BreakThrough Digest Medical News |
- PAP therapy improves depressive symptoms in all patients with sleep apnea
- Capability of curry component to treat disease merits US patent
- Japanese scientists show ‘new’ liver generation using hepatocyte cell transplantation
| PAP therapy improves depressive symptoms in all patients with sleep apnea Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT
Patients seen at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center who used positive airway pressure (PAP) to treat their obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had improvements in their depressive symptoms, even if they followed the prescribed PAP regimen only partly, a new study reports.
The study looked at 779 patients with OSA and asked them to fill out a standardized PHQ-9 form to assess depressive symptoms, which patients with OSA often have, researchers said. They were assessed again with the PHQ-9 following PAP treatment, and all showed improvement in PHQ-9 scores; however, patients using their PAP devices more than four hours per night had greater score improvements than those who were less adherent. Other factors that affected the improvements in PHQ-9 scores were whether the patient was sleepy and marital status. “The score improvements remained significant even after taking into account whether a patient had a prior diagnosis of depression or was taking an anti-depressant,” said Charles Bae, MD, principal investigator in the study. “The improvements were greatest in sleepy, adherent patients but even non-adherent patients had better PHQ-9 scores. Another interesting finding was that among patients treated with PAP, married patients had a greater decrease in PHQ-9 scores compared to single or divorced patients.” OSA is a sleep-related breathing disorder that occurs when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway, causing the body to stop breathing during sleep. OSA disrupts sleep and can increase the risk of other health problems such as heart disease and stroke. PAP therapy keeps the airway open with a stream of air. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a form of PAP delivered through a mask worn over the nose or face and is the first-line treatment for OSA. The Cleveland Clinic study is one of the largest to look at the effect of PAP therapy on depressive symptoms as measured by the PHQ-9, part of the Patient Health Questionnaire and a tool for assisting primary care clinicians in diagnosing depression. The abstract “Depressive symptoms improve in patients with sleep apnea who use positive airway pressure (PAP)” is being presented today at SLEEP 2012, the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) in Boston. ### To be placed on the mailing list for SLEEP 2012 press releases or to register for SLEEP 2012 press credentials, contact AASM PR Coordinator Doug Dusik at 630-737-9700 ext. 9364, or at ddusik@aasmnet.org. A joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, the annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of more than 5,500 leading clinicians and scientists in the fields of sleep medicine and sleep research. At SLEEP 2012, more than 1,300 research abstract presentations will showcase new findings that contribute to the understanding of sleep and the effective diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea. Follow @aasmorg on Twitter for live updates and use the official hashtag #SLEEP2012 to see what attendees are saying. “Like” the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on Facebook at Facebook.com/sleepmedicine for photos, videos and more. Contact: Doug Dusik |
| Capability of curry component to treat disease merits US patent Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT
A U.S patent issued today to the University of Rochester and two other entities for the use of compounds related to a popular spice in the fight against cancer, acne, baldness, and other medical conditions.
