Friday April 17, 2009

Scientists synthesize herbal alkaloid
United Press International 04-17-09
NASHVILLE, Apr 16, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. chemists say they have developed an efficient technique to produce the synthesized herbal alkaloid Serratezomine from the club moss Lycopodium serratum.
Vanderbilt University researchers said the moss -- a creeping, flowerless plant used in homeopathic medicine -- contains potent alkaloids. But the plant makes many of the compounds in extremely low amounts, hindering efforts to test their therapeutic value.
The scientists said their technique to synthesize Serratezomine is important because the alkaloid might have anti-cancer properties and could combat memory loss. The scientists said it took six years to develop the process because they had to invent entirely new chemical methods to complete the synthesis. But they said their success should make it easier to synthesize alkaloids and other natural compounds with therapeutic potential.
"This was a challenging problem," said Professor Jeffrey Johnston, who led the research. 'It takes years to develop a new chemical reaction and then apply it to the natural product target. So, once we start, we don't stop."
The study that included Aroop Chandra; Julie Pigza, Jeong-Seok Han and Daniel Mutnickwas was reported in the March 18 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8150&Section=Nutrition

On Nutrition: Foods with Function

Reported in LIFE EXTENSIONS from, The Monterey County Herald, Calif. 04-17-09
What is a"functional" food? In Japan, its a food with a "specified health use." In Canada, it's a food with physiological benefits "beyond basic nutritional function." In the United States, its a great marketing tool with no legal definition.
All foods are functional at some level, according to a recent paper on the subject by the American Dietetic Association. "Functional foods" have been found to provide additional health benefits beyond their basic nutritional content. Many have been enriched, fortified or enhanced, such as calcium-enriched orange juice or omega-three fortified eggs.
Others are just regular foods that have been found to possess health-promoting substances. Here are a few of my favorites from registered dietitian David Grottos intriguing book, "101 Foods that could save your Life":
- Artichoke: Actually the immature flower of a thistle plant, artichokes are thought to be one of the world's oldest medicinal plants. Besides being a rich source of vitamin C, folate, and dietary fiber, artichokes contain substances that may ease an upset tummy and reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Broccoli: A member of the cruciferous family that includes cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collard greens and brussels sprouts, broccoli contains a good many compounds with cancer-fighting properties. Broccoli is also rich in sulforaphane glucosinolate (dont try to say this at home, boys and girls) a potent antioxidant that has been shown to stop the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells.
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate contains natural substances called flavonoids that improve the health of blood vessels and can help lower blood pressure. Just dont feed it to your pets. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, cats, parrots and horses, reports Grotto.
- Coffee: Not so rich in nutrients, coffee redeems itself with "off the chart" antioxidant properties, says Grotto. Natural chemicals in coffee such as chlorogenic acids may help improve blood sugar control. And people who regularly drink coffee have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a review of several studies.
- Pecans. My favorite nut, pecans are rich in oleic acid, the same healthful fat found in olive oil. Researchers at New Mexico State University (my alma mater) found that pecans added to a heart healthy diet reduced bad LDL cholesterol more than a diet without them.
- Peppers. Chile "hot" comes from a group of phytochemicals called capsaicinoids, which act on pain receptors in the mouth and throat, says Grotto. Capsaicin applied topically as a cream has been found to be an effective treatment for painful arthritic hands.
- Romaine lettuce. Romaine contains more than five times more vitamin C than iceberg lettuce. It is also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin - substances that help fight macular degeneration in the eye. Romaine also contains salicylic acid, the same anti-inflammatory compound found in aspirin.
- Spinach. One of the richest sources of lutein - the pigment that helps protect the eyes from macular degeneration - spinach intake is also associated with a lower risk for developing cataracts. Glycolipids in spinach are powerful chemicals with properties that can fight the growth of cancer cells as well.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8149&Section=Nutrition

Coffee, tea tied to lower uterine cancer risk
Last Updated: 2009-04-16 13:01:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who drink a few cups of coffee and tea each day may have a lower risk of endometrial cancer, new study findings suggest.
Endometrial cancer arises in the lining of the uterus. Some risk factors have been established -- including older age, obesity and factors that expose women to more estrogen, such as late menopause and estrogen therapy after menopause.
The possible role of diet has been less clear.
In the new study, researchers found that among nearly 1,100 women they surveyed, coffee and tea drinkers seemed to have a lower risk of the uterine cancer than non-drinkers.
Women who drank more than four cups of coffee and tea each day were only half as likely as non-drinkers to have endometrial cancer. Similarly, women who drank only tea -- more than two cups per day -- had a 44 percent lower risk of the disease.
Women who drank coffee alone showed a lower risk as well, but the evidence was not as strong. Those who drank more than two cups a day were 29 percent less likely to have endometrial cancer, but the finding was not significant in statistical terms, the researchers report in the International Journal of Cancer.
Exactly why tea and coffee might protect against endometrial is not certain. One possibility is caffeine, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Susan E. McCann of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.
When they looked only at decaffeinated coffee, the researchers found no link between the beverage and the risk of endometrial cancer.
In addition, they note, lab research shows that caffeine induces certain enzymes that help neutralize potentially cancer-causing substances in the body.
However, other compounds in tea and coffee may also be at work, according to McCann's team. Both beverages contain various antioxidant compounds -- like flavonoids, catechins and isoflavones -- which help protect body cells from damage that can eventually lead to cancer.
Still, the current findings show only an association between coffee and tea and lower endometrial cancer risk. The question of whether the beverages are responsible for the benefit requires further research.
McCann and her colleagues point out that in this study, at least part of the benefit seemed to be explained by coffee and tea drinkers' lower average weight.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, April 1, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/16/eline/links/20090416elin002.html

