5:2 diet helps reduce skin symptoms in Psoriasis patients

SAY COMMUNICATIONS

Research News

 

 

LUGANO, 6 May, 2021- New research investigating for the first time the effects of modified intermittent fasting (MIF) on the skin of people with psoriasis has yielded promising results. Preliminary study findings presented today at the EADV Spring Symposium, show a significant reduction in scaling and thickness in patients with mild psoriasis after following a MIF 5:2 diet (eating normally for 5 days and restricting calorie intake on 2 non-consecutive days).

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes raised plaques and scales on the skin's surface. The disease affects between 2-3% of the worlds' adult population, and <1% of children. Until now, the effect of dietary interventions on psoriasis severity has rarely been investigated, and although it is known that there is a link between obesity and psoriasis severity1, the mechanism of action of this link is still unclear. This study sought to provide mechanistic evidence to inform whether there is a link between gut health and psoriatic lesions, as well as uncover any benefits of MIF in psoriasis management.

"We had observed positive results in mice with gut inflammation and psoriasis, with inflammation in the gut driving cutaneous symptoms," shares Dr Lynda Grine, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Dermatology, Ghent University, Belgium "Through scientific curiosity and my own experience with fasting as a Muslim, I wanted to find out whether dietary intervention would have the same effects on human patients with psoriasis."

MIF is a form of intermittent fasting which requires participants to restrict calorie intake for a certain amount of time. It is often viewed as a more manageable form of fasting, allowing participants to adjust the rules to accommodate with their personal lives. Popular MIF diets include the 16:8 (fast for 16 hours and eat for 8) and 5:2 diet, with the latter being used as the dietary intervention for this study.

A total of 24 subjects were enrolled in the study, with one group of 12 participants instructed to modify their diet with MIF for 12 weeks, and the other 12 participants continuing on their regular diet. Replicating the 5:2 diet, the fasting group were asked to consume a total of 500 kcal twice per week on 2 non-consecutive days, but were free to consume their usual daily calorie intake for the remaining 5 days of the week. During the trial, 2 patients were excluded: 1 due to start of antibiotic use and 1 due to loss to follow-up.

Objectively, PASI (a tool used to measure the severity and extent of psoriasis) and Body Surface Area (BSA) did not differ significantly between fasting and regular diet, although PASI reduced in the fasting group (p<0.05). Waist circumference and weight were comparable at 6 weeks but reduced significantly in the fasting group at week 12 compared to the control group (p<0.05 and <0.001, respectively). Fasting subjects reported significant improvement more frequently at weeks 6 and 12 (p<0.0001), mentioning less scaling and thickening, with 30% of patients also reporting a decrease in itching. The study will be completed at the end of June.

"The effect of dietary interventions on skin health is a stimulating field of research in dermatology. The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence being undertaken to understand the relationship between the gut and skin, with some promising results for patients and the disease management of psoriasis." Says Prof. Marie-Aleth Richard, EADV Board Member and Professor at the University Hospital of La Timone, Marseille.

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Notes to Editors

A reference to the EADV Spring Symposium or EADV Spring Symposium 2021 must be included when communicating any information within this press release.

Contact:

For further information or to arrange an expert interview, please contact:

Lewis Picton - EADV Press Officer
lpicton@saycomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 208 971 6419

Sophie Graham - EADV Press Officer
sgraham@saycomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 208 971 6413

Catriona Martin - EADV Press Officer
cmartin@saycomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 208 971 6412

About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes raised plaques and scales on the skin's surface.2 It can range in severity from a few scattered red, scaly plaques, to the involvement of almost the entire body surface - it may also wax and wane in its severity over time.3 There are many different kinds of psoriasis, but the most common is plaque psoriasis which is found in 80% of people with the condition.4 Psoriasis affects between 2-3% of the worlds' adult population, and <1% of children.5,6,7

About EADV

Founded in 1987, EADV is a leading European Dermato-Venereology Society with the important aims of improving the quality of patient care, furthering knowledge and education of dermatologists and venereologists globally through innovation, and advocating on behalf of the speciality and patients. EADV collaborates with other organisations to provide a strong and clear voice to influence the European health agenda. It is a non-profit organisation with over 7,000 members across 113 different countries in the world, providing a valuable service for every type of dermato-venereologist professional. To find out more visit https://www.eadv.org/.

