His Heart Whirs Anew

Peter Houghton Has a Titanium Ticker. He's Not Sure How to Feel About That.

Peter Houghton is grateful for his artificial heart. After all, it has saved his life.

He's just a little wistful about emotions.

He wishes he could feel them like he used to.

Houghton is the first permanent lifetime recipient of a Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device. Seven years ago, it took over for the heart he was born with. Since then, it has unquestionably improved his physical well-being. He has walked long distances, traveled internationally and kept a daunting work schedule.

At the same time, he reports, he's become...

For the complete article please visit the Washington Post.

Super Human Biomaterials Discovered Which Accelerate Tissue Repair

Super Biomaterials Accelerates Healing and Increase Strength of Newly Formed Tissue

HuMod.com, Aug. 14 -- National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. , today announced that Michael Cohen, CEO of the Company, and Jacob Cohen, have discovered biomaterials which appear to promote tissue repair.

On July 26, 2007, the Company announced that while using its proprietary embryonic stem cell lines, Michael and Jacob Cohen discovered a group of biomaterials that in preclinical studies appear to increase the rate at which the tissue surrounding a wound heals, and ultimately, the strength of such newly formed tissue. Today, the Company reports that Michael and Jacob Cohen have also been able to derive such tissue repair promoting biomaterials from non-embryonic stem cells, such as umbilical cord blood cells.

According to Michael Cohen "By deriving these novel biomaterials from non- embryonic stem cells, such as umbilical cord blood, we believe we can avoid the costly and time consuming procedures that plague therapies developed from embryonic stem cells. This new discovery gives us the ability to cultivate tissue repair and wound healing products and commence clinical trials of such products in an expedited manner."

Adapted from Aug. 14 National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. Press Release

NIH Scientist Discover Protein Which Plays Key Role in Skin's Natural Protection From UV

Researchers have identified a protein that plays an important, early role in the increase of protective skin pigmentation after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The National Institute of Health discovery is the first to show that a protein in the SOX family can be regulated by UV radiation. The results appear in the August 13, 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Melanin is a pigment produced in the skin that helps protect cells from cancer-causing UV rays. Specialized cells called melanocytes produce the melanin, which is then transported to other epidermal cells (called keratinocytes) that make up the majority of the skin. Melanoma, a cancer of melanocytes, is the most deadly of the skin cancers, and its incidence is rising in the United States.

UV radiation from the sun or other sources, such as tanning parlors, can cause many types of damage to the skin and has been associated with a process that leads to many types of skin cancers. Individuals with lighter skin incur greater damage from UV and thus have significantly higher risk for skin cancer.

“Increased pigmentation of the skin from UV is thought to help minimize the damage from UV,” said NCI Director John E. Niederhuber, M.D. “This research on SOX9 not only gives us important insights into the intricate mechanism our body uses to protect itself from ultraviolet rays, but also into cellular pathways that might contribute to the origins and spread of melanoma.”

They found that levels of SOX9 increased within two hours after UV exposure, and continued to increase until eight hours after exposure.

“The most novel part of this study was the fact that we identified a new transcription factor that may be the earliest responder to stimulation of pigmentation such as seen in the tanning reaction following UV exposure,” said Vincent Hearing, Ph.D., chief of the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research’s (CCR) Pigment Cell Biology Section and senior author of the study. “SOX9 is likely one of the first factors that’s activated to start the chain of events that eventually leads to increases in skin pigmentation.”

Hearing’s laboratory is now examining SOX9 to see whether it could be used to target melanoma.

Adapted from Aug. 14 NIH news release

NIH Discovers Changes in Cancer Cells Which Could Lead to Important New Therapies

HuMod.com, Aug. 13 - Researchers have identified molecular changes in cancer cells that activate an important biological pathway associated with cell growth and survival, thereby revealing potential new targets for drugs to treat this cancer.

The researchers, led by a team from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have shown that malignant cells in multiple myeloma frequently harbor mutations which play a key role in promoting cell growth and preventing programmed cell death. The results of this research appear in the August, 2007, issue of Cancer Cell.

This signaling pathway prevents cell death and therefore suggests that inhibitors of the NF-kappaB pathway would provide a rational approach to the treatment of certain cancers. This is an important prospect because currently therapies are not aimed at genetically-defined pathways, and multiple myeloma remains difficult to treat.

According to Louis M. Staudt M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Section of the Metabolism Branch in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and lead author of the report, “The development of effective and non-toxic therapies for cancer depends on an understanding of the genetic defects in cancer cells."