Vitamin D deficiency may raise cesarean risk
Last Updated: 2009-04-16 14:27:15 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with insufficient vitamin D intake during pregnancy may be at increased risk for birth by cesarean section, study findings suggest.
Of 253 women who gave birth in a Boston, Massachusetts hospital, those deficient in vitamin D were nearly 4-times more likely to deliver by cesarean section than women with higher levels of vitamin D, report Dr. Michael F. Holick and colleagues.
"Vitamin D is critically important for muscle function," Holick, of Boston University School of Medicine, told Reuters Health.
Thus, it is not at all surprising that pregnant women, who are at very high risk for vitamin D deficiency, have an associated increased risk for cesarean birth, Holick said.
Individual vitamin D levels vary according to supplementation and the skin's ability to convert direct sunlight exposure to 25-hydroxyvitamin D in blood.
In this study, Holick and colleagues assessed post-delivery blood vitamin D levels among women who were about 25 years old on average and lived in the Boston area for their entire pregnancy.
One-hundred thirty of the women were Hispanic, 29 were non-Hispanic white, and 94 were non-Hispanic black, the researchers report
Holick's group defined vitamin D deficiency at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention level of less than 37.5 nanomoles per liter (15 nanograms per milliliter) of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in blood.
According to a report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the investigators noted cesarean delivery among 28 percent of the women deficient in vitamin D, but in just 14 percent of those with vitamin D levels above 37.5 nanomoles per liter.
Holick's team also noted lower average vitamin D levels among women who had cesarean versus vaginal delivery.
In a separate study, Holick's team identified vitamin D deficiency among more than three-quarters of moms and newborns despite the moms' daily ingestion of prenatal vitamins and 2 glasses of milk during pregnancy.
Holick and colleagues call for further investigations to determine whether increasing vitamin D intake among pregnant women will reduce cesarean delivery rates.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, April 2009
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/16/eline/links/20090416elin003.html

