This gene helps prevent cancer. Did it also give rise to
all complex life?
life get so complicated? Molecular biologist Erik Hanschen would like to
know. For billions of years, life on Earth was incredibly simple: Various
single-celled organisms floated around the Earth, procreating, eating,
avoiding getting eaten. It wasn't super exciting, but it was also fairly
easy, as far as living goes.
800 million years ago, individual cells started grouping up. They
collaborated, differentiated, grew in size and ability. Some sacrificed
themselves for the good of the many. Compared to the long, dull years of
single-celled living, the resulting diversification barely took any time at
all. Before long the world was full of trilobites and anemones, then fish,
ferns, pterodactyls, tyrannosaurs, bees, whales, cacti, kangaroos, not to
transition is known to have happened some two dozen times throughout history
in plants, animals, algae and other life forms, scientists still question
how and why it occurred.
is a fundamental question," said Hanschen, a PhD student at the University
of Arizona at Tucson. "What is the basis of multi-cellularity and when did
and his colleagues believe the answer might be hiding in our DNA.
Specifically, they report in the journal Nature Communications, in a
gene known as RB, which seems to be responsible for turning single-celled
creatures into cooperative multicellular groups.
significance goes far beyond the academic. In humans (and pretty much
everything else), it regulates the cell cycle - how cells grow and divide
during their life spans. Problems with the gene are a known cause of cancer.
understand the process by which cells cooperate for multicellular life,
maybe it will tell us something about why cancer occurs at all," said
another co-author, Pierre Durand of the University of Witwaters and in
Olson and Durand are part of an international coalition of biologists
studying the genomes of an unusual but ubiquitous family of green algae
known as the Volvocaceae. The simplest of these species are mere
single-celled organisms, but larger members contain up to 50,000 cells of
volvocine species Gonium pectorale - whose genome was just sequenced for the
first time as part of the study. The 16 identical cells that make up each G. pectorale individual are less mobile and self-sufficient than their
single-celled relatives. But they also lack the specialization and
sophistication that make multicellular life so appealing.
something is holding the 16 cells together, compelling them to act as one.
That something seems to be the RB gene. When Olson, who teaches evolutionary
genomics at Kansas State University, removed the gene from a Gonium and put
it in its unicellular relative, Chlamydomonas, the formerly single-celled
organisms started clumping together to form colonies.
who is the lead author of the paper, noted that RB genes were first
identified decades ago. But they're difficult to study because the cell
cycle is so fundamental to life. If you try and switch off the gene that
controls it, everything in the cell starts to fall apart, he said.
incremental differences between the various volvocines are a perfect natural
experiment in what happens when the RB gene is not expressed. Cancer, which
can occur when something with the gene goes haywire, is a less ideal
Visit the Washington Post for the report.
Jefferson University Hospital awarded first Advanced
Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement
Commission announces Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, is
the first hospital in the United States to achieve Joint Commission Advanced
Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement. The advanced
certification means Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is committed to
providing care in a safe and efficient manner for its patients undergoing a
total joint replacement of the hip or knee.
Commission reviewers visited the hospital on April 7, 2016, and conducted a
rigorous onsite evaluation of its procedures associated with the orthopedic
consultation, pre-operative procedures, intraoperative and post-surgical
care of the patient, and orthopedic surgeon follow-up care. Thomas Jefferson
Hospital demonstrated it is complying with the requirements of the
certification. Achieving advanced certification provides Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital an unparalleled advantage when it comes to providing
coordinated and comprehensive care that addresses patient needs from the
time of their initial consultation to their post-surgical follow-up care.
The goal is
to increase focus on clinical evidence-based patient care as it relates to
pain management, quality of life issues faced by patients in need of joint
replacement, functional limitations in mobility and to help them return to
normal daily activities. By being the first to pursue certification, Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital is helping us to lead the way to better
Commission Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement
continuum of care and all transitions that occur within each phase of care
beginning with the orthopedic consultation through the postoperative phase
and follow-up visit with the orthopedic surgeon.
of the total hip and total knee replacement patient in the preoperative,
intraoperative and postoperative phases. Education should address comorbid
assessments, risk factors, postoperative rehabilitation and discharge
decision-making that includes the patient throughout the continuum of
communication and collaboration between all health care providers involved
in the care of the patients throughout the continuum of care.
Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement is available to Joint
Commission-accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals and ambulatory
surgery centers and is awarded for a two-year period.
Visit Joint Commission for more information.
Risks of harm from spanking confirmed by analysis of 5
decades of research
The more children are spanked, the more likely they are to defy their
parents and to experience increased anti-social behavior, aggression, mental
health problems and cognitive difficulties, according to a new meta-analysis
of 50 years of research on spanking by experts at the University of Texas at
Austin and the University of Michigan.
The study, published in this month's Journal of Family Psychology,
looks at five decades of research involving over 160,000 children. The
researchers say it is the most complete analysis to date of the outcomes
associated with spanking, and more specific to the effects of spanking alone
than previous papers, which included other types of physical punishment in
"Our analysis focuses on what most Americans would recognize as spanking and
not on potentially abusive behaviors," says Elizabeth Gershoff, an associate
professor of human development and family sciences at The University of
Texas at Austin. "We found that spanking was associated with unintended
detrimental outcomes and was not associated with more immediate or long-term
compliance, which are parents' intended outcomes when they discipline their
Gershoff and co-author Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, an associate professor at the
University of Michigan School of Social Work, found that spanking (defined
as an open-handed hit on the behind or extremities) was significantly linked
with 13 of the 17 outcomes they examined, all in the direction of
"The upshot of the study is that spanking increases the likelihood of a wide
variety of undesired outcomes for children. Spanking thus does the opposite
of what parents usually want it to do," Grogan-Kaylor says.
Gershoff and Grogan-Kaylor tested for some long-term effects among adults
who were spanked as children. The more they were spanked, the more likely
they were to exhibit anti-social behavior and to experience mental health
problems. They were also more likely to support physical punishment for
their own children, which highlights one of the key ways that attitudes
toward physical punishment are passed from generation to generation.
As many as 80 percent of parents around the world spank their children,
according to a 2014 UNICEF report. Gershoff notes that this persistence of
spanking is in spite of the fact that there is no clear evidence of positive
effects from spanking and ample evidence that it poses a risk of harm to
children's behavior and development.
Both spanking and physical abuse were associated with the same detrimental
child outcomes in the same direction and nearly the same strength.
Visit Eurekalert for the study.
Zika present in Americas longer than previously thought
The Zika virus was present in Haiti several months before the first Zika
cases were identified in Brazil, according to new research by
infectious-disease specialists at the University of Florida.
This finding confirms that the Zika virus was present in the Americas prior
to March 2015, when the virus was first identified in Brazil, and suggests
that the spread of Zika virus in the Americas was likely more complicated
than early theories presumed.
"We know that the virus was present in Haiti in December of 2014," said Dr.
Glenn Morris, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of medicine and the director of UF's
Emerging Pathogens Institute. "And, based on molecular studies, it may have
been present in Haiti even before that date."
Although the findings suggest that the Zika virus was circulating in the
Americas prior to 2015, what remains unclear is exactly what confluence of
factors caused the virus to take off in Brazil.
The findings were published n PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Researchers hope further inquiry will shed light on the factors that led to
the proliferation of Zika virus in Brazil as well as the sharp rise in the
number of birth defects in that nation in cases where pregnant women were
infected with the then-uncommon flavivirus.
Scientists from UF's environmental and global health department and the
Emerging Pathogens Institute isolated the Zika virus from three patients
while studying the transmission of dengue and chikungunya in Haiti in 2014.
School children exhibiting febrile illness within the Gressier/Leogane
region of Haiti were taken to a free outpatient clinic, where blood samples
were drawn and screened for dengue, chikungunya and malaria.
Upon isolation, the viruses were first considered "mystery" viruses, as PCR-based
tests indicated they were neither dengue nor chikungunya viruses, and little
attention had been paid to the possibility that Zika virus might be present
in the Caribbean.
