reported in Science News from the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research to be published in the Astrophysical Journal about the origins of the radiation that causes our suntans. The research was a collaboration between Arizona State and Cardiff Universities and was able to determine by measuring the photons that ten trillionth of the particles that hit your skin are from outside of our galaxy. We can subtitle this "Not In Our Backyard."
http://www.futurity.org/fungi-bananas-1225422-2/ From Futurity, a report in PLOS about the possibility of fungi wiping out bananas as fungal infections have worsened. This has been done by UC Davis researchers who are sequencing the two fungal genomes. The Cavendish bananas are the variety we use.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/researchers-examine-how-parkinsons-disease-alters-brain-activity-over-time This is a press release from the NIH about research on Parkinson's Disease biomarkers. University of Florida’s Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology was responsible for the study which was published in the Journal of Neurology. It uses fMRI imaging to track changes in the brains of PD sufferers and may be used to evaluate new treatment methods.
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/love-the-fig A NYer article about the fig. Figs and fig wasps coevolve together. Figs are a keystone species and can bring deforested lands back to life according to the author.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/health/osteoporosis-a-disease-with-few-treatment-options-may-soon-have-one-more.html?_r=0 Article in the NYT about osteoporosis and its treatment options. There is one drug, Forteo, manufactured by Lilly, which adds bone. As published in JAMA clinical trials conducted by Radius showed that another Lilly drug, abaloparitide, will compete in the market with Forteo. The bisphosphonates, like Fossamax, do not build bone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/science/from-fins-into-hands-scientists-discover-a-deep-evolutionary-link.html A Carl Zimmer article in the NYT about a research report from a U of Chicago team (Neil Shubin's lab) that discovered an evolutionary connection between fins and hands.They used CRISPR to manipulate zebrafish embryos and found that when the fish had 2 defective Hox genes (Homeobox genes important in development) they failed to grow proper fins and also fin rays. The idea is that digits and fin rays are somewhat equivalent. This is very important work from a key investigator.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/science/genetic-tests-for-a-heart-disorder-mistakenly-find-blacks-at-risk.html?_r=0 Article from NYT about the misdiagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in black people published in the NEJM. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder that results in the thickening of the wall of the heart that can cause abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death. Black people are told more frequently than whites that they have this disorder based on a generic test. Sometimes, devices to counteract abnormal rhythms are implanted. The study was done at Harvard Medical School.
Report of a study in Science News about childrens' food preferences from the Journal of Pediatrics and that they are highly influenced by the commercials they watch on TV. This is an fMRI study of their brains.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160811190751.htm Another study reported in Science News from the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research to be published in the Astrophysical Journal about the origins of the radiation that causes our suntans. The research was a collaboration between Arizona State and Cardiff Universities and was able to determine by measuring the photons that ten trillionth of the particles that hit your skin are from outside of our galaxy. We can subtitle this "Not In Our Backyard."
http://www.futurity.org/fungi-bananas-1225422-2/ From Futurity, a report in PLOS about the possibility of fungi wiping out bananas as fungal infections have worsened. This has been done by UC Davis researchers who are sequencing the two fungal genomes. The Cavendish bananas are the variety we use.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/researchers-examine-how-parkinsons-disease-alters-brain-activity-over-time This is a press release from the NIH about research on Parkinson's Disease biomarkers. University of Florida’s Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology was responsible for the study which was published in the Journal of Neurology. It uses fMRI imaging to track changes in the brains of PD sufferers and may be used to evaluate new treatment methods.