About EADV Spring Symposium 2021:

EADV Spring Symposium - A New Season for Dermatology and Venereology, is one of the most important, CME-CPD accredited all-virtual events in the Dermato-Venereology calendar. The 2-day Scientific Programme is bursting with new findings and scientific breakthroughs, providing a unique opportunity to both hear the latest in Dermato-Venereology and connect with leading experts. To find out more visit https://www.eadvsymposium2021.org/.

References:

1. Jensen, P., & Skov, L. (2016). Psoriasis and obesity. Dermatology, 232(6), 633-639. Available from: https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/455840 Accessed April 2021

2. Psoriasis.org. About Psoriasis. Available from: https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/ Accessed April 2021

3. Paris R, et al. (2013) Global Epidemiology of Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Incidence and Prevalence. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 133(2):377-385

4. Psoriasis.com. About Psoriasis. Available from: https://www.psoriasis.com/about-psoriasis/what-is-psoriasis Accessed April 2021

5. EADV. Information leaflet for patients. Psoriasis, a closer look. Available from: https://eadv.org/cms-admin/showfile/9635-EADV%20PSORIASIS-1-A%20closer%20look.pdf Accessed April 2021

6. Psoriasis.org. Psoriasis statistics. Available from: https://www.psoriasis.org/psoriasis-statistics/#:~:text=Prevalence&text=1%5D-,125%20million%20people%20worldwide%E2%80%942%20to%203%20percent%20of%20the,the%20World%20Psoriasis%20Day%20consortium Accessed April 2021

7. Global psoriasis atlas. Available from: https://globalpsoriasisatlas.org Accessed April 2021

 

Fear of losing health insurance keeps 1 in 6 workers in their jobs

Black workers 50% more likely to stay in unwanted jobs than white workers

WEST HEALTH INSTITUTE

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE SURVEY FINDS THE FEAR IS EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED AMONG BLACK WORKERS, WHO ARE 50% MORE LIKELY TO REMAIN IN AN UNWANTED JOB THAN THEIR WHITE AND HISPANIC COUNTERPARTS (21%... view more 

CREDIT: WEST HEALTH-GALLUP SURVEY, MARCH 2021

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 6, 2021 - One out of every six adult workers (16%) in the United States are staying in jobs they might otherwise leave out of fear of losing their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a new West Health-Gallup survey of more than 3,800 U.S. adults.

The survey finds the fear is even more pronounced among Black workers, who are 50% more likely to remain in an unwanted job than their White and Hispanic counterparts (21% to 14% and 16%, respectively).

But the most likely to stay in a job they would rather leave are those workers in households earning less than $48,000 a year -- roughly 3 in 10 (28%) say they will not leave and risk losing their health benefits. Workers in lower income households are nearly three times more likely to stay in an unwanted job than are workers living in households earning at least $120,000 per year. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, 37% of U.S. households earned less than $50,000 in 2019. Approximately 158 million people receive health insurance via their own employer or via the employer of a household member.

"Healthcare costs have become so high that many Americans are unwilling to risk any disruption in their coverage even if that means higher and higher premiums and deductibles and sticking with a job they may not like," said Tim Lash, chief strategy officer for West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable successful aging. "Americans are increasingly concerned that they will get priced out of the U.S. healthcare system and are struggling to hang on in any way they can."

Earlier this year, an estimated 46 million or 18% of the U.S. population reported that they could not afford healthcare if they needed it today. In this latest survey, three times as many Americans or approximately135 million adults, are worried that they will eventually be priced out of healthcare if they are not already.