The patent centers on compounds related to curcumin, the compound that is the main ingredient of the spice turmeric and a central ingredient of curry. The patent is for research led by Chawnshang Chang, Ph.D., director of the George Whipple Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Chang is one of many researchers worldwide investigating the potential biomedical benefits of compounds related to curcumin, the spice that typically gives mustard and curry their bright yellow colors. Two dozen patents dating back to 2004 have been issued to the University for Chang’s work on compounds related to curcumin, which is a member of the ginger family of spices. Patents have been issued in China, Europe, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia, as well as the United States. Chang’s work at the University is licensed to AndroScience Corp. of San Diego, a biotech company co-founded by Chang. The University owns a stake in the company. The patent focuses on the potential for compounds related to curcumin to fight prostate, bladder, liver, and other forms of cancer related to male hormones, as well as conditions like acne, baldness, enlarged prostate, and excessive growth of body hair. Those conditions and others involve the androgen receptor, which is best known as the molecule through which the hormone testosterone acts in both men and women. Chang is developing molecules known as “androgen receptor degradation enhancers” that would degrade the androgen receptor. The work aims at developing compounds that treat conditions like prostate cancer and acne more effectively, with fewer side effects, than current medications. For centuries, curcumin has been used to treat a variety of ills in Asia. Chang notes that ginger, a family of spices that includes curcumin, is widely used in China as a folk medicine to treat male-pattern baldness. As a youngster growing up in Taiwan, Chang was well aware of that tradition. He later became an expert on the androgen receptor; he and other scientists have shown that compounds related to curcumin exert powerful effects through this receptor. “It’s exciting and gratifying to be part of the broad effort to learn more about how compounds like ginger and curcumin exert potential health effects, which are well recognized in China and other cultures, and to try to harness them to treat people with diseases like prostate cancer,” said Chang, who is also a faculty member in the departments of Urology and Pathology and the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. Chang’s laboratory, in collaboration with scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and AndroScience, has screened hundreds of compounds for their activity involving the androgen receptor. One of the most promising is ASC-J9, a synthetic chemical compound that is a derivative of curcumin. Significantly, however, ASC-J9 has been chemically modified compared to its natural counterpart to make it much more powerful. In 2009 AndroScience announced the results of a clinical trial showing that ASC-J9 as a cream to treat acne is safe and effective. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, the company is also studying the development of an oral treatment against a rare neuromuscular condition known as Kennedy disease. Today’s patent was awarded to the University of Rochester, to AndroScience, and to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Contact: Tom Rickey ### |
| Japanese scientists show ‘new’ liver generation using hepatocyte cell transplantation Posted: 10 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT Researchers in Japan have found that hepatocytes, cells comprising the main tissue of the liver and involved in protein synthesis and storage, can assist in tissue engineering and create a “new liver system” in mouse models when donor mouse liver hepatocytes are isolated and propagated for transplantation. Their study is published in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (21:2/3), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/,
“In light of a serious shortage of donor livers that can be used for hepatocyte isolation, it has become important to establish an efficient way for hepatocytes to be retrieved and propagated for the purposes of tissue engineering,” said study lead author Dr. Kazuo Ohashi of Tokyo’s Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science at Tokyo Women’s medical Hospital. “Our study demonstrated the feasibility of propagating mouse hepatocytes by creating a vascularized platform using a growth factor releasing device, and also by creating uniform hepatocyte “sheets” using the isolated individual donor hepatocytes in culture.” Using these approaches and implementing assessment eight weeks following hepatocyte transplantation, the researchers confirmed the functionality of the engineered liver system by documenting the production of liver-specific proteins, by analyzing chemical uptake in the mouse livers and observing subsequent metabolic activity, and by assessing regenerative growth. The researchers note that the risk of cancer derived from transplanted hepatocytes needs to be addressed because of the “active level of proliferation” following transplantation. In their research, however, and in similar studies they reviewed, it appears that the “risk of cancer cell development is minimal,” they concluded. “The ability to regenerate and expand hepatocytes has potential clinical value when small amounts of tissue can be expanded to sufficient quantities prior to their use in hepatocyte transplantation or other hepatocyte-based therapies,” said the researchers. ### This study highlights some of the pioneering work stemming from the Japan Society for Organ Preservation and Medical Biology. The impact of this work on liver regeneration by cell transplantation ranks favorably with other studies and its usefulness will be revealed once all the necessary contributing factors for liver regeneration are understood. Contact: Kazuo Ohashi, MD, PhD, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering Science, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan Citation: Ohashi, K.; Tatsumi, K.; Tateno, C.; Kataoka, M.; Utoh, R.; Yoshizato, K.; Okano, T. Liver Tissue Engineering Utilizing Hepatocytes Propagated in Mouse Livers In Vivo. Cell Transplant. 21 (2/3):429-436; 2012. The Coeditor-in-chief’s for CELL TRANSPLANTATION are at the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Center for Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, TaiChung, Taiwan. Contact, Camillo Ricordi, MD at ricordi@miami.edu or Shinn-Zong Lin, MD, PhD at shinnzong@yahoo.com.tw or David Eve, PhD at celltransplantation@gmail.com Contact: David Eve |
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