New Year * New You * New Life
Making mistakes ~
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
George Bernard Shaw
Miracles ~
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
Rekindled by a Spark ~
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
Got Cognitive Decline?
Milk consumption leads to worse brain health, according to a study published in the journal Nutrients. Researchers followed 13,751 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study for 20 years and found that those who consumed more than one glass of milk per day were 10 percent more likely to experience cognitive decline, compared with those who consumed less than one glass per day or no milk.
These findings resonate with other studies showing a link between milk and cognitive decline. Additionally, the findings in the Chicago Health and Aging Project showed that those who consumed the most saturated fat had twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared with those who consumed the least.
Dairy is the No. 1 source of saturated fat in the American diet.
Petruski-Ivleva N, Kucharska-Newton A, Palta P, et al. Milk intake at midlife and cognitive decline over 20 years. The Athersclerosis Risk in Communities
Human Lung-on-Chip Model Reveals How Breathing Regulates Lung Cancer
Researchers recently used a lung-on-chip model to study human lung cancer cell growth in response to drugs and breathing. Although they found that breathing suppresses cancer cell growth and spreading, the breathing motion also promotes resistance to drug therapy targeting key proteins driving the cancer.
This human-relevant model can be used to further investigate how cancer cells persist and to develop drugs to overcome cancer drug resistance. This physiological-relevant chip model allows researchers to study lung cancer behavior in a human-relevant microenvironment and produces results that are consistent with those found in human clinical trials.
Hassell BA, Goyal G, Lee E, et al. Human organ chip models recapitulate orthotopic lung cancer growth, therapeutic responses, and tumor dormancy in vitro. Cell Rep.2017;21:508-516. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2017.09.043
Poor Diet Linked to Multiple Sclerosis Relapse in Children
Fatty diets increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in children, according to a study published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry. Researchers tracked dietary intake data and assessed relapse rates for 219 participants with pediatric relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) at 11 MS centers across the United States.
Higher fat intake increased the risk for relapse by 56 percent while every 10 percent increase in saturated fat intake tripled the risk of relapse. Vegetable intake showed a protective effect, with a 50 percent decreased risk for every one- cup of vegetables consumed. Saturated fat, notably from animal sources, often increases calorie intake and promotes inflammation linked to MS relapse. The authors suggest dietary interventions promote vegetable intake to decrease inflammation and promote healthy gut microbiota associated with lower relapse rates.
Steele CB, Thomas CC, Henley SJ, et al. Vital Signs: trends in incidence of cancers associated with overweight and obesity — United States, 2005–2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. Published online October 3, 2017.
High Blood Pressure in Mothers Linked to Childhood Obesity
Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy affect children’s obesity risk, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Researchers followed 88,406 mother-child pairs and tracked blood pressure measurements. Mothers with higher blood pressure readings during the second and third trimesters increased overweight and obesity risk in their children by 49 percent and 14 percent, respectively. The authors suggest clinicians monitor blood pressure throughout pregnancy, as results also showed changes in blood pressure between the first and third trimesters affected children’s obesity risk.
Zheng JS, Liu H, Ong KK, et al. Maternal blood pressure rise during pregnancy and offspring obesity risk at 4-7 years old: the Jiaxing Birth Cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published online September 27, 2017.
Leafy Greens Lower Risk for Heart Disease in Adolescents
Children and adolescents with low intakes of phylloquinone, a form of vitamin K, may be at risk for enlarged heart valves, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers followed diet records for 766 participants aged 14-18 and monitored vascular structure and functionality. When compared to those with the highest intake of vitamin K from foods such as spinach, cabbage, and other leafy green vegetables, those with the lowest intake were more likely to experience vascular enlargement. This type of enlargement, normally observed in adults, typically results in elevated blood pressure and other cardiac complications. The authors suggest these findings may develop treatment and prevention initiatives aimed at improving cardiovascular function in children and adolescents.
Douthit MK, Fain ME, Nguyen JT, et al. Phylloquinone intake is associated with cardiac structure and function in adolescents. J Nutr. 2017;147:1960-1967.
Human-Relevant Model of Rare Genetic Disorder Offers Insights into Brain Development
Researchers used brain cell cultures derived from reprogrammed skin cells of patients with lissencephaly, a rare inherited brain disorder characterized by severe developmental delay and a smooth rather than folded brain surface structure, to identify the developmental defect in the brain cells harboring the genetic mutation that causes the disease.
The researchers found the patient-derived brain cells carrying the mutation matured more slowly and had problems with mobility, which impairs their ability to reach the correct brain site. This study provides novel insights into the disease mechanism, which is potentially important for developing therapeutic strategies for lissencephaly.
Animal models with the genetic mutation do not mimic the human disease, and donor tissue is scarce due to the rarity of the disease. Thus, this cellular model of lissenchephaly derived from patients increases the opportunity to study and find human-relevant insights about mechanisms of the disease and brain development in general. This technique can be adapted to study other human genetic diseases of the brain.
Shahsavani M, Pronk R, Falk F, et al. An in vitro model of lissencephaly: expanding the role of DCX during neurogenesis. Mol Psychiatry. Published online September 19, 2017. doi: 10.1038/mp.2017.175.