Specifically, more than half of respondents report they are "concerned" or "very concerned" the cost of healthcare services (53%) and prescription drugs (52%) will become unaffordable. More Americans worry about rising healthcare costs even more than losing one's home (25%) or job (29%).

Black and Hispanic adults have modestly elevated concerns about the rising costs of healthcare compared to White adults. Two-fifths (42%) of respondents, in turn, report concern that they would not be able to pay for a major health event, including 49% of Hispanic adults and 47% of Black adults.

Majorities Support Select Government Action to Contain Cost of Care

Substantial concerns about the rising cost of care and medicine likely play a role in explaining why most respondents in the survey support the federal government taking a bigger role in lowering healthcare costs regardless of their political affiliation, racial background, or type of insurance.

About three-quarters favor setting limits on prescription drug price increases (77%), capping hospital prices in areas with few or no other hospitals (76%), and having the government negotiate lower prices for some high-cost drugs without lower-priced alternatives (74%).

Another 65% support placing government limits on prices for out-of-network care (65%). Those with private insurance were just as likely as those on public health plans including Medicare and Medicaid to favor government intervention.

"Polling data from West Health and Gallup continue to demonstrate that most Americans are supportive of an elevated government role in curtailing the rising costs of care," said Dan Witters, Gallup senior researcher. "How elected officials respond to this is unfolding, but there seems to be substantive public support for a number of specific proposals that are on the table."

This latest West Health-Gallup survey was conducted by web between March 15 and March 21, 2021 with 3,870 adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as part of the Gallup Panel. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is +2.2 percentage points for response percentages around 50% and is +1.3 percentage points for response percentages around 10% or 90%, design effect included. For reported sub-groups, the margin of error will be larger, typically ranging from ±3 to ±4 percentage points.

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To read the full survey findings and methodology, please visit here.

About Gallup

Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.

About West Health

Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.

'Natural disasters' increase triggers for violence against women and girls

This must now be formally recognised in public health and disaster management strategies

BMJ

Research News

'Natural disasters,' sparked by climate change and other natural hazards, increase the triggers for violence against women and girls by boosting the means, opportunity, and underlying drivers, finds a review of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

As these disasters are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration worldwide, this consequence must now be formally recognised in public health, violence prevention, and disaster management strategies, urge the researchers.

Over the past two decades, 7348 disasters precipitated by natural hazards were recorded. This is nearly double the number recorded between 1980 and 1999. And between 2008 and 2017, most (84%) of all recorded disasters were related to climate issues.

The researchers base their conclusions on a systematic review of the available published evidence, looking at the association between disasters from natural hazards and violence against women and girls.

Of 37 relevant studies, 20 were quantitative, 16 qualitative (interviews;case studies) and 1 was a mixed-methods design. They assessed exposure to disasters caused by different natural hazard types, including droughts, floods, and hurricanes.

The violence was primarily physical, psychological and sexual. Some studies also looked at murder, controlling or aggressive behaviour, forced early marriage and financial violence.

More than a third (37%) of perpetrators were current or former partners, 15% relatives, 12% strangers, 11% authority figures, 8% friends/neighbours and 16.5% unspecified or other types of perpetrators.

Eight of the 20 quantitative studies found that natural disasters were associated with increased violence against women and girls, and four others found positive associations with particular types of violence.

Five found no association between natural disasters and violence against women and girls, but two commented on exceptionally high rates of this type of violence before the occurrence of a natural disaster.

But the researchers note that violence against women is often under reported, a factor that was evident in the qualitiative studies.

The 16 qualitative studies and the one mixed method study all described violence against women and girls in the wake of natural disasers.

Three main possible triggers emerged: an increase in stressors that spark violence, such as trauma, mental health issues, financial insecurity; an increase in enabling environments, such as absence of policing, health and support services, breakdown of family structures and social isolation; and a worsening of existing drivers, such as gender and social inequalities, lack of female representation and inclusion, etc.

