Editors:
Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
The
CCBAR editors would like to acknowledge our undergraduate student
editor, Adam Rosenthal. CCBAR provides research training
opportunities for students to advance interest in and knowledge of work
at the interface of biomedical and social sciences. Adam is
entering his sophomore year at the
Global
discovery of primate-specific genes in the human genome [Evolution]
The genomic basis of
primate phenotypic uniqueness remains obscure,
despite increasing genome and transcriptome sequence data availability.
Although factors such...
Neuroprotective
natural antibodies to assemblies of amyloidogenic peptides de...
A number of distinct β-amyloid (Aβ) variants or multimers have
been
implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and antibodies recognizing
such...
Stress
increases putative gonadotropin inhibitory hormone and decreases
lutei...
The subjective experience of stress leads to reproductive
dysfunction in many species, including rodents and humans. Stress
effects on reproduction...
Disclosure
of APOE Genotype for Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Adults who had a parent with Alzheimer's disease were randomly
assigned
either to a group that was informed about their own APOE genotype (a
risk variant) or to a group that was not informed. There was no
difference in clinically significant psychological distress between
subjects who were informed about genotyping results and those who were
not informed.
Longitudinal
Modeling of Age-Related Memory Decline and the APOE {epsilon}4 E...
The APOE {varepsilon}4 variant confers an increased risk of
Alzheimer's
disease. Longitudinal modeling of cognitive aging showed that memory
decline in subjects with one or two APOE {varepsilon}4 alleles diverged
from that of noncarriers before the age of 60 years.
Effect
of Genetic Testing for Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Genetic testing can be considered a complex variant of
diagnostic
testing. If the results are not actionable, the findings may lead to
anxiety or even life-disrupting actions with little offsetting ...
Biomarkers
and Aging in the News Media
• Poorest
at risk of worst diabetes
The poorest
people in the UK are more than twice as likely to have diabetes and
develop complications, a report says.
• Heart
risks 'missed in smokers'
High blood
pressure is picked up less often in people who smoke,
despite them being at higher risk of heart disease, a study suggests.
• 6
Behaviors Can Control High Blood Pressure
Americans could
be controlling their high blood pressure with six
simple behaviors rather than having to turn to medication. Medical
Editor Dr. Dave Hnida explains the finding of a study in the Journal of
the American Medical Association.
• Research
Shows That Some Excess Weight May Not Be Fatally Dangerous
These days it
seems our entire way of life is predicated on the belief
that being overweight is terrible for you. We're waging war against the
obesity epidemic, which public health experts call one of the great
threats to our society. Countless diet books and programs promise to
help us get thin ...
• Forty
Years' War: In Push for Cancer Screening, Limited Benefits
For many
cancers, early detection efforts offer little benefit at high expense,
and present a real risk of harm.
• Study
Cites Hormones as Cancer Risk
Danish women who
took hormone replacement therapy after menopause had a
38 percent greater risk of contracting ovarian cancer, according to a
study of nearly one million women.
• World
Population Grows Older, but at a Cost
The number of
people 65 and older is exploding around the world, and
these elderly folks will outnumber children under 5 for the first time
ever within the next decade, says a new report.
• Alzheimer's
Gene Test: No Harm?
Study: Adults
with a parent who has Alzheimer's disease don't seem to
suffer psychological harm from learning they carry a gene that
increases risk of late-onset Alzheimer's.
• Spouse
Has Dementia? You're at Risk, Too
A
first-of-its-kind study suggests that spouses of people with dementia
are at substantially increased risk of developing dementia themselves.
• Pesticides
May Raise Alzheimer's Risk
Exposure to
pesticides may have long-term effects on the nervous
system, increasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease in late life, a new
study suggests.
• Biomarker
could help predict Alzheimer’s disease risk
• Moderate
Drinking May Cut Dementia Risk
A drink or two a
day may help to protect older people from developing dementia, a study
shows.
• Fish
Oil Supplements Boost Memory
Omega-3 fatty
acid supplements may help to boost memory in healthy aging adults.
• Central
Nervous System Repair? Neuronal Survival And Axonal Regrowth Obtained...
