Archive for October 2014
Candidate gene-environment interactions in breast cancer
Corresponding author: Olivia Fletcher Olivia.Fletcher@icr.ac.uk
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, UK
<more about author>
BMC Medicine 2014, 12:195 doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0195-1
Abstract
Gene-environment interactions have the potential to shed light on biological processes leading to disease, identify individuals for whom risk factors are most relevant, and improve the accuracy of epidemiological risk models. We review the progress that has been made in investigating gene-environment interactions in the field of breast cancer. Although several large-scale analyses have been carried out, only a few significant interactions have been reported. One of these, an interaction between CASP8-rs1045485 and alcohol consumption has been replicated, but others have not, including LSP1- rs3817198 and parity, and 1p11.2-rs11249433 and ever being parous. False positive interactions may arise if the gene and environment are correlated and the causal variant is less frequent than the tag SNP. We conclude that while much progress has been made in this area it is still too soon to tell whether gene-environment interactions will fulfil their promise. Before we can make this assessment we will need to replicate (or refute) the reported interactions, identify the causal variants that underlie tag-SNP associations and validate the next generation of epidemiological risk models.
⓿ The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/195
image source: How Can Future Research Efforts Address Combined Environmental Exposures?
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, UK
<more about author>
BMC Medicine 2014, 12:195 doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0195-1
Abstract
Gene-environment interactions have the potential to shed light on biological processes leading to disease, identify individuals for whom risk factors are most relevant, and improve the accuracy of epidemiological risk models. We review the progress that has been made in investigating gene-environment interactions in the field of breast cancer. Although several large-scale analyses have been carried out, only a few significant interactions have been reported. One of these, an interaction between CASP8-rs1045485 and alcohol consumption has been replicated, but others have not, including LSP1- rs3817198 and parity, and 1p11.2-rs11249433 and ever being parous. False positive interactions may arise if the gene and environment are correlated and the causal variant is less frequent than the tag SNP. We conclude that while much progress has been made in this area it is still too soon to tell whether gene-environment interactions will fulfil their promise. Before we can make this assessment we will need to replicate (or refute) the reported interactions, identify the causal variants that underlie tag-SNP associations and validate the next generation of epidemiological risk models.
⓿ The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/195
image source: How Can Future Research Efforts Address Combined Environmental Exposures?
The Sweet Side of Chemistry - Candy & the Science of Chocolate
The current issue of ACS newsletter reported the theme of National Chemistry Week 2014 is "The Sweet Side of Chemistry - Candy".
Click here for details:
I am not a super fans of candy. My eyes quickly jumped to the chocolate section and lead me to a journal article: "The Science of Chocolate: Interactive Activities on Phase Transitions, Emulsification, and Nucleation". This is an article describes the science of chocolate to general public, including children ages 6 and up. It is very interesting if you are a chocolate lover.
Keep searching, here is any article reported by ACS:
"The precise reason for the health benefits of dark chocolate: mystery solved", which says: Dark chocolate is beneficial for the heart because gut bacteria ferment it into healthful antioxidants.
"The precise reason for the health benefits of dark chocolate: mystery solved", which says: Dark chocolate is beneficial for the heart because gut bacteria ferment it into healthful antioxidants.
Magnetic nanoparticle drug delivery systems for targeting tumor
Corresponding Author: Vicky V. Mody vmody@southuniversity.edu
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, South University School of Pharmacy, 709 Mall Blvd, Savannah, GA 31406, USA
<more about author>
Applied Nanoscience, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp 385-392,
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia, or low oxygen concentration, is a result of disordered vasculature that lead to distinctive hypoxic microenvironments not found in normal tissues. Many traditional anti-cancer agents are not able to penetrate into these hypoxic zones, whereas, conventional cancer therapies that work by blocking cell division are not effective to treat tumors within hypoxic zones. Under these circumstances the use of magnetic nanoparticles as a drug delivering agent system under the influence of external magnetic field has received much attention, based on their simplicity, ease of preparation, and ability to tailor their properties for specific biological applications. Hence in this review article we have reviewed current magnetic drug delivery systems, along with their application and clinical status in the field of magnetic drug delivery.
⓿ The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13204-013-0216-y/fulltext.html
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, South University School of Pharmacy, 709 Mall Blvd, Savannah, GA 31406, USA
<more about author>
Applied Nanoscience, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp 385-392,
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia, or low oxygen concentration, is a result of disordered vasculature that lead to distinctive hypoxic microenvironments not found in normal tissues. Many traditional anti-cancer agents are not able to penetrate into these hypoxic zones, whereas, conventional cancer therapies that work by blocking cell division are not effective to treat tumors within hypoxic zones. Under these circumstances the use of magnetic nanoparticles as a drug delivering agent system under the influence of external magnetic field has received much attention, based on their simplicity, ease of preparation, and ability to tailor their properties for specific biological applications. Hence in this review article we have reviewed current magnetic drug delivery systems, along with their application and clinical status in the field of magnetic drug delivery.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014
"The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014 was awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy".