The health consequences for women include unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, miscarriages, sexually transmitted infections, poor overall health for mothers and babies, physical injuries, mental health issues, and deaths from murder or suicide, note the researchers.

Although the first known global systematic review of the impact of natural disasters on women's and girls' risk of violence, the researchers acknowledge the lack of high quality, rigorously designed studies and the shortcomings of exposure and outcome measures used in the included studies.

"More high-quality research with greater geographical scope and use of standardised exposure and outcome measures is critical to generate further knowledge on the magnitude of the issue and mechanisms," they write.

"As populations are increasingly affected by climate-related disasters and [violence against women and girls] can have severe and lasting health impacts, existing knowledge must inform rapid action across policy and practice," they insist.

"At the policy level, greater awareness on disaster related [violence against women and girls], gender-sensitive [disaster relief] policies and inclusion of women in disaster management are critical.

"Further, systems for rapid and effective coordination between disaster management, law enforcement and health authorities must be defined clearly to prevent [this type of violence] and address its health consequences," they conclude.

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Notes for editors

Research: Natural hazards, disasters and violence against women and girls: a global mixed-methods systematic review doi 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004377

Journal: BMJ Global Health

Link to AMS labelling system http://press.psprings.co.uk/AMSlabels.pdf

Flooding might triple in the mountains of Asia due to global warming

A team of Swiss and international climate scientists has shown that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayan region and the Tibetan plateau could triple in the coming decades.

UNIVERSITÉ DE GENÈVE

Research News

IMAGE: GLACIAL LAKE IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION. view more 

CREDIT: © HENG LI

The "Third Pole" of the Earth, the high mountain ranges of Asia, bears the largest number of glaciers outside the polar regions. A Sino-Swiss research team has revealed the dramatic increase in flood risk that could occur across Earth's icy Third Pole in response to ongoing climate change. Focusing on the threat from new lakes forming in front of rapidly retreating glaciers, a team, led by researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, demonstrated that the related flood risk to communities and their infrastructure could almost triple. Important new hotspots of risk will emerge, including within politically sensitive transboundary regions of the Himalaya and Pamir. With significant increases in risk already anticipated over the next three decades, the results of the study, published in Nature Climate Change, underline the urgent need for forward-looking, collaborative, long-term approaches to mitigate future impacts in the region.

The Hindu Kush-Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges are widely known as the Third Pole of the Earth. Due to global warming, the widespread and accelerated melting of glaciers over most of the region has been associated with the rapid expansion and formation of new glacial lakes. When water is suddenly released from these lakes through failure or overtopping of the dam, glacial lake outburst floods can devastate lives and livelihoods up to hundreds of kilometres downstream, extending across international borders to create transboundary risks. Despite the severe threat that these extreme events pose for sustainable mountain development across the Third Pole, there has been a lack of understanding regarding where and when related risks would evolve in the future.

Himalayan hotspot

Swiss and Chinese climatologists used satellite imagery and topographic modelling to establish the risk associated with 7,000 glacial lakes presently located across the Third Pole. This approach allowed us to accurately classify 96% of glacial lakes known to have produced floods in the past as high or very high risk. "We then compared our results with a catalogue of past glacial lake floods, which allowed us to validate our approaches", explains Simon Allen, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Sciences of the UNIGE and co-director of the study. "Once we confirmed that the approaches accurately identified current dangerous lakes, we could then apply these methods to future scenarios." Overall, the study revealed that one in six (1,203) of current glacial lakes posed a high to very high risk to downstream communities, most notably in the eastern and central Himalayan regions of China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

New threats in new places

Looking to the future, glacial retreat, lake formation and associated flood risk were considered under three different CO2 emission scenarios. Under the highest emission scenario (sometimes referred to as the "business-as-usual" scenario), the study shows that much of the Third Pole could already be approaching a state of peak risk by the end of the 21st century, or even mid-century in some regions. In addition to the larger potential flood volumes resulting from the expansion of more than 13,000 lakes, over time the lakes will grow closer towards steep unstable mountain slopes that can crash into the lakes and provoke small tsunamis. "The speed at which some of these new hazardous situations are developing surprised us", says Markus Stoffel, Professor at the Institute for Environmental Sciences of the UNIGE. "We are talking a few decades not centuries - these are timeframes that demand the attention of authorities and decision-makers."