While repair of
the central nervous system has long been considered
impossible, researchers have just developed a strategy that could
promote neuronal regeneration after injury.
• Stroke:
One Disease, Two Effects
While both males
and females are at risk for stroke, males have a
particular sensitivity. Data show that male stroke victims outnumber
females by about two to one. Women are likewise at risk for stroke and,
as they age, their outcomes are often worse than their male
counterpart's.Why does one disease affect males and females differently?
• Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder Associated With Higher Alzheimer's, Dementia Risk
Though
discoveries about Alzheimer's risk factors are often in the
news, adults do not know about the relationship between Alzheimer's
risk and heart health, nor that physical activity can be protective,
according to new research. An additional study shows higher Alzheimer's
risk in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Short
Stressful Events May Improve Working Memory
Experiencing
chronic stress day after day can produce wear and tear on
the body physically and mentally, and can have a detrimental effect on
learning and emotion. However, acute stress -- a short stressful
incident -- may enhance learning and memory.
• One
Gene That Contributes To Breast Cancer's Aggressive Behavior Identified
Scientists have
identified a gene, known as RCP (or RAB11FIP1), that is
frequently amplified and over-expressed in breast cancer, and
functionally contributes to aggressive breast cancer behavior.
• Ovary
Removal Linked to Increased Lung Cancer Risk
Women who
underwent hysterectomies who had their ovaries removed were at nearly
double the risk of developing lung cancer.
• Menstrual
Periods: Clues to Ovarian Cancer
A woman's
hormonal activity over her lifetime affects her risk of dying from
ovarian cancer, according to a new study.
• Saliva
test for early birth risk
A simple saliva
test could help spot which expectant women are most likely to deliver
their baby prematurely, experts believe.
• Vital
Signs: Behavior: Money Not a Motivator in Losing Weight
Losing weight is
so hard you cannot even pay people to do it.
• Really?:
The Claim: Sunscreens Can Increase the Risk of Melanoma
Can the product
meant to protect against skin cancer actually cause it?
• The
New Old Age: With Friends Aplenty, Many Widows Choose Singlehood
Many older women
are adept at building social networks that obviate the need for
companionship through remarriage.
• Enzyme
Important In Aging Identified
The secret to
longevity may lie in an enzyme with the ability to promote a robust
immune system into old age by maintaining the function of the thymus
throughout life, according to researchers studying an "anti-aging"
mouse model that lives longer than a typical mouse.
• Study
Links a Protein With Diabetes Risk
Higher levels of
a protein made by fat cells is linked to a lower risk of type 2
diabetes.
• Restricting
Calories Thwarts Disease, Aging
Reducing calorie
intake slows aging and significantly delays the onset of age-related
problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and brain
atrophy in monkeys, a new study says.
NIH
Press Releases
Recovery Act
Funding Supports 23 Fellowships for Early Career Scientists
Funding from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will allow the
National Institutes of Health to create jobs for early career
scientists and increase the ranks of researchers and clinicians working
in the global health field. With $3 million in funding over the next 18
months, the NIH's Fogarty International Center will be able to support
23 additional participants in its Clinical Research Training Scholars
and Fellows Program.
Comprehensive
New Data on Costs of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention will hold a telephone briefing to discuss the findings of
the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
A Child's
IQ Can Be Affected by Mother's Exposure to Urban Air Pollutants
A mother's exposure to urban air pollutants known as polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can adversely affect a child's
intelligence quotient or IQ, a study reports. PAHs are chemicals
released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or
other organic substances such as tobacco. In urban areas motor vehicles
are a major source of PAHs.
Tips for
Older Adults to Combat Heat-Related Illnesses
As we age, our ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become
a serious problem. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the
National Institutes of Health, has some advice for helping older people
avoid heat-related illnesses, known collectively as hyperthermia,
during the summer months.
Unprecedented
Global Aging Examined in New Census Bureau Report Commissioned ...