The Zika virus was virtually unknown outside of public health circles prior
to the 2007 outbreak in the Yap Islands, a small group of islands in
Micronesia where an estimated 73 percent of residents 3 years of age and
older were infected with the virus. Questions still remain regarding how it
came to the Americas.
"There is a possibility that this virus had been moving around the Caribbean
before it hit the right combination of conditions in Brazil and took off,"
Visit Science Daily for the study.
Answer to antibiotic-resistant infections could already
be on the market
The rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens is an increasingly
global threat to public health. In the United States alone antibiotic
resistant bacterial pathogens kill thousands every year.
But non-antibiotic therapeutic drugs already approved for other purposes in
people could be effective in fighting the antibiotic-resistant pathogens,
according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas Medical
Branch at Galveston.
Antibiotic resistance is increasing due to the over prescription of
antibiotics, said Ashok Chopra, a professor at UTMB and author of the new
study in the Journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. But the
solution could lie with drugs originally meant for other uses that, until
now, no one knew could also help combat bacterial infections.
While antibiotics have been highly effective at treating infectious
diseases, infectious bacteria have adapted to them and antibiotics have
become less effective, according to the Centers for disease Control and
Prevention. About 2 million people in the United States are infected with
antibiotic resistant bacteria every year and at least 23,000 die, according
to the CDC.
"There are no new antibiotics which are being developed and nobody really
has given much emphasis to this because everyone feels we have enough
antibiotics in the market," Chopra said. "But now the problem is that bugs
are becoming resistant to multiple antibiotics. That's why we started
thinking about looking at other molecules that could have some effect in
killing such antibiotic resistant bacteria."
By screening a library of 780 Food and Drug Administration approved
therapeutics, Chopra, Jourdan Andersson, a graduate student at UTMB, and
others on the research team were able to identify as many as 94 drugs that
were significantly effective in a cell-culture system when tested against
Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that cause the plague and which is becoming
After further screening, three drugs, trifluoperazine, an antipsychotic,
doxapram, a breathing stimulant, and amoxapine, an anti-depressant, were
used in a mouse model and were found to be effective in treating plague. In
further experiments, trifluoperazine was successfully used to treat
Salmonella enterica and Clostridium difficile infections, both of which are
listed as drug-resistant bacteria of serious threat by the CDC.
"It is quite possible these drugs are already, unknowingly, treating
infections when prescribed for other reasons," Chopra said.
Since these are not antibiotics these drugs are not attacking the bacteria.
Instead, they could be dealing with these bacteria in a couple of different
ways, Chopra said.
The drugs could somehow be affecting the virulence of these bacteria -
although in the case of plague the team found no evidence that the drugs
were affecting the destructive strength of the plague-causing bacteria,
Or, the other likely explanation, the drugs are working through the host and
could be affecting host proteins or genes so that the bacteria cannot use
them to reproduce, Chopra said. There are still more studies needed to
answer these and other questions but Chopra said he was hopeful this line of
study could lead to a way to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria.
"This area of antibiotic resistance is a big problem in global terms,"
Chopra said. "That's why we started thinking of what different ways we can
use drugs already available to combat this problem."
Visit UTMB for the report.
Norovirus costs over $60 billion each year
The stomach bug norovirus sickens nearly 700 million people worldwide
annually and costs health care systems more than $4 billion a year,
researchers report. And when lost productivity and other societal costs are
included, that price tag jumps to more than $64 billion, the researchers
The findings are believed to be the first to assess the global economic
impact of the highly contagious virus, which is common in both poor and rich
nations, the researchers said.
Norovirus can cause symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. There is
no vaccine or treatment once you are infected, the researchers said.
The study, published online April 26 in the journal PLoS One, shows
the need for increased efforts to prevent the disease, according to the
"The costs associated with norovirus are high -- higher than for many
diseases, including rotavirus -- that have gotten a lot more attention. Our
study presents an economic argument for greater consideration of norovirus.
It has been flying under the radar for too long," study senior author Dr.