Child abuse spikes as U.S. economy flounders
Last Updated: 2009-04-16 10:39:14 -0400 (Reuters Health)
BOSTON (Reuters) - One 4-month-old baby was shaken so violently she needed surgery. Another 3-week-old suffered fractured ribs from abuse at home. A 9-year-old diabetic boy stopped receiving proper treatment for his condition.
Those cases reported by Boston hospitals are part of a spike in child abuse in United States during a recession that has driven some families to the brink and overwhelmed cash-strapped child-protection agencies.
"In the last three months we have twice as many severe inflicted injury cases as we did in the three months the previous year," said Allison Scobie, program director of the Child Protection Team at Boston's Children's Hospital.
Typically, her hospital handles about 1,500 such cases a year. That rose to 1,800 last year.
"We're finding that it is directly attributable to what is happening economically," she said. "Many of the hospitals around here report an increase of 20 to 30 percent of requests for consultation regarding suspected child maltreatment."
Many cases bear the imprint of economic troubles, like a 9-year-old diabetic boy hospitalized after his mother, a single parent, could no longer afford insurance co-payments needed to treat his disease. She left him home alone for long stretches on days when he required medical attention.
"She had difficulty with the bare bone things that would keep this child healthy," said Scobie.
Similar stories have surfaced in other regions, according to anecdotal and official reports. The Illinois department of child and family services, for example, reported a 5.8 percent rise in child abuse cases in the state in 2008. In the Chicago area, child abuse cases rose more than 9 percent last year.
Child abuse cases in Ohio, a state hit hard by the recession, topped 100,000 for the first time in 2007 and have continued to rise, according to the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, a nonprofit association of agencies charged with child protection.
"Many of our county agency directors tell us their child abuse reports have risen," said the group's director, Crystal Ward Allen, whose agency relies heavily on local revenue drawn from property taxes, which have collapsed in the recession.
"Our basic safety net is really faltering," she said.
Most recent federal data show child abuse declined in the United States in 2007 to a rate of 10.6 percent of America's total 71 million children, from 12.1 percent in 2006.
But some see that changing dramatically. A March poll by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research showed that 88 percent of 607 sheriffs, district attorneys and chiefs of police nationwide expect a rise in child maltreatment. They based their views largely on similar rises in past recessions.
'HUGE INFLUX OF SHAKEN-BABY CASES'
Many doctors agree. Seattle's Children's Hospital and the Harborview Medical Center are seeing more children suffering subdural bleeding caused by blows to the head from abuse. In a typical year, they treat about one such child a month. Last year, they admitted nearly three times as many -- or 32 children.
"We have been pretty busy again this year,' said Dr. Kenneth Feldman, medical director of the Children's Protection Program at Seattle Children's Hospital. "The vast majority are from families who are struggling financially."
A flurry of similar cases startled doctors late last year in Syracuse, New York. "I was just shocked," said Dr. Ann Botash, who heads the Child Abuse Referral and Evaluation Program at State University of New York in Syracuse, a city of about 147,300 people.
The medical university where she works treated 19 children with head injuries consistent with beatings or being severely shaken last year, including four who died, up from just a handful the year before. Victims averaged about 7 months old.
"Around December I saw much more than I usually see. I usually get one consult a month. And we were quadrupling that," she added. "I'm seeing more severe physical abuse. In general there's a lot more stress right now in society. And it comes out on the kids. They are the weakest link."
Some doctors term such cases "shaken-baby syndrome," which the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says bear distinct signs: brain hemorrhaging, retinal hemorrhaging and damage to the spine, neck or ribs.
Because of a baby's relatively large head and weak neck, shaking "makes the fragile brain bounce back and forth inside the skull and causes bruising, swelling and bleeding, which can lead to permanent, severe brain damage or death," it says.
"We saw a huge influx of shaken-baby cases," said Dr. Alice Newton, medical director at Massachusetts General Hospital's Child Protection Team, which treated 25 children for serious abuse this year. That compares with 16 for all of 2008.
In a typical year she might see 12 to 14 children for serious inflicted head trauma. But she's already seen nine this year. And many are from families without the usual warning flags such as a prior history of child abuse or drug problems.
In one case, a 4-month-old girl was admitted in a "staring spell" and needed surgery to remove fluid around her brain. The father had been laid off and the mother was working. Money was tight, she said. Some utilities had been shut off in the home.
"That clearly is a family that is stressed," she said.
The girl was treated a month earlier for similar symptoms and vomiting, but doctors at the time didn't suspect abuse.
Such cases in Boston are sent to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, who has seen allegations of child abuse more than double in January to February from the same period last year, said Conley's spokesman, Jake Wark.
Some parents are arrested and prosecuted, and their children put in the care of relatives or foster families. But overwhelmed and underfunded agencies are not able to keep pace with the rise.
"We're getting swamped," said Robert Sage, director at the Boston Medical Center's Child Protection Team, which treated 500 children with injuries consistent with abuse last year. That rate rose 30 percent in the first two months of 2009.
"It's pretty much everything. A lot of physical abuse; some neglect," he said.
Many state agencies and hospital are grappling with the increases while facing budget cuts. In Massachusetts, for example, the Department of Children and Families in charge of protecting children from abuse expects to see its budget cut by $25 million in fiscal 2010.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/16/eline/links/20090416elin010.html

Overweight kids show early signs of heart disease
Last Updated: 2009-04-16 13:35:14 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who are overweight but otherwise "healthy" may have stiff arteries, putting them at increased risk for heart disease, a study shows.
As people age, the arteries normally lose some of their elasticity, making them less responsive to changes in blood flow. Stiff arteries put increased strain on the heart, often leading to high blood pressure.
The rising prevalence of childhood obesity is associated with the premature development of cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the study team notes. In addition, there is emerging evidence that such obesity-related conditions predict the development of heart disease in adulthood.
Dr. Walter P. Abhayaratna, of Canberra Hospital, Australian Capital Territory, and colleagues assessed the relationship among body fatness, physical activity, and "arterial stiffness" in 573 healthy children whose average age was 10 years.
They found a positive link between a higher body weight and the presence of stiff arteries.
Weight loss, the study team notes, has been shown to improve blood vessel dysfunction related to obesity. Further studies, they add, are needed to evaluate whether public health efforts to promote physical activity and weight loss in children will reduce arterial stiffness and attenuate the progression of cardiovascular disease.
SOURCE: Hypertension, April 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/16/eline/links/20090416elin025.html