Inhibitors that target this pathway are being developed by many pharmaceutical companies, and studies suggest that these agents should be evaluated in clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma.

W. Michael Kuehl, M.D., chief of the Molecular Pathogenesis of Myeloma Section of the CCR Genetics Branch and a co-director of the study, stated that “Our studies suggest that activation of the NF-kappaB pathway by signals from normal bone marrow cells is critical not only for survival of normal plasma cells but also for pre-malignant and malignant myeloma tumors. The importance of this pathway is highlighted by essential mutations in some myeloma tumors. Regardless of whether or not there are mutations in this pathway, most myeloma tumors may be sensitive to NF-kappaB inhibitors.”

Adapted from NIH press release.

Cranberries Provide Urinary Tract Protection for up to Two Years

Mounting support unveils Cranberries UTI Prevention Capability

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Kidney Foundation, one in five women will develop a urinary tract infection (UTI) during her lifetime, and 20 percent of those will have UTIs on a recurrent basis. The good news is that cranberry research supports not only the reduction of recurrent UTIs by half, but now a new study suggests cranberry compounds may help prevent recurrent UTIs for as long as two years.

A new study published in the most recent issue of Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology examined the ability of cranberry extract to ward off UTIs in women with a history of recurrent infections. During the course of the study, none of the women experienced a UTI.

The promise of cranberries long lasting health benefits were strengthened when two years after the initial study, eight of the women who continue to take cranberry extract capsules, continued to be free of UTIs, a finding that researchers find exciting given the rise of antibiotic resistance.

"The results of this pilot study reinforces the idea that by including cranberries and/or dried cranberries in their diet, women can benefit tremendously by reducing the risk of urinary tract infections," said Amy Howell, research scientist at Rutgers University.

"These new findings are particularly exciting in that cranberries offer a long term solution to help prevent UTIs in women."

Cranberries have long been known to ward off urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to unique compounds in the fruit called proanthocyanidins, or PACS. PACS offer an anti-adhesion mechanism that prevents harmful E. coli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract wall. Cranberries may be a useful tool for helping women to maintain a healthy urinary tract, naturally.

In addition to the open label pilot study, another promising new study published in the most recent issue of The Journal of Urology studied the potential of cranberry and its unique PACs against particular strains of E. coli. Scientists found that cranberry's PACs can inhibit the adherence of E.coli to bladder cells, further strengthening previous research linking cranberry to UTI prevention. In this in vitro study, researchers utilized a cranberry powder and a cranberry PAC extract which were applied directly to cultured bladder cells. Researchers found that this anti-adherence benefit increased with greater cranberry and PAC exposure suggesting that a diet rich in cranberry may limit the occurrence and recurrence of UTIs.

There are a variety of ways to get the cranberry's anti-adhesion benefits. One eight-ounce glass of cranberry juice cocktail contains just as many PACs as a 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, a 1/3 cup of sweetened, dried cranberries, or a 1/3 cup of cranberry sauce. In addition, while cranberry packs a nutritious punch, drinking one 8-ounce serving of any of the Premium 100% Juices, or eating 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries counts as half your daily requirements for fruit.

This year Ocean Spray and the National Kidney Foundation are continuing their partnership and shared goal of spreading awareness to the public about urinary tract infections and how to prevent them. The joint venture of these two companies strengthens the educational initiative of addressing one of the most common conditions troubling women today - UTIs.

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as about 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 75 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2006 sales of roughly $1.5 billion.

The National Kidney Foundation, Inc., a major voluntary health organization, seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation.

Press Release and photo credit: Courtesy of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc

BioSTAR(R) Naturally Closes Hole in the Heart That may Cause Stroke and Migraine

LONDON, August 13/PRNewswire/ --

- First Bioabsorbable Device Approved for Use in the Heart

NMT Medical Ltd today announced the launch of BioSTAR(R), a new technology for the treatment of a common cardiac defect linked to stroke and migraine. The first bioabsorbable device approved for use in the heart, BioSTAR(R) uses patients' natural healing response to close patent foramen ovale (PFO), a hole between the right and left atria of the heart.

Although usually asymptomatic, PFO may allow unfiltered blood and micro-emboli to pass directly into the arterial circulation and cause cerebral events such as stroke. Recent studies also suggest that there may be a link between PFO and the development of certain migraines.