If global warming continues on its current path, the number of lakes classified as high or very high risk increases from 1,203 to 2,963, with new hotspots of risk emerging in the Western Himalaya, Karakorum and into Central Asia. "These regions have experienced glacial lake outburst floods before, but these events have tended to be repetitive and linked to advancing glaciers. Authorities and communities will be less familiar with the types of spontaneous events we consider here in a deglaciating landscape, so this calls for awareness raising and education on the new challenges that will emerge", adds Stoffel.

Complex political challenges

The mountain ranges of the Third Pole span eleven nations, giving rise to potential transboundary natural disasters. Findings of the study show that the number of future potential transboundary glacial flood sources could roughly double (an additional 464 lakes), with 211 of these lakes classified in the highest risk categories. The border region of China and Nepal will remain a major hotspot (42% of all future transboundary lake sources), while the Pamir mountains between Tajikistan and Afghanistan emerge as a major new transboundary hotspot (currently 5% of transboundary lake sources increasing to 36% in the future). "Transboundary regions are of particular concern to us", says Allen. "Political tensions and lack of trust can be a real barrier that prevent timely data sharing, communication and coordination needed for effective early warning and disaster mitigation."

Researchers stress the importance of exploring disaster risk management strategies to reduce the exposure of people and property and minimise the vulnerability of society. "The findings of this research should motivate relevant nations and the international research communities to urgently work together to prevent future glacial flood disasters in the Third Pole region", concludes Stoffel.

 

Low achieving students benefit most from COVID-19 online switch

Students struggling academically benefited most when schools around the world transitioned from classroom teaching to online learning

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

Students struggling academically benefited most when schools around the world transitioned from classroom teaching to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the switch also didn't negatively impact higher achievers.

A new study has analysed the impact of online learning during the pandemic by crunching data at three middle schools in China, which administered different educational practices for about 7 weeks during the country's Covid-19 lockdown.

Online learning was shown to have a positive impact on overall student performance when compared to not receiving any support from school during lockdown, and the best results were achieved by higher quality teachers preparing content for both rural and city students, regardless of their location.

Senior Lecturer in Economic at Flinders University, Dr Rong Zhu, says the study results show online delivery of education materials can help narrow the achievement gap between struggling students and their higher-achieving peers to improve academic performance despite the COVID-19 lockdowns.

"Our findings have important policy implications for educational practices when lockdown measures are imposed during a severe pandemic like what we have witnessed around the world due to COVID-19,"

"First, when physically shut down, schools should create distance learning resources for students given the beneficial influence of online education with low-ability students shown to be the biggest beneficiaries."

"Our study also highlights that the quality of teachers who design and deliver recorded online lessons has a positive impact on academic performance. Local government can organise top quality teachers to prepare online lessons in advance, complying with local curriculum standards and then make them available when necessary."

Students who used a computer as a remote learning device instead of a smartphone also achieved more improved academic results.

Dr Zhu says online programs are a cost-effective method with great potential to generate substantial economies of scale, since each school does not have to prepare its own version of online classes if a system in setup in advance to facilitate online learning.

"Governments should ensure all students have the resources necessary to access online education, potentially through joint efforts with the telecommunications sector."

"If resources available are constrained, priority should be given to low-achieving children as they benefit the most from distance learning. Since students with access to a computer as the online learning device can benefit more than those using a smartphone, government can play a more active role in providing or subsidizing investment in computers for students having no access to one at home."