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/love-the-fig A NYer article about the fig. Figs and fig wasps coevolve together. Figs are a keystone species and can bring deforested lands back to life according to the author.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/health/osteoporosis-a-disease-with-few-treatment-options-may-soon-have-one-more.html?_r=0 Article in the NYT about osteoporosis and its treatment options. There is one drug, Forteo, manufactured by Lilly, which adds bone. As published in JAMA clinical trials conducted by Radius showed that another Lilly drug, abaloparitide, will compete in the market with Forteo. The bisphosphonates, like Fossamax, do not build bone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/science/from-fins-into-hands-scientists-discover-a-deep-evolutionary-link.html A Carl Zimmer article in the NYT about a research report from a U of Chicago team (Neil Shubin's lab) that discovered an evolutionary connection between fins and hands.They used CRISPR to manipulate zebrafish embryos and found that when the fish had 2 defective Hox genes (Homeobox genes important in development) they failed to grow proper fins and also fin rays. The idea is that digits and fin rays are somewhat equivalent. This is very important work from a key investigator.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/science/genetic-tests-for-a-heart-disorder-mistakenly-find-blacks-at-risk.html?_r=0 Article from NYT about the misdiagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in black people published in the NEJM. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder that results in the thickening of the wall of the heart that can cause abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death. Black people are told more frequently than whites that they have this disorder based on a generic test. Sometimes, devices to counteract abnormal rhythms are implanted. The study was done at Harvard Medical School.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Soireeing Dogs of Summer
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/06/business/lung-cancer-drug-opdivo-fails-clinical-trial-to-expand-use.html?_r=0 So many front page articles about immunotherapy but here is one about the failure of a new BMS drug in clinical trials compared with traditional chemotherapy for lung cancer. Optivo and Keytruda are checkpoint inhibitors which "release a brake on" the immune system. This trail was only for the use of the drug on patients who had not had prior treatment.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm From Science Daily a report of a new treatment for kidney stones. Calcium oxalate crystals are the most common cause of kidney stones and this study done by the U of Houston and published in Nature reports that hydroxycitrate (HCA) a compound found in fruit inhibits calcium oxalate growth.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115445.htm In an article from Science Daily, a report of research from Mass General to be published in Nature, the mutations by which malignant melanoma resistant to BRAF inhibitors has been found.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160809095303.htm From Science Daily, a report of research done at the U of Salford which identified an enzyme, PP2ACdc55 involved in human sperm and egg production which may be linked to Down Syndrome, Edward's Syndrome and other genetic abnormalities. This work will be published in the journal, Scientific Reports.
http://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201611 Article from Nature about the implications of stress in the classroom. This is a review article and talks about the body's response to stress and release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex and its effects on learning and memory.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/science/dog-sperm-fertility.html?_r=0 Speaking of dogs, this article is about some findings of declining sperm quality and undescended testes in dogs. Possibly, environmental chemicals, like PCB and DEHP (diethylhexylphthalate) are to blame. Dogs are described as a sentinel animal for human exposure. Done at the U of Nottingham Veterinary School.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/us/how-race-plays-a-role-in-patients-pain-treatment.html From NYT a report of unequal palliative care (pain treatment) in African Americans' treatment in hospitals. The research was done at the U of Pennsylvania. Studies of pharmacies in poor white neighborhoods showed that they were 54 times more likely to stock opioids than poor white neighborhoods.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/11/science/how-did-people-migrate-to-the-americas-bison-dna-helps-chart-the-way.html?_r=0 Article in NYT about two studies using bison DNA to trace the migration of people to the Americas. One group is from UC Santa Cruz and their work is published in PNAS. They say that the corridor by which human populations could have migrated to the Americas was traversable 13,000 years ago. They use bison bones and mitochondrial DNA to make these conclusions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/11/upshot/were-so-confused-the-problems-with-food-and-exercise-studies.html From NYT article by Gina Kolata about the conclusions drawn from food and exercise studies. Barnett Kramer at the National Cancer Institute is critical of the way results of disease and dietary studies are interpreted for the public.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/greenland-shark-may-live-400-years-smashing-longevity-record Article in Science about a study of Greenland sharks at the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus U using the various types of carbon in the shark's lenses to determine their ages. The oldest shark they found was 392 years old plus or minus 120 years. These are the longest loved vertebrates on record.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm From Science Daily a report of a new treatment for kidney stones. Calcium oxalate crystals are the most common cause of kidney stones and this study done by the U of Houston and published in Nature reports that hydroxycitrate (HCA) a compound found in fruit inhibits calcium oxalate growth.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115445.htm In an article from Science Daily, a report of research from Mass General to be published in Nature, the mutations by which malignant melanoma resistant to BRAF inhibitors has been found.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160809095303.htm From Science Daily, a report of research done at the U of Salford which identified an enzyme, PP2ACdc55 involved in human sperm and egg production which may be linked to Down Syndrome, Edward's Syndrome and other genetic abnormalities. This work will be published in the journal, Scientific Reports.
