HEALTH BULLETIN .CO: February 2015

Friday, February 27, 2015

New test predicts a woman's chance of surviving breast cancer: Images track disease hotspots across the body to reveal its progression

Test tracks how strongly the immune system is working to control tumours

Location of immune cell clusters is 'as important as the number of cells'

Test analyses images, checking cells are well-placed to attack cancer

Those at low risk survived 50 per cent longer before the cancer spread

A new test can predict the survival chances of women with breast cancer by analysing images of ‘hotspots’ where the immune system is attacking the tumour.

Scientists have employed techniques previously used in detecting crime hotspots to track how strongly the immune system is working.

The test identified women’s chances of treatment keeping the disease under control – those at low risk survived 50 per cent longer before the cancer spread.

A new test can predict a woman's chance of surviving breast cancer, by analysing images of ‘hotspots’ in the body where the immune cells cluster together and attack the tumour

So far the test is being trialled only on women with a type of breast cancer called oestrogen receptor negative (ER negative), which affects up to one in three patients and is particularly hard to treat.

But researchers plan to extend testing to cover women with the more common form of the disease.

Dr Yinyin Yuan, Team Leader in Computational Pathology and Integrative Genomics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: ‘Our research is aiming to develop completely new ways of telling apart more and less aggressive cancers, based on how successful the immune system is in keeping tumours in check.

‘We have shown that to measure the strength of an immune response to a cancer, we need to assess not just how many immune cells there are, but whether these are clustered together into cancer-busting hotspots.

‘By analysing the complex ways in which the immune system interacts with cancer cells, we can split women with breast cancer into two groups, who might need different types of treatment.’

She said several trials are planned to check the approach works, and women identified as being at high risk of cancer spread could be given special monitoring.

THE 10 'RED FLAGS' FOR CANCER

Cancer Research UK has warned people to visit their GP if they have any of the following symptoms:

Persistent cough or hoarseness - could indicate lung cancer
A change in the appearance of a mole - could mean you're suffering skin cancer
A persistent change in bowel habits - could be a sign of bowel cancer
A sore that does not heal - depends on where, a mouth ulcer could mean mouth cancer
Persistent difficulty swallowing - can mean a person is suffering oesophageal cancer
Unexplained weight loss - can indicate several types of cancer
Persistent change in bladder habits - could be a sign of bladder cancer and prostate cancer in men
An unexplained lump - can be a warning sign of many forms of the disease
Persistent unexplained pain - depending on where, can denote many types of cancer
Unexplained bleeding - depends where but can mean bowel, cervical or vulval cancer

The test uses computerised imaging of tumour samples and statistical analysis to measure the number of immune cell ‘hotspots’.

Researchers found images of hotspots where immune cells were clustered together around breast cancer cells provided a better measure of immune response than simply the numbers of immune cells within a tumour.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, analysed tumour samples from 245 women with ER negative tumours.

They split women with breast cancer into two groups based on the numbers of immune hotspots within their tumours. Women whose cancers had a high number of spots lived an average of 91 months before their cancer spread, compared with just 64 months for those with a low number of spots.

The test is the first objective method of measuring the strength of a patient’s immune response to their tumour.

Because it uses a fast system of automated analysis, it could complement existing methods where pathologists examine tumour samples under the microscope to assess the strength of the immune response.

The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Wellcome Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) itself.

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: ‘This study has found an ingenious way to generate and understand data from images of biopsy samples, which are already taken from patients but not analysed in a mathematical way.

‘The interaction between the immune system and cancer is extraordinarily complex, and something we are only just beginning to understand.

Researchers found whether immune cells were clustered together around breast cancer cell (pictured) provided a better measure of immune response than simply the numbers of immune cells within a tumour

‘But just as there are high hopes for immunotherapy as a future cancer treatment, we also believe that this new way of measuring immune reaction could be used to tailor treatment more effectively to individual patients.’

Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRC's Chief Executive, said: ‘We are excited by the prospect that such advances in computational methods might one day be used in mainstream healthcare, leading to facilitating improvements in a patient’s prognosis.’