Oat extract may cut cigarette cravings: Pilot study

Nutraingredients.com, 17-Apr-2009

A standardised oat extract may reduce cravings for smoking and offer would-be quitters an alternative to the patches and gums, suggests research from Japan.
A daily supplement of an oats herb extract was found to reduce tobacco consumption from about 20 to fewer than nine cigarettes per day, according to results of a pilot study published in the journal Pharmacometrics.
The ingredient, extracted from an ancient type of wild oats, was developed by Frutarom and is being marketed under the name Neuravena.
“Although further studies are needed, we think that Neuravena extract has potential as a novel food ingredient that can effectively aid smoking cessation,” wrote the researchers, led by Fumitaka Fujii from ASK Intercity Company, the Japanese distributor of the ingredient.
“To successfully quit smoking, the first few weeks after quitting are thought to be the most significant, and we think that the use of supplements such as Neuravena extract can be a useful means of successfully stopping smoking if taken while reducing consumption or in the early stages after quitting.”
Jocelyn Mathern, MS, RD, Technical Health Manager for Frutarom USA told NutraIngredients.com that the ingredient does not contain nicotine. “Rather, Neuravena works on enzymes in your brain and also affects brain waves in a way that may relieve stress and improve cognitive performance,” she said.
Study details
In collaboration with researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Fujii recruited eight Japanese smokers (average age 32.5) and given daily supplements of 900 mg of Neuravena for 28 months. The participants were told that the aim of the study was to test the efficacy of supplements in reducing smoking.
At the end of the study, the Japanese researchers reported that the average cigarette smoking decreased from 19.5 per day to 8.9 per day.
Furthermore, the carbon monoxide levels in the breath of the participants decreased from 17 ppm to 11.9 ppm.
The verbal and general memory of the participants also improved, but not the visual memory.
Limitations and active ingredients
The study was a pilot study and therefore has several limitations, including no blinding and no placebo controlling.
“Although additional placebo-controlled study is essential, supplemental uptake of Neuravena extract could be helpful in the reduction of cravings for smoking,” wrote the researchers.
Oats versus patches
Carla Wullschleger, product manager EFLA-Line for Frutarom Switzerland told NutraIngredients.com that the ingredient, regulated as a dietary supplement in both the US and Europe, is different from products such as Nicorette since this is an OTC drug due to the nicotine content.
“There already are various finished products available on the European market containing Neuravena in the indication cognitive support/mental wellbeing,” she said.
Formulation options
Mathern told this website that the ingredient can be used in capsules and tablets as well as other dietary supplement applications, such as bars.
While many people looking for cigarette reduction may turn to gums, Wullschleger said: “We have no experience of using Neuravena in a gum and are not aware of any customers running such projects. I have checked with. According to our application lab it is possible to apply the extract in a gum from a technical point of view.
“Based on the outcome of the Japanese application study the recommended daily dosage would be 860 mg of extract, which needs to be taken into account when considering a gum application,” she added.
Source: Pharmacometrics Volume 75, Issue 3/4, Pages 47-53 “Pilot Study of the Standardized Oats Herb Extract for Smoking Reduction”Authors: F. Fujii, T. Hashimoto, N. Suzuki, R. Suzuki, K. Mohri
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Oat-extract-may-cut-cigarette-cravings-Pilot-study

Low vitamin A and C levels may boost asthma risk

Nutraingredients, 17-Apr-2009

Low dietary intakes of vitamins A and C may increase the risk of developing asthma, suggests a review of 40 studies and 30 years of research.
Low blood levels of vitamin C and lower dietary intake of vitamin C-containing foods were associated with a 12 per cent heightened risk of asthma, say findings published online in Thorax.
“Our findings from [the current] systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that low levels of vitamin C intake, and to a lesser extent vitamin A, are consistently associated with asthma risk to a degree that, if causal, would be sufficient to be clinically relevant,” wrote the researchers, led by Jo Leonardi-Bee from the University of Nottingham in the UK.
Asthma stats
According to the European Federation of Allergy and Airway Diseases Patients Association (EFA), over 30m Europeans suffer from asthma, costing Europe €17.7bn every year. The cost due to lost productivity is estimated to be around €9.8bn.
The condition is on the rise in the Western world and the most common long-term condition in the UK today
According to the American Lung Association, almost 20m Americans suffer from asthma. The condition is reported to be responsible for over 14m lost school days in children, while the annual economic cost of asthma is said to be over $16.1bn.
Clash
Leonardi-Bee and his co-workers note that the new findings are plausible since vitamin A and C have well-known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. However, the new findings are at odds with a recent Cochrane review concluded that there is no appreciable effect of vitamin C on asthma.
“One explanation for this discrepancy would be that the observational data are systematically flawed by biases leading to spurious results from meta-analyses, and particularly publication bias,” they said.
Review details
The Nottingham researchers searched the literature for peer reviewed research, abstracts of conference proceedings on asthma and wheeze, and vitamin intakes. A total of 40 studies were identified.
The pooled results showed that vitamin A dietary intakes were significantly lower among asthmatics than in those who had not been diagnosed with the disease. The average intake of 182 micrograms of the vitamin was equivalent to between 25 and 33 per cent of the RDI.
The researchers noted that people with severe asthma had significantly lower vitamin A intakes than people with mild asthma.
When Leonardi-Bee and his co-workers considered vitamin C they found low blood levels of the vitamin and low dietary intakes of vitamin-C foods were associated with a 12 per cent increase in the risk of asthma.
With regards vitamin E, intakes were not associated with asthma, but severe asthmatics were found to have significantly lower blood levels than mild asthmatics, and 20 per cent lower than the RDI, said the researchers.
Correlation or causality?
The authors point out that their research does not prove cause and effect, but they suggest that an earlier large review, which found no association between antioxidants and asthma risk, was limited in its scope (Cochrane Database Syst Rev., 2004; (3): CD000993).
Source: Thorax
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1136/thx.2008.101469 “Association between antioxidant vitamins and asthma outcome measures: systematic review and meta-analysis” Authors: S. Allen, J.R. Britton, J.A. Leonardi-Bee
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/
Low-vitamin-A-and-C-levels-may-boost-asthma-risk