http://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201611 Article from Nature about the implications of stress in the classroom. This is a review article and talks about the body's response to stress and release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex and its effects on learning and memory.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/science/dog-sperm-fertility.html?_r=0 Speaking of dogs, this article is about some findings of declining sperm quality and undescended testes in dogs. Possibly, environmental chemicals, like PCB and DEHP (diethylhexylphthalate) are to blame. Dogs are described as a sentinel animal for human exposure. Done at the U of Nottingham Veterinary School.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/us/how-race-plays-a-role-in-patients-pain-treatment.html From NYT a report of unequal palliative care (pain treatment) in African Americans' treatment in hospitals. The research was done at the U of Pennsylvania. Studies of pharmacies in poor white neighborhoods showed that they were 54 times more likely to stock opioids than poor white neighborhoods.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/11/science/how-did-people-migrate-to-the-americas-bison-dna-helps-chart-the-way.html?_r=0 Article in NYT about two studies using bison DNA to trace the migration of people to the Americas. One group is from UC Santa Cruz and their work is published in PNAS. They say that the corridor by which human populations could have migrated to the Americas was traversable 13,000 years ago. They use bison bones and mitochondrial DNA to make these conclusions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/11/upshot/were-so-confused-the-problems-with-food-and-exercise-studies.html From NYT article by Gina Kolata about the conclusions drawn from food and exercise studies. Barnett Kramer at the National Cancer Institute is critical of the way results of disease and dietary studies are interpreted for the public.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/greenland-shark-may-live-400-years-smashing-longevity-record Article in Science about a study of Greenland sharks at the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus U using the various types of carbon in the shark's lenses to determine their ages. The oldest shark they found was 392 years old plus or minus 120 years. These are the longest loved vertebrates on record.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Feels Like August
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/health/harnessing-the-immune-system-to-fight-cancer.html
Article in the Sunday NYT about checkpoint inhibitors, harnessing the body's immune system against cancer. Checkpoints have to do with the progression of a cell from one stage of cell division to another, aiding in the proliferation of a cancer.Bristol-Myers Squibb markets two checkpoint inhibitors.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160730154504.htm From Science Daily, a report about a collaboration between Duke and the Singapore Genome Institute and the National Neuroscience Institute that has grown human mini midbrains in a dish. This research should help Parkinson's Disease victims.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/heel-pain-treatment/?_r=0 Here is a link to Ask Well, the NYT wellness blog about an article in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports describing an exercise that is effective against plantar fasciitis, an irritation of the connective tissue at the bottom of the foot, which, let me tell you, can cause extreme pain upon walking and even standing. (Yes, that is a run-on sentence.) This will keep you off antiinflammatories like ibuprofen or cortisone.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46688/title/Mystery-Mechanisms/ An article from the New Scientist, about commonly used drugs for which the mechanism of action is unknown.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46651/title/Humans-Never-Stopped-Evolving/ From the New Scientist, an article about natural selection, the mechanism of evolution, by a paleontologist at the U of Wisconsin-Madison describing recent evolutionary changes. Published research done on blood typing and lactose digestion is cited.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/junk-dna-tells-mice-and-snakes-how-grow-backbone From Science magazine an amazing article about how snakes and mice "know" to grow backbones. As published in Developmental Cell, researchers at the Gulbenkian Institute studied the interaction between the gene GDF11 and second gene OCT4 which they theorized was important for animals to grow the proper number of vertebrae. But what they found was that the noncoding or "junk" DNA is different in mice, humans and snakes and that it is what actually regulates the number of vertebrae formed by slowing down OCT4.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/science/scientists-puzzle-over-a-biological-mystery-the-female-orgasm.html?_r=0 From Carl Zimmer and the NYT, an article about the female orgasm and its evolutionary significance. In the J of Experimental Zoology, the authors posit that the advent of the female orgasm in mammals 150 million years ago served to release eggs to be fertilized after sex. Many hypotheses have been put forward including that the orgasm increases the chance that a woman's eggs are fertilized by an attractive male.
http://www.nature.com/news/women-in-physics-face-big-hurdles-still-1.20349 From Nature News a commentary about the difficulties of women in physics.
