Health Tips - Red Clover / Infertility / Cancer / Diabetes

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Medical and Science News

Health Tips

By LIDIA WASOWICZ, UPI Senior Science Writer

LIVER GENE IN DIABETES

Scientists have known that mutations in some genes can lead to diabetes by

disrupting cells in the pancreas. More light is shed on this mechanism in a

new finding by researchers at the Hospital Clinic Universitari in Barcelona,

Spain. They identified a genetic circuit in pancreatic cells that helps

establish the mechanism for some types of diabetes. The genes involved are

hepatocyte nuclear factors 1a and 4a. They are also are found in the liver.

But their role appears reversed. In liver cells, production of hnf1a is

controlled by hnf4a. But the moust studies show that in pancreatic cells,

hnf1a controls the expression of hnf4a and some other genes. This circuit is

switched on only after the pancreatic cells have matured. That indicates

that this factor is important in maintaining proper function in adult

pancreatic cells. By bypassing the hnf1a block that occurs in certain types

of diabetes, researchers may be able to rpoduce new therapeutic strategies.

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SCREENING TEST FOR PROSTATE CANCER

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that measuring the level of a chemical

process linked to a genetic change associated with prostate cancer could

improve detection of the early, curable stage of the disease. The report,

published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, says a mutation

in a gene that directs the formation of glutathione S-transferase alters

levels of an enzyme that protects against cancer. Changes in the gene lead

to hypermethylation -- too much methylation -- the most common genetic error

in prostate cancer. Hypermethylation inactivates the GSTP1 gene, shutting

off its cancer-preventing properties. It is most often seen in early-stage

prostate cancers and rarely in normal or benign prostate disease. " A genetic

marker such as GSTP1 that occurs mostly in early-stage prostate cancers may

improve the way we diagnose cancer in the future and help us to catch it

early, " said Dr. David Sidransky, professor of otolaryngology, oncology and

urology and director of the research.

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RED CLOVER MAY RELIEVE BREAST PAIN

A supplement containing the red clover compound isoflavones, sold as

Promensil, may reduce breast pain associated with menstruation, researchers

say in The Breast Journal. The five-month study of 18 women ages 25 to 40

was conducted by researchers at the Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital in Perth,

Australia. Promensil, made by Novogen Ltd., relieved the pain in 44 percent

of the women who took the supplement. " Cyclical breast pain is a common

problem that is very difficult to treat, " said Dr. David Ingram, director of

the Breast Centre at the hospital and director of the study. " It looks as

though Promensil will be a realistic option to the millions of women around

the world who suffer from this problem. "

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FIGHTING MALE INFERTILITY

A study indicates mice lacking a certain protein in their sperm are

infertile. The study, reported in the journal Science, provides insight into

male infertility and paves the way for possible treatments, say researchers

from the Mayo Clinic. The team, led by Jan van Deursen, identified the Hrb

protein, which affects the sperm's ability to fertilize an egg. In the

study, researchers deleted the gene that produces the Hrb protein in mice.

The mice became infertile. The scientists concluded the lack of the protein

prevents the acrosome from forming, making egg penetration impossible. The

acrosome, which develops as the sperm matures, is a structure that contains

a bag of enzymes covering the head of the sperm. The enzymes help penetrate

and digest the outer sheath of the egg, allowing conception. " It has long

been known that healthy acrosome development is essential for fertility and

is often defective in men with certain types of infertility, " van Deursen

said. " This study now identifies the specific protein needed for healthy acr

osome development, resulting in fertility. "

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