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"Compensating for academic loss: online learning and student performance during the Covid-19 pandemic" by Andrew. E Clark (Paris School of Economics - CNRS), Huifu Nong (Guangdong University of Finance), Hongjia Zhu (Jinan University), and Rong Zhu (Flinders University). Dr Rong Zhu is the corresponding author of this article.

Aluminum may affect climate change by increasing ocean's carbon sink capacity

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HEADQUARTERS

Research News

 

IMAGE: DIAGRAM OF HOW ALUMINUM MAY FACILITATE THE UPTAKE OF IRON AND THE UTILIZATION OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS BY MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON view more 

CREDIT: ZHOU LINBIN

Reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to zero as soon as possible and achieving "carbon neutrality" is the key to addressing global warming and climate change. The ocean is the largest active carbon pool on the planet, with huge potential to help achieve negative emissions by serving as a carbon sink.

Recently, researchers found that adding a small amount of aluminum to achieve concentrations in the 10x nanomolar (nM) range can increase the net fixation of CO2 by marine diatoms and decrease their decomposition, thus improving the ocean's ability to absorb CO2 and sequester carbon at deep ocean depths.

The study, published in Limnology and Oceanography on May 3, was conducted by a joint team led by Prof. TAN Yehui from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Peter G.C. Campbell from the Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre of the National Institute of Scientific Research, Canada.

According to the earlier "iron hypothesis", adding a small amount of iron to the iron-limited but nutrient-rich oceans could significantly promote the growth of marine phytoplankton (microalgae) and their absorption of CO2, and the consequent burial of organic matter in the ocean. However, the results of artificial iron fertilization experiments did not fully support the "iron hypothesis" and later studies suggested that ignoring the effects of aluminum and other elements may be the reason.

"In fact, natural iron fertilization, as caused by dust deposition, upwelling and hydrothermal venting, provides the ocean not only iron, but also aluminum and other elements. Aluminum concentrations in the upper ocean are usually one order of magnitude higher than those of iron," said Prof. TAN.

Prof. TAN's team and their collaborators found that aluminum may not only improve the utilization efficiency of iron and dissolved organic phosphorus by marine phytoplankton, thus enhancing carbon fixation in the upper ocean, but may also reduce the decomposition rate of biogenic organic carbon and enhance the export and sequestration of carbon in deep ocean depths.

They also found a significant negative correlation between aluminum input to the Southern Ocean and atmospheric CO2 concentration over the past 160,000 years.

Based on their findings about aluminum, they improved the original "iron hypothesis" by proposing the "iron-aluminum hypothesis" to better explain the roles of the two elements in climate change.

In this study, the researchers used radiocarbon (14C) as a tracer to show that adding aluminum to seawater to achieve trace concentrations (e.g., 40 nM) increased net carbon fixation of marine diatoms 10% to 30%.

More importantly, this study proved that environmentally relevant low concentrations of aluminum can reduce the daily decomposition rate of marine diatom-produced particulate organic carbon by 50% or more.

Calculations based on the new data suggest that adding aluminum at a concentration of 40 nM or lower to the ocean may increase the amount of particulate organic carbon exported to depths of 1,000 m and deeper by 1-3 orders of magnitude. This will significantly increase the ocean's carbon sink capacity and sequester carbon in the ocean for a long time, thus ameliorating climate change.

CAPTION

Estimated effects of aluminum on the export of particulate organic carbon to ocean depths

CREDIT

ZHOU Linbin

 

UIC researcher finds possible novel migraine therapy

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

Research News

 

By discovering a potential new cellular mechanism for migraines, researchers may have also found a new way to treat chronic migraine.

Amynah Pradhan, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago, is the senior author of the study, whose goal was to identify a new mechanism of chronic migraine, and propose a cellular pathway for migraine therapies. The study, "Neuronal complexity is attenuated in preclinical models of migraine and restored by HDAC6 inhibition, is published in eLife.