Apples could cut childhood asthma, study finds

Nutraingredients.com, 17-Sep-2007

Mothers who eat apples during pregnancy may help their child avoid the risk of asthma, a study has found.
Researchers writing in the journal Thorax found that eating apples weekly could reduce childhood asthma, while oily fish could cut eczema. The researchers added that such a study could help influence public intervention policy in the future.
This study adds further credence to the potential of dietary intervention in pregnant mothers to influence a protective effect in infants. Past studies have linked apples, rich in antioxidants, with having an anti-cancer effect and Alzheimer's.
According to the European Federation of Allergy and Airway Diseases Patients Association (EFA), over 30m Europeans suffer from asthma, costing Europe €17.7bn every year. The cost due to lost productivity is estimated to be around €9.8bn.
The condition is on the rise in the Western world and the most common long-term condition in the UK. On the other hand, apple consumption in the UK has fallen from 207 g/person/day in 1974 to 173 g/person/day in 2004/5.
The researchers studied 1924 children born to women recruited during pregnancy and then followed up five years later. The women were eating a diet which consisted of a variety of fruits and vegetables, including bananas, oranges and pears and broccoli, spinach and peas.
They found that: "No consistent associations were found between childhood outcomes and maternal intake of the analysed foods except for apples and fish. Maternal apple intake was beneficially associated with wheeze, asthma and doctor confirmed asthma in the children. Maternal fish consumption was beneficially associated with doctor-confirmed eczema."
Associations have been made between maternal vitamin E, vitamin D and zinc intakes protecting against asthma, the researchers said, but few studies on the relationship between particular foods and asthma have been carried out.
They said: "The advantages of studying foods are that they contain a mixture of micronutrients that may contribute more than the sum of their parts, and that associations with micronutrients that may be currently unrecognised or not easily quantifiable can be examined.
"In addition, an evaluation of the associations with nutrients and foods will guide any future intervention study that could be the basis for a public health intervention to prevent asthma and atopic disease by dietary intervention."
However, the study found there was no link between apple intake and childhood eczema and hay fever. The researchers found that instead "beneficial associations were found between maternal total fish intake and doctor confirmed eczema and currently treated eczema, and between maternal oily fish intake and doctor confirmed hay fever."
They added that: "The specific association found with apples in this study suggests an effect specific to apples, possibly because of their phytochemical content such as flavonoids."
Source: Thorax Maternal food consumption during pregnancy and asthma, respiratory and atopic symptoms in 5-year-old children doi:10.1136/thx.2006.074187 Authors: S Willers, G Devereux, L Craig, G McNeill, A Wijga, W Abou El-Magd, S Turner, P Helms and A Seaton.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/
Apples-could-cut-childhood-asthma-study-finds

Mega-droughts In Sub-Saharan Africa Normal For Region: Droughts Likely To Worsen With Climate Change

ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2009) — A new study of lake sediments in Ghana suggests that severe droughts lasting several decades, even centuries, were the norm in West Africa over the past 3,000 years.
The earlier dry spells dwarfed the well-documented drought that plagued West Africa in the late-20th century, and as the planet warms, the study's authors believe the region's rainfall patterns will have an even greater impact.
The team of geoscientists and climate scientists, led by Jonathan Overpeck of the University of Arizona and his former doctoral student, lead author Timothy Shanahan, who is now at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, announced their findings in the April 17, 2009, issue of Science.
Because of close agreement amongst several data sets, the scientists believe the droughts are driven in part by circulation of the ocean and atmosphere in and above the Atlantic--and possibly beyond. If climate models for such circulation patterns hold true, the study suggests global warming could create conditions that favor extreme droughts.
"Clearly, much of West Africa is already on the edge of sustainability," says Overpeck, "and the situation could become much more dire in the future with increased global warming."
The findings emerged from sediments that lie at the bottom of Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana, deposits of soil and organic matter that contain annual bands of light (winter) and dark (summer) layers that stretch back more than three millennia.
"Lake Bosumtwi is really unique in that its one of the few locations in tropical West Africa where varves, annual sediment layers, are preserved. This allows us to look at changes in climate at very high resolution," said Shanahan, now an assistant professor at UT.
Added Overpeck, "The instrumental record of climate is just too short to understand how climate changes in Africa, and the lake sediments provide a fantastic way to put the short instrumental record--including the iconic Sahel Drought of the late 20th century--into a much longer perspective."
Oxygen (O) isotopes in calcium carbonate from the sediment provided a detailed record of dry and wet periods. Higher concentrations of common 16O indicated greater rainfall, while higher concentrations of slightly heavier, and therefore harder to evaporate, 18O indicated periods of drier conditions and drought.
"Support for our geochemical interpretations also came from evidence for past lake stands during drought periods, including a partially submerged forest, which grew during a century-long drought only a few hundred years ago when the lake was much lower," added Shanahan.
The researchers correlated the oxygen record from their sediment cores with concentrations of elements such as aluminum, potassium, silicon and iron that come from broken-down minerals in soil. The elements reveal drought conditions because during dry periods, the lake became smaller, exposing more soil and enabling it to wash in, and increasing the concentrations of the soil elements.
The resulting data sets show periods of dryness, particularly droughts in the 30-40 year range, that correlate to fluctuations in sea surface temperatures, a pattern called the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The oscillation has never been confirmed over long time periods, but computer simulations and several data sets, including tree-ring variations from sites around the West Atlantic, have hinted at the scenario.
"More and more, it's starting to look like the AMO is a big player affecting climate change around the Northern Hemisphere, including drought variability over Western Africa and western North America," noted Overpeck
No existing evidence for the AMO had the breadth of the 3,000-year column of lake sediments that the new study includes. While the new data also may reflect some patterns resulting from other sea surface temperature patterns, such as Atlantic Niños and even the familiar El Niño events in the Pacific, the AMO correlation is the strongest and holds promise as a leading cause of the West African droughts.
The lake's sediment record is also punctuated by less frequent, but much more severe, century-long drought events. Because of the size and duration of those events, their impact would have been much more severe than the multi-decade droughts linked to the AMO.
"What's disconcerting about this record is that it suggests the most recent drought was relatively minor in the context of the West African drought history," said Shanahan. "If we were to switch into one of these century-scale patterns of drought, it would be a lot more severe, and it would be very difficult for people to adjust to the change."
As global temperatures increase, the oceanic and atmospheric circulations that control the AMO may change. The new study suggests such changes could lead to conditions that in the past three millennia caused the most severe droughts, and because of global warming, the droughts could be even hotter when they return.
"To reduce uncertainties, current climate models need more data from both high- and low-latitude field work, and from periods that extend back well beyond the instrumental record," said Paul Filmer, the NSF program director who funded the recent study. "This project is a good example of how work in the tropics on sediment records provides more detailed insight into climate patterns that affect millions of people in a highly vulnerable area of the world."
Shanahan and Overpeck's University of Arizona co-authors are J. Warren Beck, Julia E. Cole and David Dettman. Researchers from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, N.Y., the University of Akron, Syracuse University, the University of Rhode Island, Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, and the Ghanaian Geological Survey also participated.
This research was supported by NSF grants 0601998, 0401908, 0214525, 0096232 and IGERT award 0221594.
Timothy M. Shanahan, Jonathan T., Kevin Anchukaitis, J. Warren Beck, Julia E. Cole, David Dettman, John A. Peck, Christopher A. Scholz, and John King. Atlantic forcing of persistent drought in West Africa. Science, April 17, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144520.htm

Laughter Remains Good Medicine
ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2009) — The connection between the body, mind and spirit has been the subject of conventional scientific inquiry for some 20 years. The notion that psychosocial and societal considerations have a role in maintaining health and preventing disease became crystallized as a result of the experiences of a layman, Norman Cousins. In the 1970s, Cousins, then a writer and magazine editor of the popular Saturday Review, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
He theorized that if stress could worsen his condition, as some evidence suggested at the time, then positive emotions could improve his health. As a result, he prescribed himself, with the approval of his doctor, a regimen of humorous videos and shows like Candid Camera©. Ultimately, the disease went into remission and Cousins wrote a paper that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine  and  a book about his experience, Anatomy of an Illness: A Patient’s Perspective, which was published in 1979. The book became a best seller and led to the investigation of a new field, known then as whole-person care or integrative medicine and now, lifestyle medicine.
Background
The unscientific foundation that was laid down by Cousins was taken up by many medical researchers including the academic medical researcher Dr. Lee Berk in the  l980s. In earlier work, Berk and his colleagues discovered that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” had surprising and significant effects. Two hormones – beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that  elevates mood state) and human growth hormone (HGH; which helps with optimizing immunity) – increased by 27% and 87 % respectively in study subjects who anticipated watching a humorous video. There was no such increase among the control group who did not anticipate watching the humorous film. 
In another study, they found that the same anticipation of mirthful laughter reduced the levels of three detrimental stress hormones. Cortisol (termed “the steroid stress hormone”), epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and dopac, (the major catabolite of  dopamine), were reduced 39, 70 and 38%, respectively (statistically significant compared to the control group).  Chronically released high levels of these stress hormones  can be detremential to  the immune system. 
Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, a preventive care specialist and psychoneuroimmunologist, of Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, has paired with Stanley Tan, MD, PhD an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist at Oak Crest Health Research Institute, Loma Linda, CA, to examine the effect of “mirthful laughter” on individuals with diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome characterized by the risk of heart attack, blindness and other neurological, immune and blood vessel complications. They found that mirthful laughter, as a preventive adjunct therapy in diabetes care, raised good cholesterol and lowered inflammation. The researchers will present their findings entitled Mirthful Laughter, As Adjunct Therapy in Diabetic Care, Increases HDL Cholesterol and Attenuates Inflammatory Cytokines and hs-CRP and Possible CVD Risk.  They will present the findings at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, which is part of the Experimental Biology 2009 scientific conference. The meeting will be held April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.
The Study
A group of 20 high-risk diabetic patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups: Group C (control) and Group L (laughter).  Both groups were started on standard medications for diabetes (glipizide, TZD, metformin), hypertension (ACE inhibitor or ARB)) and hyperlipidemia (statins). The researchers followed both groups for 12 months, testing their blood for the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine;  HDL cholesterol; inflammatory cytokines TNF-α IFN-γ and IL-6, which contribute to the acceleration of atherosclerosis and C-reactive proteins (hs-CRP), a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Group L viewed self-selected humor for 30 minutes in addition to the standard therapies described above.
Results
The patients in the laughter group (Group L) had lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels by the second month, suggesting lower stress levels. They had increased HDL (good) cholesterol. The laughter group also had lower levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6 and hs-CRP levels, indicating lower levels of inflammation.
At the end of one year, the research team saw significant improvement in Group L:  HDL cholesterol had risen by 26 percent in Group L (laughter), and only 3 percent in the Group C (control). Harmful C-reactive proteins decreased 66 % in the laughter group vs. 26 percent for the control group. 
Conclusion
The study suggests that the addition of an adjunct therapeutic  mirthful laughter Rx (a potential modulator of positive mood state) to standard diabetes care may lower stress and inflammatory response and increase “good” cholesterol levels.  The authors conclude that mirthful laughter may thus lower the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.  Further studies need to be done to expand and elucidate these findings.
In describing himself as a “hardcore medical clinician and scientist,” Dr. Berk says, “the best clinicians understand that there is an intrinsic physiological intervention brought about by positive emotions such as mirthful laughter, optimism and hope.  Lifestyle choices have a significant impact on health and disease  and these are choices  which we and the patient exercise control relative to prevention and treatment.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090417084115.htm

