CCBAR logo


CCBAR Newsletter – March, 2007

Editors:  Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau

CCBAR News

The registration for the 5th Annual Interdisciplinary Biomeasures Workshop (and first-ever international gathering) is now open.  For Workshop agenda please visit CCBAR website at: http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/Agenda-2007.html.  Please contact Karl Mendoza: kmendoza@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu or 773-834-4832 for more information.

News From the Nature Journals, Science, BMJ and PNAS

Immortality of a kind
The ability to grow human cells in the laboratory created paradoxes of personal identity.

Do biomarkers trump behavior?

[Neuroscience] Cortical area size dictates performance at modality-specific b...
 
The mammalian neocortex is organized into unique areas that serve functions such as sensory perception and modality-specific behaviors. The sizes...

[Medical_Sciences] Circadian variation of blood pressure and the vascular res... 
The diurnal variation in the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke may reflect an influence of the molecular clock and/or...

[Neuroscience] Cellular scaling rules for primate brains 
Primates are usually found to have richer behavioral repertoires and better cognitive abilities than rodents of similar brain size. This...

[Anthropology] Confirmation of Neanderthal/modern human interstratification a...
The nature of the replacement of Neanderthal by anatomically and behaviorally modern populations in Europe is currently a topic of...

[Developmental_Biology] Mice cloned from skin cells
Adult stem cells represent unique populations of undifferentiated cells with self-renewal capacity. In many tissues, stem cells divide less often...

Biomarkers and Aging in the News Media

Stroke mortality rises on weekends
Read full story for latest details.
Low-dose "Pill" reduces ovarian cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Oral contraceptives with low levels of estrogen and progestin reduce the risk of ovarian cancer even more than older versions of the "Pill", according to investigators at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.
Second-hand smoke boosts second heart attack risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heart attack survivors are more likely to suffer further heart problems if they are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, Greek researchers report.
The fit may produce less of harmful, stress-related chemicals
People who are physically fit may be protected from damaging artery inflammation that flares up during times of mental stress, ...
Stay calm, or you may calcify your arteries
Older adults with explosive tempers are more likely than mellow people the same age to have calcium deposits in their coronary ...
Are We Pushing The Anti-Aging Envelope?
Many people hope that getting Botox injections in their 20s and 30s can stop aging before it starts.
Cancer Genes More Abundant Than Thought
There may be more cancer genes than previously thought, and some gene mutations may increase cancer risk more than others, a study shows.
Predicting Heart Disease In Older Women
Dr. Emily Senay says a new study shows that routine EKGs do a good job of it. She also looks at other tools surfacing as helpful forecasters.
Aspirin Nixed As Colon Cancer Preventive
People at average risk for colon cancer shouldn't take aspirin or painkillers like ibuprofen to try to prevent the disease, a federal task force advises.
Senior health costs projected to soar
The cost of caring for aging Americans will add 25 percent to the nation?s health care bill by 2030 unless people act now to stay healthy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
The healthy side of dependent relationships
Researchers are realizing that while in some guises dependence can undermine mental health, in others it can provide valuable social support. In milder forms, dependency can come across as an annoying clinginess. But it can also be a protective warmth that cements romantic relationships in times of stress.
Older fathers appear to raise risks of genetic disorders
New findings suggest that as men get older they face an increased risk of fathering children with abnormalities, including autism and schizophrenia.
Pieces May Not Fit Age-Old Puzzle
Was a key suspect in human aging wrongly accused?
Kidney Disease Up 16% in U.S.
Chronic kidney disease is rising in the U.S, especially among older adults and people with extra weight, diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.
High Blood Sugar Linked to Cancer Risk
Women with high blood sugar may be more likely to develop cancer, even if they don't have diabetes, a Swedish study shows.
Antioxidant Supplements Raise Death Risk
Use of the popular antioxidant supplements beta-carotene, vitamin E, or vitamin A slightly increases a person's risk of death, an overview of studies in humans shows.
Gene Tests And Brain Imaging Reveal Early Dementia
Dementia diseases develop insidiously and are generally discovered when the memory has already started to deteriorate. New research form Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows, however, that approaching Alzheimer's can be detected several years before the symptoms manifest themselves.
Lung Cancer Screening Does Not Boost Survival
Test Finds More Cancers and Leads to More Surgeries, but Death Rates Remain the Same
Shedding Light on the Risks of Being a Second Twin
Study Says Birth Order of Twins May Increase Risk of Death During Delivery
New Guidelines to Protect Women's Hearts
Doctors May Underestimate Women's Risk of Heart Disease Risk

NIH Press Releases

Older Mothers More Likely Than Younger Mothers To Deliver By Cesarean - March...
8 Mar 2007 at 2:30pm
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that older mothers with normal, full-term pregnancies (particularly first-time older mothers) were more likely to undergo Caesarean delivery than were younger women with similarly low-risk pregnancies.

NIDA Launches First Large-Scale National Study to Treat Addiction to Prescrip...
7 Mar 2007 at 2:14pm
Researchers funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, are launching the first large-scale national study evaluating a treatment for addiction to prescription opioid analgesics (i.e., painkillers) such as Vicodin and OxyContin. NIDA?s National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is conducting the multi-site study, known as the Prescription Opiate Addiction Treatment Study (POATS).

Could Baby Boomers Be Approaching Retirement in Worse Shape Than Their Predec...
5 Mar 2007 at 9:43am
Americans in their early to mid-50s today report poorer health, more pain and more trouble doing everyday physical tasks than their older peers reported at the same age in years past, a recent analysis has shown. The research, published in print and online this week by the nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), was supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Independent Panel to Evaluate Widely Used Chemical, Bisphenol A - February 26...
26 Feb 2007 at 11:23am
An independent panel of 15 scientists convened by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), of the NIEHS and National Toxicology Program, will review recent scientific data and reach conclusions regarding whether or not exposure to a commonly used chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA) is hazardous to human development or reproduction.

NIH Announcements

Reiteration of the Commitment of NIH to Protect Sensitive Data and Informatio...
Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
2007 NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2)
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Competitive Continuation of Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Occupational Safety and Health Research (R01)
Program Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Improving Diet and Physical Activity Assessment (R01)
Research on the Economics of Diet, Activity, and Energy Balance (R01)
Research on Sleep and Sleep Disorders (R01)
Behavioral and Social Research on Disasters and Health (R01)
Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior (R01)
Research on Mind-Body Interactions and Health (R01)
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Health (R01)

Events

2007 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America
at the Marriott Marquis, New York, NY, March 29-31, 2007

Friday March 30, 8:30-10:15. Session “Collection and Analysis of Biomarker and Genetic Data

2007 NICHD-NCES Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) First Release Conference to be held May 8th-10th in Bethesda, MD.

Summer Institute on Aging Research 2007
Aspen Wye River, Queenstown, Maryland, July 14-20, 2007
Applications due March 2, 2007

Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers:
How Can Specific Population Groups Help Us Identify/Validate Biomarkers for Presymptomatic Diagnosis and Drug Development?
June 7th - 8th, 2007, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington D.C.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________
This Newsletter  is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)