BioSTAR(R) is a novel, bioabsorbable implant that disappears once its job is done. It utilises a natural process that replaces the device with healthy normal native tissue. Current technology causes scar tissue to form and can take up to six months to effectively repair the heart. BioSTAR(R) achieves its results within just 30 days.

Dr Michael Mullen, Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London commented, 'BioSTAR(R) allows us to close PFO quickly, effectively and safely. Crucially, the responses that it triggers mean that patients heal naturally and that minimal foreign material is left behind in the heart.'

BioSTAR(R) was used to close PFO in the first in man, UK-based, multi-centre BEST (BioSTAR(TM) Evaluation STudy) clinical trial. At six months, 96% of the patients who received the device achieved complete PFO closure and no adverse events were reported.

The BioSTAR(R) sits on both the right and left atrium of the heart, effectively closing the hole between the heart chambers. 90-95% of the implant is absorbed over time and replaced with the patient's own tissue. Micro-emboli and unfiltered blood are therefore blocked from passing into the arterial circulation, thus potentially averting a stroke or minimizing one of the possible triggers for migraine.

Each year, between 800 and 1000 people in the UK have PFO closed. An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke, and one in eight of us are affected by migraine.

Source: NMT Medical Ltd.

Direct Path to Cell Nucleus Discovered

Material outside of a cell can move into cell nucleus more easily than previously believed

Material is transported from outside of the cell to cell nucleus. Credit and Larger Version

August 10, 2007

A team of Brooklyn College researchers has shattered a long-held belief that no direct pathway exists between material outside of a cell and the cell nucleus. (The cell is the smallest metabolically functional unit of life.)

It was already known that material outside of a cell can migrate into a cell. This occurs through processes known as endocytosis and phagocytosis, in which extracellular material is captured by a pinched-in segment of the cell membrane. This extracellular material then becomes trapped inside the resulting membrane-bound intracellular compartment, which is known as an endosome or phagosome.

It was also already known that material can migrate out of an endosome or phagosome and eventually enter the cell nucleus. But the Brooklyn College team has discovered that a phagosome and its contents can enter the cell's nucleus, where genetic information is stored and processed.

The team's discovery of the existence of direct pathways between extracellular material and cell nuclei will be published on August 10, 2007 in Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton. The team was led by Ray Gavin and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Gavin says that these newly discovered direct pathways mean that "internalized material does not necessarily have to exit the phagosome before entering the nucleus." Therefore, his discovery means that "one less step is needed for extracellular material to get into the nucleus, and so it is far easier than previously thought for this material to get into the nucleus."

Eve Barak, an NSF program director, describes Gavin's discovery as "an amazing and potentially paradigm-changing observation," and predicts that it "will have an enormous impact on how scientists think about how cellular functions are regulated."

Gavin has only observed direct pathways from the extracellular environment to the nucleus in the one-celled protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. But Gavin says that "other discoveries that were based on this protozoan were later shown to be almost global in their occurrence in the biological world." Therefore, these direct pathways may operate in other organisms as well.

The discovery of the pathways in the protozoan resulted from an observation made by Gavin about 10 years ago while simply watching cells through a microscope. "I am a patient and constant observer of living things," he says. "And I watch them all the time with no agenda in mind. Some people are window gazers. They stand in front of the window and just look. I do the same with cells."

During one of Gavin's agenda-less cell-watching sessions, he noticed phagosomes clustered around a cell's nucleus. "It made me wonder why the phagosomes were positioned in that way," Gavin said. Thereafter, Gavin periodically looked for this intriguing behavior again, and occasionally glimpsed it again.

But Gavin remained unable to systematically search for phagosome clusters around nuclei until he received NSF funding in 2006 to purchase a confocal microscope, which provides three dimensional views of the cell. Just like a person would eventually find a worm hidden in an apple by repeatedly slicing through the apple, Gavin found the intruiging phagosome behavior he sought by using the confocal microscope to repeatedly obtain views that sliced clear through the cells.

Specifically, the team tracked phagosomes carry extracellular material into the cell nuclei by introducing fluorescent latex beads into the area outside of the cell. They then observed the cells phagocytose (eat) the beads, which gradually moved to the nuclei. The arrival of the phagosomes and their loads at each nucleus was marked by the illumination of the nucleus by the beads. Similarly, the researchers also labeled the cellular membrane with a fluorescent dye, and then observed the pinched off, internalized membrane move to the nucleus.

"Biologists may now study the kinds of external molecules that can gain entry to the nucleus through these newly defined pathways and how these materials influence the nucleic material and its processes," said Gavin.

-NSF-