Diabetes 'impact on brain power'
Failure to control type 2 diabetes may have a long-term impact on the brain, research has suggested.
Severe hypoglycaemic episodes - hypos - occur when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.
A University of Edinburgh team found they may lead to poorer memory and diminished brain power.
The study, based on 1,066 people with type 2 diabetes aged between 60 and 75, was presented at a conference of the charity Diabetes UK.
HYPOGLYCAEMIA
  Hypoglycaemia is caused by a lack of sugar (glucose) reaching the brain, which uses it as fuel
  Symptoms can include sweating, fatigue, hunger, feeling dizzy, feeling weak, a higher heart rate than usual and blurred vision
  More severe episodes can led to temporary loss of consciousness, convulsions and coma
The volunteers completed seven tests assessing mental abilities such as memory, logic and concentration.
The 113 people who had previously experienced severe hypos scored lower than the rest of the group.
They performed poorly in tests of their general mental ability, and vocabulary.
There are at least 670,000 people in England aged between 60 and 75 years old who have Type 2 diabetes and around a third of them could be at risk of a hypo.
Possible reasons
Lead researcher Dr Jackie Price said: "Either hypos lead to cognitive decline, or cognitive decline makes it more difficult for people to manage their diabetes, which in turn causes more hypos.
"A third explanation could be that a third unidentified factor is causing both the hypos and the cognitive decline.
"We are carrying out more research to establish which explanation is the most likely."
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: "This study reinforces previous evidence which suggests that poorly controlled diabetes affects the functioning of the brain.
"We already know that type 2 diabetes increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which is a type of dementia, and this research adds another piece to a very complex jigsaw puzzle.
"However, more research is needed before we can come to any firm conclusions."
There are 2.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and up to 500,000 who have type 2 diabetes but do not know it.
It is predicted that by 2025 there will be up to four million people with diabetes in the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7937947.stm

GARY:  This report actually makes some sense if one applies an understanding of epigenetics in fetal development  in the mother.

The tiniest piece of celery can leave me gasping for breath': Rising number of children allergic to fruit and veg