Pradhan, whose research focus is on the neurobiology of pain and headache, explained that the dynamic process of routing and rerouting connections among nerve cells, called neural plasticity, is critical to both the causes and cures for disorders of the central nervous system such as depression, chronic pain, and addiction.

The structure of the cell is maintained by its cytoskeleton which is made up of the protein, tubulin. Tubulin is in a constant state of flux, waxing and waning to change the size and shape of the cell. This dynamic property of the cell allows the nervous system to change in response to its environment.

Tubulin is modified in the body through a chemical process called acetylation. When tubulin is acetylated it encourages flexible, stable cytoskeleton; while tubulin deacetylation - induced by histone deacetylase 6, or HDAC6, promotes cytoskeletal instability.

Studies in mice models show that decreased neuronal complexity may be a feature, or mechanism, of chronic migraine, Pradhan said. When HDAC6 is inhibited, tubulin acetylation and cytoskeletal flexibility is restored. Additionally, HDAC6 reversed the cellular correlates of migraine and relieved migraine-associated pain, according to the study.

"This work suggests that the chronic migraine state may be characterized by decreased neuronal complexity, and that restoration of this complexity could be a hallmark of anti-migraine treatments. This work also forms the basis for development of HDAC6 inhibitors as a novel therapeutic strategy for migraine," the researchers report.

Pradhan said this research reveals a way to possibly reset the brain toward its pre-chronic migraine state.

"Blocking HDAC6 would allow neurons to restore its flexibility so the brain would be more receptive to other types of treatment. In this model we are saying, maybe chronic migraine sufferers have decreased neuronal flexibility. If we can restore that complexity maybe we could get them out of that cycle," she said.

Once out of the cycle of decreased neuronal complexity, the brain may become more responsive to pain management therapies, Pradhan said. HDAC6 inhibitors are currently in development for cancer, and HDCA6 as a target has been identified for other types of pain.

"It opens up the possibility of something we should be looking at on a broader scale," she said. "Are these changes maybe a hallmark of all sorts of chronic pain states?"

Migraine is a common brain disorder that is estimated to affect 14% of the world population. Current U.S. cost estimates for migraine are as high as $40 billion annually. One particularly debilitating subset of migraine patients are those with chronic migraine, defined as having more than 15 headache days a month. Migraine therapies are often only partially effective or poorly tolerated, creating a need for more diverse drug therapies.

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Pradhan and her research group collaborated with Dr. Mark Rasenick, distinguished professor of physiology and biophysics at UIC, and a research career scientist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

Additional researchers are: Zachariah Bertels, Harinder Singh, Isaac Dripps, Kendra Siegersma, Alycia Tipton, Wiktor Witkowski, Zoie Sheets, Pal Shah, Catherine Conway, Elizaveta Mangutov, Mei Ao, Valentina Petukhova, Bhargava Karumudi, and Pavel Petukhov, all of UIC; and Serapio Baca of the University of Colorado.

Funding for this research includes grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS109862), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA040688), the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (AT009169), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Integrated Healthcare (BX00149), Amgen Foundation, and the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

An Editorial Flop Revisited: Rethinking the Impact of M. Bookchin’s Our Synthetic Environment on its Golden Anniversary

January 2013
Global Environment 6(12):250-273
DOI:10.3197/ge.2013.061211
Authors:

Juan D. Pérez-Cebada
Universidad de Huelva

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Abstract
2012 is the golden anniversary of two important books in the history of the American Environmental movement: Our Synthetic Environment (OSE), written by Murray Bookchin (under the pseudonym “Lewis Herber”) and Rachel Carsons’ canonical Silent Spring, published just a few months later. Both books deal with the complex problem of chemicals in food, and have a clear objective: to achieve a popular audience. But, these books had a very different reception on the part of critics and public. While Silent Spring was a genuine bestseller, OSE seemed to fall l into oblivion. For some, even, it was a complete flop. This article however revises the reception of Bookchin’s work and shows that although Bookchin cannot certainly be considered a mass author like Carson, he was an influential thinker in selected North American and European academic circles of his time. The book had its origin in an article entitled 'The Problems of Chemicals in Food' (1952). In the first part of this article, we study this and other related articles that preceded the publication of OSE as well as their impact in the intellectual world. The second section analyzes specific bibliography and documentation from Jonathan Cape Ltd, the English publisher of the book (1963), in order to establish its reception. Jonathan Cape had hired Durrant’s, a well known press cutting firm, to prepare a complete report on references to the book in newspapers and other periodical publications both in the U.K. and the Commonwealth. Durrant´s dossier confirms that the book was favorably appraised in the United States by outstanding figures such as B. Commoner, R. Dubos or W. Vogt. However the documentation shows a better reception of the book in Europe, especially in U.K. and Germany. The final section stresses the contribution of OSE to the Environmental movement and the Green left though

Our Synthetic Environment - Libcom.org

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by M Bookchin · Cited by 243 — Our Synthetic Environment. Murray Bookchin ... Recent changes in our synthetic environment have created new problems that are as ... preservatives, and chemical "technological aids," many of which may impair his health. His waterways and ...

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WHO 'needs to act' on suicides caused by pesticides

Researchers call for stricter regulation

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Research News

 

IMAGE: A SRI LANKAN WORKER USING PESTICIDES WITHOUT ANY PROTECTION. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY KNUT-ERIK HELLE

Scientists are calling for more stringent pesticide bans to lower deaths caused by deliberately ingesting toxic agricultural chemicals, which account for one fifth of global suicides.

A NHMRC funded study, in which the University of South Australia analysed the patient plasma pesticide concentrations, has identified discrepancies in World Health Organization (WHO) classifications of pesticide hazards that are based on animal doses rather than human data.

As a result, up to five potentially lethal pesticides are still being used in developing countries in the Asia Pacific, where self-poisonings account for up to two thirds of suicides.

In a paper published in Lancet Global Health, UniSA Research Chair of Therapeutics and Pharmaceutical Science, Professor Michael Roberts, says while deaths from pesticide poisonings have fallen dramatically in recent years, it is still a common cause of global suicides.

Each year, more than 150,000 people die from deliberately ingesting pesticides, although this number was much higher - averaging 260,000 a year - before specific chemicals were banned.

Prof Roberts was a member of a team of international researchers who used Sri Lanka as a case study, in which they compared the number of deaths from pesticides in a rural area between 2002 and 2019.

Of 35,000 people (mainly men aged in their late 20s) hospitalised for pesticide self-poisoning, 6.6 per cent died.

The three most toxic agents were paraquat, dimethoate and fenthion, which were all banned by 2011, reflected in much lower fatalities after that date. Since then, five other common pesticides still allowed by the WHO were disproportionately responsible for 24 per cent of fatalities, the team found.

"If human data for acute toxicity of pesticides was used for hazard classification and regulation worldwide, it would prevent many deaths and have a substantial impact on global suicide rates," Prof Roberts says. "Australia is fortunate in that its regulations properly balance good pesticide use versus public health concern."

He predicts that fatal poisonings across Asia could fall by more than 50 per cent, and total suicides in the region could fall by at least a third.

"Instead, the WHO classifications are largely based on animal median lethal doses. This method ignores the differences between species and how they respond to treatment, and the formulations used."

Fatalities from pesticide poisonings also differed greatly from that predicted by the WHO classification.

The researchers have called for the WHO to eliminate all pesticides with fatality rates above five per cent.

"Setting a global benchmark and relying on human data is critical to reducing suicides, particularly in countries such as Sri Lanka, South Korea, Bangladesh and China, where agriculture is still a dominant industry."

"We also found evidence that some banned agents were still in circulation due to illegal importation, so there is still a need to tighten existing regulations," Prof Roberts says.

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