http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2016/08/creationists-ev.html From the blog, "The Panda's Thumb", an article about the "struggles" of creationists to explain genetic diversity. Creationists have to deal with genetic diversity as represented (in their minds) by the ark.I am not familiar with many of the arguments of the creationists but this writer describes their view of the multitude of species as a deck of playing cards that is shuffled and dealt and cut, continually limiting the population to a smaller subset of the original deck. (Some of this is a direct quote.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/health/dust-asthma-children.html?_r=0
An article in the NYT about research published in the NE Journal of Medicine about farm dirt as a potential cure for asthma. The Amish and people raised on farms rarely get asthma. The study was small but the result were compelling: a comparison of Amish and Hutterite children showed that the Amish had more neutrophils (part of the innate immune system) than the Hutterites.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/an-enemy-in-our-midst-maryland-tries-to-fight-invasive-plant-species/2016/07/28/ac0f0774-4e8d-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html An article in the Washington Post about invasive species.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/07/new-antibiotic-found-human-nose This is an article from Science magazine about a new antibiotic found in the human nose. As reported in the Euroscience Open Forum, and in Nature magazine, S. lugdunensis bacterium, found in nasal secretions, produces a compound that eliminates MRSA.
Article in the Sunday NYT about checkpoint inhibitors, harnessing the body's immune system against cancer. Checkpoints have to do with the progression of a cell from one stage of cell division to another, aiding in the proliferation of a cancer.Bristol-Myers Squibb markets two checkpoint inhibitors.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160730154504.htm From Science Daily, a report about a collaboration between Duke and the Singapore Genome Institute and the National Neuroscience Institute that has grown human mini midbrains in a dish. This research should help Parkinson's Disease victims.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/heel-pain-treatment/?_r=0 Here is a link to Ask Well, the NYT wellness blog about an article in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports describing an exercise that is effective against plantar fasciitis, an irritation of the connective tissue at the bottom of the foot, which, let me tell you, can cause extreme pain upon walking and even standing. (Yes, that is a run-on sentence.) This will keep you off antiinflammatories like ibuprofen or cortisone.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46688/title/Mystery-Mechanisms/ An article from the New Scientist, about commonly used drugs for which the mechanism of action is unknown.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46651/title/Humans-Never-Stopped-Evolving/ From the New Scientist, an article about natural selection, the mechanism of evolution, by a paleontologist at the U of Wisconsin-Madison describing recent evolutionary changes. Published research done on blood typing and lactose digestion is cited.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/junk-dna-tells-mice-and-snakes-how-grow-backbone From Science magazine an amazing article about how snakes and mice "know" to grow backbones. As published in Developmental Cell, researchers at the Gulbenkian Institute studied the interaction between the gene GDF11 and second gene OCT4 which they theorized was important for animals to grow the proper number of vertebrae. But what they found was that the noncoding or "junk" DNA is different in mice, humans and snakes and that it is what actually regulates the number of vertebrae formed by slowing down OCT4.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/science/scientists-puzzle-over-a-biological-mystery-the-female-orgasm.html?_r=0 From Carl Zimmer and the NYT, an article about the female orgasm and its evolutionary significance. In the J of Experimental Zoology, the authors posit that the advent of the female orgasm in mammals 150 million years ago served to release eggs to be fertilized after sex. Many hypotheses have been put forward including that the orgasm increases the chance that a woman's eggs are fertilized by an attractive male.
http://www.nature.com/news/women-in-physics-face-big-hurdles-still-1.20349 From Nature News a commentary about the difficulties of women in physics.
http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2016/08/creationists-ev.html From the blog, "The Panda's Thumb", an article about the "struggles" of creationists to explain genetic diversity. Creationists have to deal with genetic diversity as represented (in their minds) by the ark.I am not familiar with many of the arguments of the creationists but this writer describes their view of the multitude of species as a deck of playing cards that is shuffled and dealt and cut, continually limiting the population to a smaller subset of the original deck. (Some of this is a direct quote.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/health/dust-asthma-children.html?_r=0
An article in the NYT about research published in the NE Journal of Medicine about farm dirt as a potential cure for asthma. The Amish and people raised on farms rarely get asthma. The study was small but the result were compelling: a comparison of Amish and Hutterite children showed that the Amish had more neutrophils (part of the innate immune system) than the Hutterites.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/an-enemy-in-our-midst-maryland-tries-to-fight-invasive-plant-species/2016/07/28/ac0f0774-4e8d-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html An article in the Washington Post about invasive species.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/07/new-antibiotic-found-human-nose This is an article from Science magazine about a new antibiotic found in the human nose. As reported in the Euroscience Open Forum, and in Nature magazine, S. lugdunensis bacterium, found in nasal secretions, produces a compound that eliminates MRSA.
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