Rachel Rawson, Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist, at Breast Cancer Care said: ‘We welcome any new research that has the potential to improve the effectiveness of treatments or help to tailor treatments to an individual.

‘For the 55,000 women diagnosed every year in the UK making decisions around benefits of certain treatments and resulting side effects can often be agonising and confusing, so this new test could have a real positive impact.’

The test was published yesterday in the journal Modern Pathology,

Regular meals and an early bedtime can prevent mental illness say researchers - and they believe our bodies run on a four HOUR internal clock

Say our bodies rely on a four hour cycle known as an ultradian rhythm

These are activated by dopamine, a key chemical substance in the brain

When dopamine levels are out of kilter - as is suggested to be the case with people suffering from bipolar disease and schizophrenia - the four-hour rhythms can stretch as long as 48 hours, the team discovered

Living a structured life with regularly established meal times and early bedtimes can improve your physical and mental health, researchers have found.

They say that as well as a 24 hour cycle, our bodies rely on a four hour cycle known as an ultradian rhythm.

Upsetting this can cause major problem, they say.

Researchers say that as well as a 24 hour cycle, our bodies rely on a four hour cycle known as an ultradian rhythm.

OUR INTERNAL CYCLES

Our daily sleep-wake cycle is governed by an internal 24-hour timer, the circadian clock.

However, there is evidence that daily activity is also influenced by rhythms much shorter than 24 hours, which are known as ultradian rhythms and follow a four-hour cycle.

Kai-Florian Storch of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University, led the study, which has been published in the online journal eLife.

Our daily sleep-wake cycle is governed by an internal 24-hour timer, the circadian clock.

However, there is evidence that daily activity is also influenced by rhythms much shorter than 24 hours, which are known as ultradian rhythms and follow a four-hour cycle.

'Ultradian rhythms with periods ranging from one to several hours have been linked to various aspects of mammalian physiology, the researchers wrote.

'Usually superimposed on the 24-hr diurnal or circadian rhythm, ultradian oscillations have been observed in the context of locomotion, sleep, feeding, body temperature, serum hormones, and brain monoamines in species ranging from fruit flies to humans.'

These four-hour ultradian rhythms are activated by dopamine, a key chemical substance in the brain.

When dopamine levels are out of kilter - as is suggested to be the case with people suffering from bipolar disease and schizophrenia - the four-hour rhythms can stretch as long as 48 hours.

With this study, conducted on genetically modified mice, Dr. Storch and his team demonstrate that sleep abnormalities, which in the past have been associated with circadian rhythm disruption, result instead from an imbalance of an ultradian rhythm generator (oscillator) that is based on dopamine.

These four-hour ultradian rhythms are activated by dopamine, a key chemical substance in the brain, and are the reason we eat three regular meals a day.

'Collectively, our results provide strong evidence that a dopaminergic ultradian oscillator (DUO) driving rhythms of behavioral arousal is continuously operative in the mammalian brain,' they say.

The team's findings also offer a very specific explanation for the two-day cycling between mania and depression observed in certain bipolar cases: it is a result of the dopamine oscillator running on a 48-hour cycle.

This work is groundbreaking not only because of its discovery of a novel dopamine-based rhythm generator, but also because of its links to psychopathology.

This new data suggests that when the ultradian arousal oscillator goes awry, sleep becomes disturbed and mania will be induced in bipolar patients; oscillator imbalance may likely also be associated with schizophrenic episodes in schizophrenic subjects.

The findings have potentially strong implications for the treatment of bipolar disease and other mental illnesses linked to dopamine dysregulation.

Is the internet encouraging children to self-harm? 'Alarming' numbers are exposed to graphic images online, charities warn

Majority (60%) of 11-14-year-olds have shared self-harm images online

Half of children who viewed images said they 'felt like hurting themselves'

Nearly 8% of 18-21-year-olds have self-harmed or know someone who has

In 2014 soaring numbers of children were admitted to hospital for self-harm

'Alarming' numbers of children are being exposed to self-harm images online which could encourage them to hurt themselves, charities have warned.