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| Stefan W. Hell Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA |
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| Stefan W. Hell Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany |
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| William E. Moerner Stanford University, USA |
"The history of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy is short. The ensemble-fluorophore STED-microscopy was implemented in the year 2000 and single-fluorophore based methods in the year 2006. In spite of this, the rapidly developing techniques (e.g. Sahl and Moerner, 2013) of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy are already applied on a large scale in major fields of the biological sciences, like cell biology, microbiology and neurobiology (e.g. Huang et al., 2010). At this point there is all reason to forecast that this development, already producing hosts of novel and previously unreachable results, will accelerate over the next decades. This development is expected to evolutionize biology and medicine by, not the least, eventually allowing for realistic, quantitative descriptions at nano-scale resolution of the dynamics of the complex, multidimensional molecular biological processes that define the phenotypes of all life forms."
Full version: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2014/advanced-chemistryprize2014.pdf
Tag :
general,
Nobelprize.org,
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2014
"The Nobel Prize in Physics 2014 was awarded jointly to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura "for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources".
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Isamu Akasaki, Meijo University,Japan
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| Hiroshi Amano, Nagoya University, Japan |
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Shuji Nakamura, University of California, USA
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Full version: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2014/advanced-physicsprize2014_2.pdf
Tag :
general,
Nobelprize.org,
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014 was divided, one half awarded to John O'Keefe, the other half jointly to May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser "for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain".
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University College Lodon, United Kingdom
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Tag :
general,
Nobelprize.org,
Learn more about Natural Computing
"Natural Computing refers to computational processes observed in nature, and human-designed computing inspired by nature. When complex natural phenomena are analyzed in terms of computational processes, our understanding of both nature and the essence of computation is enhanced. Characteristic for human-designed computing inspired by nature is the metaphorical use of concepts, principles and mechanisms underlying natural systems. Natural computing includes evolutionary algorithms, neural networks, molecular computing and quantum computing."
- extracted from Natural Computing
There is an free online book: Natural Computing and Beyond, edited by Yasuhiro Suzuki, Toshiyuki Nakagaki, discuss more about natural computing.
You can download the whole book here:
http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-4-431-54394-7
image source: http://www.droid-life.com/2011/03/24/google-not-releasing-honeycomb-source-for-a-while/
Effects of vitamin D in the elderly population: current status and perspectives
Corresponding author: Olivier Bruyère olivier.bruyere@ulg.ac.be
Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Bât B23, Liège 4000, Belgium
<more about author>
Archives of Public Health 2014, 72:32 doi:10.1186/2049-3258-72-32
Abstract
Besides its well-known effect on bone metabolism, recent researches suggest that vitamin D may also play a role in the muscular, immune, endocrine, and central nervous systems. Double-blind RCTs support vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 800 IU per day for the prevention of falls and fractures in the senior population. Ecological, case–control and cohort studies have suggested that high vitamin D levels were associated with a reduced risk of autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and cancer but large clinical trials are lacking today to provide solid evidence of a vitamin D benefit beyond bone health. At last, the optimal dose, route of administration, dosing interval and duration of vitamin D supplementation at a specific target dose beyond the prevention of vitamin D deficiency need to be further investigated.
- Effects of vitamin D on falls
- Effects of vitamin D on bone
- Effects of vitamin D on muscle
- Other potential effects of vitamin D in the elderly population
⓿ The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.archpublichealth.com/content/72/1/32
image source: http://pilatesnutritionist.com/happy-vitamin-d-day
Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Bât B23, Liège 4000, Belgium
<more about author>
Archives of Public Health 2014, 72:32 doi:10.1186/2049-3258-72-32
Abstract
Besides its well-known effect on bone metabolism, recent researches suggest that vitamin D may also play a role in the muscular, immune, endocrine, and central nervous systems. Double-blind RCTs support vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 800 IU per day for the prevention of falls and fractures in the senior population. Ecological, case–control and cohort studies have suggested that high vitamin D levels were associated with a reduced risk of autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and cancer but large clinical trials are lacking today to provide solid evidence of a vitamin D benefit beyond bone health. At last, the optimal dose, route of administration, dosing interval and duration of vitamin D supplementation at a specific target dose beyond the prevention of vitamin D deficiency need to be further investigated.
- Effects of vitamin D on falls
- Effects of vitamin D on bone
- Effects of vitamin D on muscle
- Other potential effects of vitamin D in the elderly population
⓿ The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.archpublichealth.com/content/72/1/32
image source: http://pilatesnutritionist.com/happy-vitamin-d-day