Bruce Lee said in the news release. He is an associate professor in the
department of international health at the Bloomberg School.
Measures to prevent transmission of norovirus include: proper hand washing;
following safety precautions when preparing food; improving food and water
sources; and keeping people who are sick with norovirus away from others.
Visit UPI for the study.
GEDSA announces testing results, acceptance, and timeline
release of NeoMed's Low Dose ENFit Syringe
GEDSA has made available a summary of the performance testing for the low
dose syringe tip design. The GEDSA Update explains that "the low dose tip ENFit syringe design was found to perform substantially equivalent to
standard orientation (male) syringes that are commonly used today, and the
design was found to outperform reverse system (female) syringes that are in
use today." Usability testing results demonĀstrated "Overall, users found
the low design feature acceptable for filling and adminĀisĀtering enteral doses."
The Global Enteral Device Supplier Association (GEDSA) is a nonprofit trade
association formed to establish a voice for addressing issues that face
enteral device manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, and to help
introduce international standards for healthcare tubing connectors.
Comprised of manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers worldwide, GEDSA
facilitates information flow about the initiative, which is designed to
increase patient safety and optimal delivery of enteral feeding by reducing
the risk of tubing misconnections.
Officially, GEDSA reports that "The low dose syringe is compliant with the
ISO 80369-3 standard and will be introĀduced in the market after required
reguĀlatory approvals/clearances. The low dose syringe design is available
for all manuĀfacĀturers to use through a fee free license agreement offered
by its designer."
Release of NeoMed's product line with ENFit connectors (branded "NeoConnect")
is scheduled in advance of the California legislation's effective date of
July 1, 2016 upon FDA 510(k) clearance of NeoMed's low dose syringes.
NeoConnect product families will be available in the marketplace on
schedule and include ENFit-compliant or ENFit-compatible connectors.
NeoConnect includes a complete line of pharmacy syringes, pharmacy bottle
caps, the DoseMateā¢ oral administration tip, syringe coupler, feeding
tubes, extension sets, sterile enteral syringes, NeoSecure self-righting tip
caps, and a feeding tube hub cleaning tool. In addition, NeoMed's "low dose
solution" will be available in syringe sizes 0.5 mL, 1 mL, 3 mL, and 6 mL.
See GEDSA's update here.
Rates of severe obesity among U.S. kids rising
Obesity continues to plague American kids, with a new study finding rates of
severe obesity climbing over a 15-year period.
Examining national data from 1999 through 2014, researchers found that
one-third of American children aged 2 to 19 were overweight, nearly
one-quarter were obese, and more than 2 percent were severely obese.
"Despite other recent reports, all categories of obesity have increased from
1999 to 2014, and there is no evidence of a decline in the last few years,"
said lead researcher Asheley Skinner, who's with the Duke Clinical Research
Institute in Durham, N.C.
Treatment for the 4.5 million severely
obese kids is urgently needed, Skinner said, noting their heightened
risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer compared with children
with milder forms of obesity.
"We have created a culture where kids aren't very active and one where it's
commonplace and easy to eat fast food, but that doesn't mean that we can't
change that," she said.
Awareness and efforts to combat obesity are increasing, but no single step
will solve the problem, Skinner said. For instance, improving school lunches
on its own won't have a big impact because the children still live in an
environment full of influences that encourage them to eat poorly and be
inactive, she said.
Using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
from 1999 through 2014, Skinner and her colleagues found that more than 33
percent of American children were overweight, meaning their BMI (body mass
index) was above the 85th percentile for kids their age. BMI is a standard
assessment of body fat based on height and weight.
In 2013-2014, nearly 24 percent were obese (above the 95th percentile). And
2.4 percent were severely obese (more than 140 percent of the 95th
percentile). This was up from 2.1 percent in 2011-2012, the investigators
In lay language, a 9-year-old girl who is 4 foot 3 inches tall and weighs 89
pounds is obese, falling in the 97th percentile, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Black and Hispanic children have the highest prevalence of severe obesity,
the study found.
Visit CBS News for the report.