More than half of children aged 11-14 (60 per cent) claimed they had shared pictures of people self-harming on social media, a survey found.

And more than half of children in this age group who viewed images of self-harm online said they 'felt like hurting themselves afterwards', it added.

The survey of 2000 young people aged 11- 21 was carried out by UK youth charities ChildLine, YouthNet, selfharmUK and YoungMinds.

'Alarming' numbers of children are being exposed to self-harm images online which could encourage them to hurt themselves, four youth charities have warned (file photo)

It also claimed that nearly eight per cent of young people aged 18-21 have self-harmed or know someone who has.

'These findings are extremely worrying and beg concerning questions about the relationship between self-harm, children, young people and parts of the online world,' said Lucie Russell, director of campaigns at YoungMinds.

'Our research shows exposure to images of people self-harming online is far too common among children and young people and that this exposure is having a significant effect on their well-being.

'What is most frightening is the young age of children being affected by online imagery, with 11-14-year-olds finding the images particularly upsetting - making them more likely to self-harm.

'Sharing images of self-harm on social media is also more common among these younger age groups, which is also a very worrying finding.'

The figures were released ahead of Self-Harm Awareness Day, which will take place on Sunday March 1.

Emma Thomas, chief executive of YouthNet said: 'We all have a responsibility to share content and images responsibly online and to be aware of how what we post might affect others.

'Far more must be done to educate and empower young people, so they can be safer online.'

More than half of children aged 11-14 who viewed images of self-harm online said they 'felt like hurting themselves afterwards', a survey of 2,000 children found (file photo)

In December last year, MailOnline reported that figures for young boys admitted to hospital for self-harm were at a five year high.

Cases of 10 – 14-year-olds admitted to hospital had increased by 45 per cent over four years, according to Health and Social Care Information Centre figures.

Admissions among girls increased even more sharply, from 3,090 in 2009/10 to 5,955 – a 93 per cent rise.

The rapid rise in cases has been attributed to a ‘24/7 online culture’ as well as bullying, school stress, sexual pressure and family breakdown'.

In January 2014, mental health charities warned of a disturbing trend of young people posting self-harming 'selfies' online, due to the rise in popularity of apps such as Instagram and Snapchat.

They said this is occurring because of the ease of accessing the sites through smartphones - and because many young people also feel they have 'no one else to turn to'.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

New warning over booze in pregnancy: Half a glass of wine 'could stop some babies breathing'

NHS guidelines say pregnant women can drink one or two units at most

New study says even just half a glass of wine could damage a baby

Scientists say babies stop breathing for up to two hours if mother drinks

Experts compared drinking to Thalidomide which caused birth defects

Doctors said even just drinking half a glass of wine could stop babies breathing for up to two hours

Pregnant women are being urged not to drink at all after a study found that just half a glass of wine can stop their baby breathing and moving for up to two hours.

The research, which reveals the dangers of just one unit of alcohol, flies in the face of NHS guidelines.

These imply it is safe for pregnant women to continue drinking as long as it is not more than one or two units, once or twice a week.

Experts claim British women are being given insufficient advice, and compared the toxins in alcohol to those in Thalidomide – the infamous drug for morning sickness that caused severe birth defects in the 1950s and 60s.

Professor Peter Hepper, who carried out the study on the effects of low-level alcohol in pregnancy – the first of its kind in the UK – said: ‘If women drink just one unit of alcohol, the baby’s breathing and movement stop for up to two hours after that. That’s not normal – the baby should be continually active.’

The professor, from Queen’s University Belfast, looked at 18-week scans of pregnant women who drank on average two-and-a-half units a week – equivalent to a 200ml glass of wine.

He noticed the foetuses stopped moving and breathing, then they suddenly jumped and turned themselves over.

