Multiple genes affect risk of asthma, hay fever and eczema

In a new study, researchers have found a total of 141 regions (genes) in our genetic material that largely explain the genetic risk underlying asthma, hay fever and eczema. As many as 41 of the genes identified have not previously been linked to an elevated risk for these diseases. The risk of developing asthma, hay fever or eczema is affected by genes, environment and lifestyle factors. In this study, which is the largest of its kind to date, researchers have analyzed self-reported data from 350,000 participants in Britain's UK Biobank. Millions of gene positions were tested for their effect on people's risk of being diagnosed with asthma, hay fever and/or eczema. This testing verified that most of these new genetic variants have an effect on the individual's risk of developing disease. The participants then receive information about whether they carry various inherited genetic traits that may elevate their risk of a number of diseases. Researcher said that, external factors also affect our risk for these complex traits, and an elevated risk doesn't mean we're going to develop the disease. The study showed that a large number of the genes identified entail a raised risk for all three diseases. This, in turn, shows that the elevated risk of suffering from allergy when asthma is diagnosed, or the elevated risk of asthma when allergy is diagnosed, seems to be largely due to genetic factors. The study was also able to identify several genes that boost the risk of one of these diseases in relation to the others, which demonstrates that a number of more disease-specific effects also exist.

Return to top

Ancient secrets of medicinal mint

The precious chemistry of a plant used for 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicine has been unlocked in a project that raises the prospect of rapid access to a wide array of therapeutic drugs. The plant, commonly known as Chinese Skullcap, is well-known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is cultivated worldwide for its therapeutic properties. Preparations of its dried roots, 'Huang Qin', show pharmacological activities conferred by novel compounds called flavonoids, including antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-cancer, liver-protective and neuroprotective properties. Despite the commercial interest and increasing demand for Scutellaria, improvements through breeding have been limited by a lack of genome information. The team took DNA from a single plant at the Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden and used a combination of sequencing strategies to assemble 93% of the genome organized into 9 subsets of information or "pseudo chromosomes." The development means that researchers are now able to identify the genes that produce a wealth of valuable compounds, and then turn them into drug candidates using metabolic engineering techniques in the lab. Lead researcher said that, the sequence is so good that it can improve the understanding of all the other genome sequences in the mint family. This is a large family of plants that is hugely important in Traditional Chinese Medicine and flavorings. Since then, pharmacology has started examining the healing properties of preparations from plants listed in the traditional texts, such as Shennong Bencaojing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) written between 200 and 250 AD. Such preparations have recently been reported as effective against a variety of complaints including as complementary cancer treatments. Work on the reference genome and sequences from members of the same family has already started to deliver valuable information that could be applied to development of a wider range of remedies.

Return to top

Universal screening for autism raises questions about accuracy

In the first large, real-world study of universal screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in toddlers, researchers have found that the most widely used and researched screening tool is less accurate than shown in previous studies conducted in research laboratory settings. The new study also revealed significant disparities in detecting early autism symptoms in minority, urban and low-income children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening all toddlers for ASD at their 18- and 24-month primary care check-ups using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers with Follow-Up (M-CHAT/F), a two-stage parent survey to determine whether a child may have autism, with the follow-up designed to eliminate false positives. Therefore, very little was known about screening in the recommended primary care setting, nor about longer-term outcomes for children who screened negative on the M-CHAT/F. The study showed that the M-CHAT/F detected only about 40% of children who went on to be diagnosed with ASD. However, children who screened positive were diagnosed seven months earlier than those who screened negative, suggesting that early screening may facilitate early intervention. Overall, 2.2% of children in the study were ultimately diagnosed with ASD, which is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates nationally. Persistent racial and economic disparities in autism screening and diagnosis are a cause for great concern, and are consistent with previous research showing that black and Hispanic children tend to be diagnosed years later than white children. This study revealed important limitations and provides us with new knowledge that we can use to make critical improvements to autism screening tools and screening processes, so pediatricians can properly detect and support more children with autism and reduce disparities in diagnosis and care.

Return to top

Maternal obesity speeds up aging in offspring

It has long been known that obesity impairs metabolism and predisposes to diabetes and heart disease. New research shows that the effects of maternal obesity even pass across generations to offspring, accelerating the rate of aging of metabolic problems that occur in normal life. Researchers studied offspring of obese rat mothers. They observed the offspring throughout their lives puberty, early adult life, late adult life and early aging to determine the rate at which they aged. Offspring of obese mothers had more body fat and showed early prediabetes signs such as an early rise in insulin resistance, increasing susceptibility to diabetes. Offspring of the obese mothers showed impaired function of their mitochondria, the power stations of cells that generate the energy cells need to function properly. These changes make it more likely that organisms will develop heart disease. Interestingly, some of the unwanted outcomes resulting from maternal obesity were different in male and female offspring. The reason for this is not clear, but it is thought to be hormonal in nature. Encouragingly, exercise by the offspring improves many of the poor offspring outcomes that result from maternal obesity. These new findings add to the accumulating evidence for the influence of conditions in the womb and early life on the offspring's health and susceptibility to diseases throughout life. Another study found that the child of a slightly undernourished mother is more likely to suffer early aging of the heart.

Return to top

A layer of lipids covers our skin, and with its help our skin retains moisture and remains healthy. In the lipid layer, a compound called ceramide forms a "lamellar gel" with cholesterol, fatty acids, and water. Lamellar gels are mixtures that are thick, do not flow easily, and can hold large amounts of water. Natural ceramide is therefore an important factor for water retention in our skin. A type of lamellar gel, called the "α-gel," can be formulated by mixing compounds called surfactants with a fatty alcohol and water. Researcher said that, synthesized an α-gel using an oleic acid-based surfactant, which can potentially be used in skincare products. This is a surfactant they had previously developed and is structurally similar to natural ceramide (both are amphiphiles with two tails). Once the α-gel was ready, researcher used a technique called small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS), another technique called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and an optical microscope to confirm its characteristics. For this, they prepared several mixtures containing different molar ratios of the oleic acid-based surfactant, water, and 1-tetradecanol (a fatty alcohol). The findings were, indeed, satisfactory. Thus, overall, the prepared α-gel's ability to hold water and spread out evenly over surfaces makes it suitable for skincare products such as skin creams.

Return to top

New signposts in blood and urine to reflect what we eat and drink

Researchers have identified several chemical signatures, detectable in blood and urine that can accurately measure dietary intake potentially offering a new tool for physicians, dieticians and researchers to assess eating habits, measure the value of fad diets and develop health policies. Researcher said that, this has been a major issue in nutritional research and may be one of the main reasons for the lack of real progress in nutritional sciences and chronic disease prevention. Scientists set out to determine if they could identify chemical signatures, or metabolites, that reflect changes in dietary intake, measure those markers and then compare the data with the foods study participants were provided and then reported they had eaten. The specimens analyzed were from healthy individuals who participated in the Diet and Gene Intervention Study (DIGEST). Over a two-week period, researchers studied two contrasting diets: the Prudent diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, and a contemporary Western diet, rich in trans fats, processed foods, red meat and sweetened beverages. Researchers were able to validate a panel of metabolites in urine and plasma that correlated with the participants' consumption of fruits, vegetables, protein and/or fiber. Researcher cautions that food chemistry is highly complex. Our diets are composed of thousands of different kinds of chemicals, and don't know what role they all may play in overall health.

Return to top