Stressful Gut-feelings

In examing what exactly happens to the gut when experiencing stress, researches began placing lab rats in stressful situations, then proceeded give the rats water with and without the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. By placing rats on a small island, surrounded by water for one hour a day for several consecutive days, the psychological stress felt by humans was replicated and physical signs of stress could be tested. This water stress led to a vulnerability in the gut of rats which allowed harmful bacterial cells to adhere to the cells lining the gut wall. There were also signs that harmful bacteria had entered and activated the immune system, but when probiotic bacteria were entered into the rats there were much fewer cases of bacteria attaching to the gut wall or entering the immune system. Stress is known to cause several diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, and has other negative effects on the body. By introducing probiotic, harmless bacteria into the body of someone suffering from chronic stress, they compete for space and cause less harmful bacteria to have an effect on the host. Though these studies do not directly help reduce stress, they can help to reduce the physical maladies associated with it.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060430002647.htm

Lose Yourself in Science

Losing yourself in a moment is something that we have all experienced. During strenuos or demanding situations, it is not unnatural for one to lose the ability to reason and instead rely on instinctual actions. Scientists Rafael Malach and Ilan Goldberg have taken a scientific approach to uncovering this phenomenon and have determined "that self-related function actually shuts down during such intense sensory tasks." This function of the brain therefore does not actively produce any clear sensory experiences. These findings help to understand the overall connection between consciousness and perception. Creating a system to test this function was not easy but developed a system to test sensory processing by showing the subject a series of pictures and having them listen to multiple musical pieces. The subjects were asked to indicate whether the pictures were either animal or non-animal, then if the musical pieces were trumpet or non-trumpet. This tested their ability to process senses, and their introspection was tested by asking the subjects how emotionally the pictures and sounds affected them. Brain activity was then measured by using magnetic resonance imaging which looked at what areas of the brain were getting the most blood flow. The imaging showed that certain areas were affected by sensory processing while other areas showed activity during introspection. These studies show that during intense perceptual engagement, the distracting self-related cortex becomes inactive and all blood flow is sent to the sensory cortex area of the brain, causing individuals to manage only that which immediately affects them.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060430004451.htm

Smoking is bad for you? No way!

Recent studies have shown that patients with lung cancer have a better chance of surviving and responding to chemotherapy if they have never smoked cigarettes before. Lung cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers and victims rarely live longer than five years after being diagnosed. Even if cured, there is a good chance that another tumor will appear. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, many patients continue to smoke because they believe it will not have an effect on their recovery. Up until recently, there has been no concrete evidence to prove them wrong, but recently Anne S. Tsao, M.D. of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has looked over the records of over one thousand patients with non-small cell lung cancer and determined that patients who have never smoked before respond better to chemotherapy, had less disease progression while undergoing therapy, and displayed an overall greater survival rate. This is believed to be due to less genetic damage in non-smokers, being less susceptible to disease that would affect survival, and having better lung function. To some, it may be obvious that smoking can only make lung cancer worse, although many individuals cannot stop themselves. Hopefully these recent studies will make smokers more aware of their situation and how to take the necessary steps to recover.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060430003222.htm

Breakthrough in stem-cell research

After discussing stem-cells and their potential ability to replace defunct cells, this seemed like an interesting article. By injecting immature immune system support cells into the source of the injury, rats showed tremendous improvement within only two weeks. Stem-cell research is increasing at an astounding rate and advancements in spinal-cord corrections are becoming more of a possibility. When the spinal-cord is damaged, scar tissue is the body creates scar tissue to prevent infection, but makes it impossible for any implanted stem-cells to spur nerve growth. A group of scientists then postulated that the introduction of a stem-cell with the ability to repair itself could support nerve growth while preventing scar tissue. They cultured special glial-restricted precursor stem-cells which worked much better on repairing scar tissue and nerve damage. The neurons of these rats also did not atrophy as much as when injected with normal stem-cells. The data for moving glial-restricted precursors to clinical research shows promise, but the lack of stem-cells in the U.S. greatly impairs research. Fortunately, scientists are showing reason to believe that they will not even need stem-cells in the future because they will be able to make any cell into a stem-cell.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20060426-19591300-bc-us-stemcell-spinalcord.xml

Cholesterol is good for you

In discussing the cell membrane and important molecules involved in its functionality, the importance of cholesterol to developmental proteins is an interesting topic. Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have discovered in mice that a lack of cholesterol during early development can cause additional digits to grow or digits to grow in the wrong location. There has previously been inconsistent data in relation to cholesterol’s role in the development of appendages, but this new research helps to better understand the developmental proteins. The specific gene in question, the Sonic hedgehog gene (named after a videogame character), is created “by a specialized group of cells located at the posterior part of the developing limb bud, which eventually develops into the pinkie finger or toe.” This gene is unique because it will not work properly unless a cholesterol molecule is attached to it. In order to test the effectiveness of the gene, a mutant Sonic hedgehog gene was tested to which cholesterol could not attach. Without cholesterol, these genes were dispersed in areas of the limb bud where they would not typically travel. This causes additional digits to appear where they normally would not, an affliction known as polydactyly. Problems with this gene can also be involved in a number of human conditions, including cancer. Further research of Sonic hedgehog gene and the importance of cholesterol can give better insight into embryo development and the prevention of related diseases.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060421234231.htm

Kinase Makes the News

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine used mice to study how a specific potassium gene regulates pain messages, according to an article from the Associated Press. Mice lacking a gene called Kv4.2 were more sensitive to pain than mice with the gene, which leads researchers to believe that pain medication could target Kv4.2 in humans and lead to the creation of new pain-reducing drugs.

Here's where kinase fits into the picture (remember talking about that in lecture?): It turns out that the Kv4.2 gene interacts with a molecule called ERK, short for extracellular signal-related kinase. Research has shown that pain can be lessened if ERK activity is hindered. Both ERK and Kv4.2 are responsible for the excruciating pain felt from things like oven burns. The experiment with the mice, which used heat as an indicator of pain, showed that normal mice with the Kv4.2 gene could handle heat on their paws longer than mice without it.

By understanding that Kv4.2 and ERK molecules heavily regulate one's perception of pain, future drugs interacting with these molecules could be more effective. Scientists acknowledge, however, that these drugs are many years of research and development away from reaching consumers, but that this discovery is a first step. These drugs might be useful for surgery patients and those with arthritis.

If you're really intrigued by kinases from this article and our lectures, check out http://www.kinase.com/ (no joke) for lots of information on kinases, including databases with over 1800 protein kinase genes.