Speaking to ITV’s Exposure programme, which will air next week, he said the jolts suggested the babies’ brains were not developing properly. ‘The only safe [alcohol] level is zero,’ he added.

Dr Mary Mather, a consultant paediatrician, said British women were being ‘deprived’ of information about the dangers of drinking while pregnant.

In the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, pregnant women are told not to drink at all.

Dr Mather said: ‘Alcohol is a poison... it’s toxic to developing tissue. It’s also what doctors call a teratogen. The best known teratogen is Thalidomide. It’s in the same category of drugs.’

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, a professor of child health at University College London and a former Children’s Commissioner, said: ‘Exposure to alcohol before birth is the single most important preventable cause of incurable brain damage.

Doctors compared drinking to the drug Thalidomide, prescribed to mothers in the 1950s and 60s who were prescribed the drug during pregnancy. Their babies were born with severe birth defects. Above, Simone Ilger, a Thalidomide survivor

NOFAS dispels myths and beliefs on drinking whilst pregnant

‘There is insufficient reliable information that can help women make these important decisions.’

It is estimated that as many as one in 100 babies born in Britain have physical defects or behavioural problems caused by their mother’s drinking. This is known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the condition lasts for life.

Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, is currently reviewing the guidelines on safe drinking for all adults, including pregnant women. Her new advice is due this summer.

The Department of Health said: ‘Our advice is that pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk.’

Exposure: When Pregnant Women Drink is on ITV next Tuesday at 9pm.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Feeling down? Grab a bag of pumpkin seeds: Scientists warn we are 'eating ourselves miserable' with unhealthy snacks

Pumpkin seeds show as best food to boost mood, according to new study

Other feel-good foods included salmon, rice, chickpeas and asparagus

Cakes, chocolate and sweets only had short-term impact on mood

Eating seeds is more likely to boost your mood than any other food, according to research.

Seeds and pulses have been shown to improve people’s wellbeing and moods more than cakes, sweets and chocolates.

Despite this, seven in ten women and one in two men indulge in sweet treats when they are stressed or looking for a mood boost, according to a survey.

Pumpkin seeds were shown as the best food to help boost wellbeing and health in a new study, alongside salmon, rice, chickpeas and coconut

Just one in seven people choose fruits, vegetables or wholegrains that are shown to combat stress and raise low moods.

The poll of 2,000 people, by rice brand Tilda, found that half ate unhealthy comfort food when they wanted to lift their mood, but only 28 per cent turned to friends or family to feel better.

Experts warn that many people are ‘eating their way to sadness’ by eating sweets and junk food.

Pumpkin seeds and chia seeds topped a top-ten list of mood-boosting foods compiled by dietitian Sarah Schenker and food psychologist Christy Fergusson.

The other items were salmon, rice, quinoa, chickpeas, coconut, asparagus, spinach and beans.

The research found men are more likely than women to turn to specific mood-boosting foods such as oats, quinoa and brown rice at times of stress or when they are looking to boost their health.

Perhaps worryingly, women are twice as likely as men to buy their friends or colleagues sugary foods such as chocolate or biscuits to comfort them, which may make their problems worse.

Dr Sarah Schenker, a clinical dietitian, said: 'It’s shocking to see wholesome eating habits go out the window when we face a challenge in the day or a lull in a routine.

'This is when healthy eating is most important. We need to replace the short-lived highs we get from refined sugar and processed fat with healthy options and long-term shopping and eating habits.

'This starts with recognising the types of food that can provide nutritional and psychological benefits; those which are scientifically proven to balance your mood.'

Food psychologist Dr Christy Fergusson said: 'To make feel-good, happy chemicals known as our neurotransmitters, we need to provide our body with the right building blocks.

'These come in the form of amino acids that are needed to make hormones including the mood-regulating inhibitory neurotransmitter serotonin - by far one of the most important brain chemicals for determining our mood and regulating our sleep.'

Camilla Sheeley, of Tilda, said: 'Taste is an important part of so-called mood food and if we enjoy what we eat and the food has a functional boost, we get a double benefit.'

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