Author: LisaMarie Tersigni

By advancing techniques for revealing genetic information in single cells, researchers were able to distinguish > 60,000 cells in the human brain based on their gene expression patterns and categorize them into 35 different cell types.

The technique allows scientists to identify which cells in the brain express disease-associated genetic risk factors, which can provide insights into the cellular processes leading to pathology in the human brain. For example, they found that most of the genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease are expressed by an immune cell type, suggesting that inflammation plays a major role in this disease.

The approach allows human organs and tissues to be studied at the single cell level to provide insights into normal and pathological human functions. As more advanced techniques are developed to study human tissues, it will be easier for scientists to conduct experiments with human samples to produce human-relevant results.

Lake BB, Chen S, Sos BC, et al. Integrative single-cell analysis of transcriptional and epigenetic states in the human adult brain. Nat Biotechnol. Published online December 11, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nbt.4038.

Using a cervical cancer cell line, scientists demonstrated that nutrients from blueberries can boost the cancer-fighting power of radiation treatments from 20 to 70 percent by increasing cancer cell death and inhibiting cancer cell growth. Treatment with the blueberry extract alone also suppressed growth of the cancer cell line slightly better than radiation (25 vs. 20 percent).

This study suggests that eating blueberries may be a strategy for cancer patients to enhance their radiation treatment.

Unlike other scientific studies which test potential treatments on animals, this study identified a food that can potentially serve as medicine by testing its effectiveness in human cells and increasing the relevance of the results for human patients.

Davidson KT, Zhu Z, Bai Q, Xiao H, Wakefield MR, Fang Y. Blueberry as a Potential radiosensitizer for treating cervical cancer. Pathol Oncol Res. Published online September 30, 2017. doi: 10.1007/s12253-017-0319-y

Whole milk consumption increases risk for prostate cancer recurrence in overweight and obese men, according to a study published in The Prostate. Researchers followed 1,334 participants from the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor and tracked dairy intake and cancer-related deaths, recurrences, and treatments.

Those who consumed more than 4 servings of whole milk per week increased their risk for recurrence by 73%, compared to those who consumed fewer or no servings of milk. This increased risk rose threefold in men with high BMIs. Potential mechanisms behind the elevated risk include higher intake of IGF-1 and saturated fat and associated inflammation. Insulin resistance and increased inflammation seen in men with high BMIs may also attribute to this risk.

In its 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, the American Diabetes Association maintains that a plant-based eating pattern is an effective option for type 2 diabetes management, and encourages clinicians to always include education on lifestyle management.

American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes – 2018. Diabetes Care. 2018;41(Suppl 1):S1-S167.

Researchers recently developed a chemical imaging technique using a microscopic mass detection instrument that allows for human skin sections to be analyzed to detect and map the chemical distribution throughout different layers of the skin.

The method can be applied to measure drug or other chemical penetration through the skin in toxicity studies for cosmetics, environmental exposures, or therapeutic drugs.

The technique provides accurate measures of chemical penetration through human skin that has not previously been possible and will help to understand how allergens like nickel absorb into and react with the skin. Nickel, one of the most common human allergens, cannot be detected as an allergen in the current animal test for this effect: the mouse local lymph node assay.

Malmberg P, Guttenberg T, Ericson MB, Hagvall L. Imaging mass spectrometry for novel insights into contact allergy – a proof-of-concept study on nickel. Contact Dermatitis. Published online November 23, 2017. doi: 10.1111/cod.12911.

Using data from 66 patients followed for up to 20 years, researchers developed a mathematical model to simulate the biological processes involved in the disease of multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease leading to damage to nerve fibers in the brain with variable clinical presentation rates and symptoms and leading to blurred vision, memory problems, weakness, and more.

Using data from a second group of 120 patients with multiple sclerosis, they validated the model to predict different disease courses seen in these patients with the same underlying biological process, a concept which has profound implications for therapeutic development.

Although previously multiple sclerosis may be viewed as two or more diseases given its multiple clinical presentations, this mathematical model suggests that it is a single disease with a common underlying pathological process.

Kotelnikova E, Kiani NA, Abad E, et al. Dynamics and heterogeneity of brain damage in multiple sclerosis. PLoS Comput Biol. 2017;13:e1005757. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005757.

Avoiding red meat and other risk factors may prevent up to half of diverticulitis cases, according to a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Researchers assessed outcomes from red meat intake, low fiber intake, obesity, minimal physical activity, and smoking in 51,529 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Results showed a 73 percent decreased risk for diverticulitis among men who ate more fiber, exercised, and ate less than one serving of red meat per day, compared with men who did not avoid any risk factors observed. The authors recommend clinicians incorporate lifestyle interventions into preventive strategies for disease prevention.

Liu PH, Cao Y, Keeley BR, et al. Adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of diverticulitis among men. Am J Gastroenterol. Published online November 7, 2017.