'Primitive' Cancer Gene Discovered in Ancestral Metazoan/ Pig lung transplants? /Severe sleep apnea decreases frequency of nightmare recall

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'Primitive' Cancer Gene Discovered in Ancestral Metazoan

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/15629-__039_Primitive__039__Cancer_Gene_Discovered_In_Ancestral_MetazoanScienceDaily

2010-02-16

To find the causes for cancer, biochemists and developmental biologists at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, retraced the function of an important human cancer gene 600 million years back in time. For the first time, they have identified the oncogene myc in a fresh water polyp and they have shown that this oncogene has similar biochemical functions in ancestral metazoan and in humans. The scientists published their findings in PNAS.The myc gene plays an important role in the growth of organisms. It produces a protein that acts as a gene regulator, which controls the expression of up to 15 % of all human genes. This means that it controls whether these genes are activated or deactivated. A deregulation of the myc gene leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and to cancer; a deregulated myc gene occurs in about 30 % of all human cancers. "To get a better understanding of the deregulation process caused by the oncogene, we would have to know which genes are regulated by myc and which of these are important for cancers," says Klaus Bister from the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Innsbruck. Due to the complexity of the human organism, researchers use simpler model systems for their experiments, whose results may then be translated to humans. The Innsbruck scientific teams of Klaus Bister, Markus Hartl and Bert Hobmayer have, for the first time, identified the oncogene in a fresh water polyp (Hydra) and they have shown that it has very similar functions when compared with humans.Oncogene found in stem cellsThe two millimeter long Hydra were one of the first metazoans that developed on the earth about 600 million years ago and can still be found in many waters. "It is amazing that we have been able to find this oncogene in such a simple organism," says Hydra expert Hobmayer from the Institute of Zoology. "Because the gene has been conserved in evolution all the way from Hydra to humans, we are now able to analyze biological and biochemical functions of the myc gene in detail and draw conclusions for the human organism," adds Klaus Bister. The findings of the researchers from Innsbruck are particularly interesting because they identified the oncogene in the stem cell system of Hydra. "Our experiments are bound to uncover interesting findings about stem cells," says Prof. Bister. The stem cells in the fresh water polyp strongly indicate its regenerative ability -- the polyp completely regenerates within five days and, thus, it could theoretically age ad infinitum.The researchers are supported by the Austrian Science Funds (FWF).

 

Australian research paves the way for pig lung transplants

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/15620-Australian_Research_Paves_The_Way_For_Pig_Lung_TransplantsPhysOrg

2010-02-14

Australian medical researchers said Tuesday they have made advances that could see pig lungs transplanted into humans within a decade.Pig organs have previously been unsuitable for use in life-saving operations because they stop functioning once in contact with human blood.But researchers at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne have been able to get around that problem after a separate team at St Vincent's Hospital used genetic modifications to remove one of the key rejection barriers."Respiratory physicians from The Alfred have shown that pig lungs can be perfused with human blood and successfully oxygenate the blood for an extended period of time," a spokeswoman for the hospital said."This has not been achieved before."The research means that transplanting pig lungs into people with life-threatening illnesses may be possible in the future."The blood went into the lungs without oxygen and came out with oxygen, which is the exact function of the lungs," researcher Dr. Glenn Westall told Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper."This is a significant advance compared to the experiments that have been performed over the past 20 years."The Alfred hospital said the advances show that, based on the models tested, transplantation could be successful."That noted, clinical trials are probably still five to 10 years away and there is still a significant amount of work to be done," the hospital spokeswoman said.

 

Severe sleep apnea decreases frequency of nightmare recallPhysOrg

2010-02-16

A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) report a significantly lower frequency of nightmares than patients with mild or no sleep apnea, indicating that OSA suppresses the cognitive experience of nightmare recall.Results show that the percent of participants with frequent nightmare recall decreased linearly as sleep apnea severity increased. Frequent nightmare recall, occurring at least weekly, was reported by 71.4 percent of people who did not have OSA and 43.2 percent of patients with mild OSA, which was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of five to less than 15 breathing pauses per hour of sleep. The rate of frequent nightmare recall decreased to 29.9 percent in patients with moderate OSA (AHI of 15 to less than 30) and 20.6 percent in patients with severe OSA (AHI of 30 or more). Sleep apnea severity in people who reported infrequent nightmare recall (mean AHI of 40.3) was significantly higher than in those who frequently recalled nightmares (mean AHI of 24.6).According to principal investigator Jim Pagel, M.S., M.D., associate clinical professor at the University of Colorado Medical School system and director of the Sleep Disorders Center of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, the decline in frequency of nightmare recall may be attributed to the sleep fragmentation that is caused by OSA. This leads to a reduction in the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the sleep stage when nightmares generally occur."The results were somewhat surprising, since nightmares are frequently reported by patients with sleep apnea," said Pagel. "It is plausible that patients who successfully utilize continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy see an increase in the frequency of nightmares, as treatment increases the amount of REM sleep per night."According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, nightmares are coherent dream sequences that seem real and become increasingly more disturbing as they unfold. Emotions usually involve anxiety, fear or terror, and dream content most often focuses on imminent physical danger or other distressing themes. Nightmares may result in post-awakening anxiety and difficulty returning to sleep. Approximately 50 percent to 85 percent of adults report having at least an occasional nightmare, and about two percent to eight percent of the general population have a current problem with nightmares.This retrospective study involved 393 consecutive patients who were evaluated by overnight polysomnography at the Sleep Disorders Center of Southern Colorado over a two-year period. Their mean age was 50.5 years with a range of 13 to 82 years, and 67 percent of participants were male. The mean AHI was 34.9, indicating a high frequency of severe OSA.Questions concerning dream and nightmare recall frequency were incorporated into a general sleep questionnaire. Dream and nightmare recall were classified as infrequent when reported once a month or less, or frequent when reported at least weekly. About 52 percent (205 people) reported frequent dream recall, and 34 percent (134 people) reported frequent nightmare recall. Analysis confirmed that dream recall and nightmare recall were not associated.The authors noted that the study clearly demonstrates that increasingly severe OSA has a much greater negative effect on reported nightmare recall frequency than it does on reported dream recall.Provided by American Academy of Sleep Medicine

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