DAILY MAIL (UK) 10:14 PM on 16th April 2009
Soaring numbers of children are being diagnosed with allergies to fruit and vegetables.
Doctors have seen the numbers rise by as much as five times in some areas of the country, putting children at risk of asthma. 
Experts fear the rising tide of intolerance to fruit and veg could be the new peanut allergy, which affects one in 50 children.
Symptoms of the new phenomenon - known as 'oral allergy syndrome' - include swelling in the mouth and throat, which in the worst cases can lead to severe breathing difficulties.
The syndrome is linked to hay fever, a seasonal condition. But because fruit and veg are consumed all year round, the effect is more debilitating.
Dr Pamela Ewan, an allergy consultant at Addenbroke's Hospital in Cambridge, said cases or oral allergies to fruit and veg were rising, particularly among children.
'We have seen a big rise in the number of cases in the past four to five years,' she said. 'It is a bit like the peanut was the epidemic of the 1990s.
'I think fruit and vegetables are becoming the epidemic now. In terms of numbers, fruit and vegetables are the new form of peanut allergy.'
She added: 'We think fruit and vegetables are healthy, which they mostly are, but you can be allergic to them. Early on when we first picked is up, it was passed off as not being serious. It began with fairly mild itching in the mouth.
'But now we are seeing people who are getting really severe throat closure, a significant swelling at the back of the throat which can impede breathing.'
Figures are hard to come by, but in south Wales, the numbers being diagnosed have gone up from one for every 100,000 of the population to five - in just six years.
Muriel Simmons, chief executive of the charity Allergy UK, said: 'What is happening is that people who have hay fever also react to fruit and vegetable items.
'At the moment, birch pollen is very much around, and people with this allergy may have trouble with apples, pears, tomatoes and celery because of the cross reaction with the pollen.
'This doesn't happen to everyone but, with 25 per cent of the population having hay fever, up to that number could have oral allergy syndrome. And that would make it all year round.
'GPs are certainly seeing more of these cases, but too often they don't understand what it is and dismiss it. If they do, the allergy can lead to asthma if it is ignored.'
She said children might be becoming more susceptible because of the 'hygiene hypothesis' - where living environments are too clean for people's good.
'Children play with computers a lot more in their room and don't play outdoors where they can take a tumble and come into contact with bacteria,' she said.
'Another possibility is that there are far more different types of fruit and veg commonly available. A few years ago, kiwi, mango and sweet potato were not so easily available.'
Allergy UK believes 40 per cent of adults now have allergies - up from 15 per cent in the 1990s. The number of children with food allergies has tripled in a decade.
They say more varied diets are to blame - and warn the number of sufferers is sure to rise as more exotic foods enter the diet.
Oral allergy syndrome usually affects people who are already allergic to pollen. It happens because the protein in some of the pollens is structurally similar to proteins in certain foods.
For example, the protein in birch pollen is similar to that found in apples and bananas.
The body's immune system which overreacts to birch pollen can therefore overreact in the same way to apples and bananas.
However, this cross-reactivity does not always occur - meaning those allergic to certain pollens will not always be allergic to associated fruit.
Dr Adam Fox, a consultant paediatric allergist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, said: 'We are certainly seeing lots of oral allergy syndrome.
'This affects people who are allergic to pollen - such as birch pollen. There is a cross-reactivity between the protein in that pollen with those in fruit and vegetables, so people start getting a reaction to fruits such as apples and pears.
'Normally we would see this among young adults as they start to develop hay fever but we are starting to see more of it among young children. As there is more allergy, the severity seems to be increasing and the patterns are changing.'
Dr Jonathan North, an immunologist from Birmingham, said fruit allergies would rise in the future.
'The chance of cross-reactions with fruits increases with the larger number of types of fruit to which we are exposed,' he said.
Schoolboy Jack Harrison is allergic to most types of fruit. A banana can bring him out in a rash.
And even the tiniest piece of celery in a salad can leave him gasping for breath.
'I can eat some types of apples, as well as blackberries and raspberries - but beyond that I can't eat any of the fruits most people eat: oranges, pears, bananas, most type of apples,' said the 15-year-old from Wymondham in Norfolk.
'And celery too I have to avoid. I have quite a bad reaction to that. My throat swells up and I often get a rash. I have to carry my inhaler everywhere.'
Both Jack and his seven-year-old brother Jerome suffer from fruit allergies. Their intolerance is linked to pollen from birch trees.
'There are times when it is so annoying and you wish you could eat what everyone else can,' says Jack. 'If someone has a banana or something I think - yeah that'd be nice.
'It's difficult because it makes it much harder to get my five a day. I have to work hard to get just two or three.
'I've got used to it now. When I go out with my mates I have to be more careful, and when I am abroad I have to look a lot harder.'
Their mother Margaret says the allergies make life more complicated - and more expensive.
'They can't have tomatoes, they can't have oranges. I've had to ban melons, and kiwi are a no no. I have to buy same sort of apples all the time:  they can eat Royal Gala, one can eat Granny Smith. One can eat raspberries but it makes it very much more expensive.
'The anxiety is they're not getting enough nutrients. They can't have school dinners, and I have to supply food if they go to someone's birthday party.  If they eat out they can have a baked potato - and that's about it. Celery is lethal so you can't just pick what you want out of the salad bar.
'You always have to have it in mind. You can't just walk out of the door and think it's ok - because it isn't. I carry antihistamine cream wherever I go with them.'
The allergies first became apparent when Jack was as young as 18 months, but it was not until he was 10 that the full list of problematic foods became apparent.
'Jack knows what he's doing now, but with Jerome I usually spot the signs before he does - he starts to scratch, or the lips start to swell.
'When they go out they have to ask before they eat anything. I've had to train Jerome to say - I won't have that till mummy comes.
'Some doctors say they will grow out of this. It'd be lovely but we're not holding out much hope.'