Turmeric compound may treat Alzheimer’s disease

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Maurice Preter MD
Research

Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo

Joerg Hucklenbroich12, Rebecca Klein23, Bernd Neumaier3, Rudolf Graf3, Gereon Rudolf Fink12, Michael Schroeter123 and Maria Adele Rueger123*

Author Affiliations

1Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, Leo-Brandt-Straße 52425, Jülich, Germany

2Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

3Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany

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Stem Cell Research & Therapy 2014, 5:100  doi:10.1186/scrt500

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://stemcellres.com/content/5/4/100

Received: 27 May 2014
Revisions received: 12 August 2014
Accepted: 12 August 2014
Published: 26 September 2014

© 2014 Hucklenbroich et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

Abstract

Introduction

Aromatic (ar-) turmerone is a major bioactive compound of the herb Curcuma longa. It has been suggested that ar-turmerone inhibits microglia activation, a property that may be useful in treating neurodegenerative disease. Furthermore, the effects of ar-turmerone on neural stem cells (NSCs) remain to be investigated.

Methods

We exposed primary fetal rat NSCs to various concentrations of ar-turmerone. Thereafter, cell proliferation and differentiation potential were assessed. In vivo, naïve rats were treated with a single intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of ar-turmerone. Proliferative activity of endogenous NSCs was assessed in vivo, by using noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and the tracer [18F]-fluoro-L-thymidine ([18F]FLT), as well as ex vivo.

Results

In vitro, ar-turmerone increased dose-dependently the number of cultured NSCs, because of an increase in NSC proliferation (P < 0.01). Proliferation data were supported by qPCR-data for Ki-67 mRNA. In vitro as well as in vivo, ar-turmerone promoted neuronal differentiation of NSCs. In vivo, after i.c.v. injection of ar-turmerone, proliferating NSCs were mobilized from the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the hippocampus of adult rats, as demonstrated by both [18F]FLT-PET and histology (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Both in vitro and in vivo data suggest that ar-turmerone induces NSC proliferation. Ar-turmerone thus constitutes a promising candidate to support regeneration in neurologic disease.

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Too much sitting around may kill you. Period.

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Maurice Preter MD

Paleo-epidemiology. We were simply not designed to sit around a lot.

Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Aviroop Biswas, BSc; Paul I. Oh, MD, MSc; Guy E. Faulkner, PhD; Ravi R. Bajaj, MD; Michael A. Silver, BSc; Marc S. Mitchell, MSc; and David A. Alter, MD, PhD
Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(2):123-132. doi:10.7326/M14-1651

Background: The magnitude, consistency, and manner of association between sedentary time and outcomes independent of physical activity remain unclear.

Purpose: To quantify the association between sedentary time and hospitalizations, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer in adults independent of physical activity.

Data Sources: English-language studies in MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar databases were searched through August 2014 with hand-searching of in-text citations and no publication date limitations.

Study Selection: Studies assessing sedentary behavior in adults, adjusted for physical activity and correlated to at least 1 outcome.

Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers performed data abstraction and quality assessment, and a third reviewer resolved inconsistencies.

Data Synthesis: Forty-seven articles met our eligibility criteria. Meta-analyses were performed on outcomes for cardiovascular disease and diabetes (14 studies), cancer (14 studies), and all-cause mortality (13 studies). Prospective cohort designs were used in all but 3 studies; sedentary times were quantified using self-report in all but 1 study. Significant hazard ratio (HR) associations were found with all-cause mortality (HR, 1.240 [95% CI, 1.090 to 1.410]), cardiovascular disease mortality (HR, 1.179 [CI, 1.106 to 1.257]), cardiovascular disease incidence (HR, 1.143 [CI, 1.002 to 1.729]), cancer mortality (HR, 1.173 [CI, 1.108 to 1.242]), cancer incidence (HR, 1.130 [CI, 1.053 to 1.213]), and type 2 diabetes incidence (HR, 1.910 [CI, 1.642 to 2.222]). Hazard ratios associated with sedentary time and outcomes were generally more pronounced at lower levels of physical activity than at higher levels.

Limitation: There was marked heterogeneity in research designs and the assessment of sedentary time and physical activity.

Conclusion: Prolonged sedentary time was independently associated with deleterious health outcomes regardless of physical activity.

Primary Funding Source: None.

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Treatment of vitamin D deficiency in asymptomatic persons might reduce mortality risk

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Maurice Preter MD
Reviews | 20 January 2015

Screening for Vitamin D Deficiency: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Erin S. LeBlanc, MD, MPH; Bernadette Zakher, MBBS; Monica Daeges, BA; Miranda Pappas, MA; and Roger Chou, MD
Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(2):109-122. doi:10.7326/M14-1659

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with adverse health outcomes.

Purpose: To systematically review benefits and harms of vitamin D screening in asymptomatic adults.

Data Sources: Ovid MEDLINE (through the third week of August 2014), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Study Selection: Randomized trials of screening for and treatment of vitamin D deficiency and case–control studies nested within the Women’s Health Initiative.

Data Extraction: One investigator abstracted data, a second reviewed data for accuracy, and 2 investigators independently assessed study quality using predefined criteria.