The average age of the world's population is increasing at an
unprecedented rate. The number of people worldwide age 65 and older is
estimated at 506 million as of midyear 2008; by 2040, that number will
hit 1.3 billion. Thus, in just over 30 years, the proportion of older
people will double from 7 percent to 14 percent of the total world
population, according to a new report, "An Aging World: 2008." The
report examines the demographic and socioeconomic trends accompanying
this phenomenon. It was commissioned by the National Institute on Aging
(NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and produced by the
U.S. Census Bureau. It was released today by the Census Bureau.
Researchers
Uncover Genetic Variants Linked to Blood Pressure in African-Amer...
A team led by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
today reported the discovery of five genetic variants related to blood
pressure in African-Americans, findings that may provide new clues to
treating and preventing hypertension. The effort marks the first time
that a relatively new research approach, called a genome-wide
association study, has focused on blood pressure and hypertension in an
African-American population.
Brain
Emotion Circuit Sparks as Teen Girls Size Up Peers
What is going on in teenagers' brains as their drive for peer approval
begins to eclipse their family affiliations? Brain scans of teens
sizing each other up reveal an emotion circuit activating more in girls
as they grow older, but not in boys. The study by Daniel Pine, M.D., of
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of National
Institutes of Health, and colleagues, shows how emotion circuitry
diverges in the male and female brain during a developmental stage in
which girls are at increased risk for developing mood and anxiety
disorders.
Racial
Disparities in Breast Cancer Mortality Are Not Driven by Estrogen
Rece...
Black women who
are diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher probability of dying
from the disease than white women, regardless of their estrogen
receptor status, according to research from the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Differences
in breast cancer mortality may reflect racial differences in access and
response to innovative breast cancer treatments, as well as other
biological and non-biological factors, according to the report. In
addition, the researchers found that differences in outcomes in the
first few years post-diagnosis make up nearly all of the disparity.
These results were published online June 22, 2009 in the Journal of the
National Cancer Institute.
New Biomarker
Method Could Increase the Number of Diagnostic Tests for Cancer
A
team of researchers has demonstrated that a new method for detecting
and quantifying protein biomarkers in body fluids may ultimately make
it possible to screen multiple biomarkers in hundreds of patient
samples, thus ensuring that only the strongest biomarker candidates
will advance down the development pipeline. The researchers have
developed a method with the potential to increase accuracy in detecting
real cancer biomarkers that is highly reproducible across laboratories
and a variety of instruments so that cancer can be caught in its
earliest stages.
Researchers
Identify a Novel Mechanism that Could be Targeted to Prevent Canc...
Researchers have
discovered a key to the function of a specific protein that helps
control the levels of other critical proteins within cells, including a
protein that suppresses the spread of cancer. The new information about
the mechanism of action of the protein, called gp78, may enable
researchers to explore new types of therapies to prevent the spread of
cancer. The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute
(NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published in the
June 26, 2009, issue of Molecular Cell.
NIH
Announcements
Behavioral
Science Track Award for Rapid Transition (B/START) (R03)
Program
Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Recovery
Act Limited Competition: Biomedical
Research, Development, and Growth
to Spur the
Acceleration of New Technologies (BRDG-SPAN) Pilot Program (RC3)
Biomarkers
for Early Detection of Hematopoietic Malignancies (R01)
(PA-09-197)
National Cancer Institute
Biomarkers
for Early Detection of Hematopoietic Malignancies (R21)
(PA-09-198)
National Cancer Institute
Development
and Validation of Disease Biomarkers (R01)
(PA-09-204)
Identification and Characterization of
Sensitive Periods for Neurodevelopment...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Recovery
Act Limited Competition: Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15)
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Recovery
Act 2009 Limited Competition: Enabling National Networking of Scient...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Recovery
Act Limited Competition: Supporting New Faculty Recruitment to Enhan...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Exploratory/Developmental
Clinical Research Grants in Obesity (R21)
Program Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Request
for Information (RFI): Priorities for Biomarkers For Cancer Detection...
Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Events
American Sociological
Association Annual meeting will be held August 8-11, 2009 in San
Francisco, CA
Gerontological
Society of America Annual meeting will be held
November 18-22, 2009 in Hilton and Marriott Marquis,
This Newsletter is supported
by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of
Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)
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