Data Synthesis: No study examined the effects of vitamin D screening versus no screening on clinical outcomes. Vitamin D treatment was associated with decreased mortality versus placebo or no treatment (11 studies; risk ratio [RR], 0.83 [95% CI, 0.70 to 0.99]), although benefits were no longer seen after trials of institutionalized persons were excluded (8 studies; RR, 0.93 [CI, 0.73 to 1.18]). Vitamin D treatment was associated with possible decreased risk for having at least 1 fall (5 studies; RR, 0.84 [CI, 0.69 to 1.02]) and falls per person (5 studies; incidence rate ratio, 0.66 [CI, 0.50 to 0.88]) but not fractures (5 studies; RR, 0.98 [CI, 0.82 to 1.16]). Vitamin D treatment was not associated with a statistically significant increased risk for serious adverse events (RR, 1.17 [CI, 0.74 to 1.84]).

Limitation: Variability across studies in 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays and baseline levels, treatment doses, use of calcium, and duration of follow-up.

Conclusion: Treatment of vitamin D deficiency in asymptomatic persons might reduce mortality risk in institutionalized elderly persons and risk for falls but not fractures.

Primary Funding Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

 

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“Noncognitive” symptoms of early Alzheimer disease

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Maurice Preter MD

Neurology.org:
“Noncognitive” symptoms of early Alzheimer disease

A longitudinal analysis

  1. Mary Clare Masters, MD,
  2. John C. Morris, MD and
  3. Catherine M. Roe, PhD

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  1. Correspondence to Dr. Roe: cathyr@wustl.edu
  1. Published online before print January 14, 2015, doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001238Neurology 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001238

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To observe the natural time course of noncognitive symptoms before the onset of symptomatic Alzheimer disease dementia.

Methods: Using the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set from September 2005 to March 2013, data from cognitively normal individuals who were aged 50 years or older at first visit and had subsequent follow-up were analyzed. Survival analyses were used to examine the development of particular symptoms relative to each other on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), Functional Activities Questionnaire, and Geriatric Depression Scale, and to compare the development of individual symptoms for persons who did and did not receive a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) >0 (indicating abnormal cognition) during the follow-up period.

Results: The order of symptom occurrence on the NPI-Q was similar for participants who remained at CDR 0 and for those who received a CDR >0 over the follow-up period, although the time to most NPI-Q symptoms was faster for participants who received a CDR >0 (p < 0.001). With the exception of memory, Geriatric Depression Scale symptoms reported by both CDR groups were similar.

Conclusions: We found a significantly earlier presence of positive symptoms on the NPI-Q in cognitively normal patients who subsequently developed CDR >0. Among participants with no depression symptoms at baseline, results suggest that depressive symptoms may increase with aging regardless of incipient dementia. Such findings begin to delineate the noncognitive course of Alzheimer disease dementia in the preclinical stages. Future research must further elucidate the correlation between noncognitive changes and distinct dementia subtypes.

  • Received June 16, 2014.
  • Accepted in final form October 10, 2014.

For more, please visit: psychiatryneurology.net

 

 

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More Chinese travel abroad for medical treatment

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Maurice Preter MD

WantChinaTimes.com

Knowing China through Taiwan

  • Sunday, January 11, 2015
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More Chinese travel abroad for medical treatment

 

  • Staff Reporter
  • 2014-12-08
  • 16:07 (GMT+8)
A Saint Lucia Consulting advert. (Photo/Saint Lucia Consulting)A Saint Lucia Consulting advert. (Photo/Saint Lucia Consulting)

More and more Chinese nationals have become wealthy enough to afford medical treatment abroad, bolstering the growth of businesses catering to this emerging trend, reports Nanjing’s Yangcheng Evening News.

In China, six people are diagnosed with cancer every minute, with new cancer cases touching an annual 3.12 million, according to government data.

The five-year survival rate for cancer patients in China is around 25%, according to government data released in January, compared with 68% between 2003 and 2009 in the United States. A growing number of Chinese patients are travelling overseas in search of these higher odds, and around 70% of them are cancer patients, said the newspaper.

Massachusetts General Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, saw the number of Chinese patients jump from around 40 in 2012 to around 100 in 2013, said the report.

Along with the growing number of patients traveling abroad, several domestic businesses have sprung up to cater to the demand and help people arrange for their international medical trips, according to the newspaper.

Beijing-based Saint Lucia Consulting, established in 2011, is the first of such businesses in China. Up to 10 similar services have emerged across the country since its establishment, excluding those making arrangements for overseas cosmetic surgery, said the report.

Zhang Xiang, president of Vanta Consulting Service, the first Guangzhou company to offer arrangements for overseas medical treatment, estimates that the sector has already reached US$100 billion in scale, and is projected to grow by 20% a year.

According to Zhang, treatment abroad is not as expensive as people think. The average spending of his company’s 30+ clients so far has been around US$150,000.

Medical fees are the highest in the United States, which are usually three to four times the charges in China, while fees in Germany and the United Kingdom are just 30% higher, Zhang said.

Apart from the better quality of medical services abroad, Chinese patients also opt for overseas treatments for newer drugs that usually hit the Chinese market much later. “There are new drug trials beginning in top hospitals abroad every day. Chinese patients can see their medical bills cut by 15% to 20% if they take part in clinical trials,” Zhang said.

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