Author: IGIHE

{Using evidence found in baby teeth, researchers from The Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory and The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai found that differences in the uptake of multiple toxic and essential elements over the second and third trimesters and early postnatal periods are associated with the risk of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD), according to a study published June 1 in the journal Nature Communications.}

The critical developmental windows for the observed discrepancies varied for each element, suggesting that systemic dysregulation of environmental pollutants and dietary elements may serve an important role in ASD. In addition to identifying specific environmental factors that influence risk, the study also pinpointed developmental time periods when elemental dysregulation poses the biggest risk for autism later in life.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASD occurs in 1 of every 68 children in the United States. The exact causes are unknown, but previous research indicates that both environmental and genetic causes are likely involved. While the genetic component has been intensively studied, specific environmental factors and the stages of life when such exposures may have the biggest impact on the risk of developing autism are poorly understood. Previous research indicates that fetal and early childhood exposure to toxic metals and deficiencies of nutritional elements are linked with several adverse developmental outcomes, including intellectual disability and language, attentional, and behavioral problems.

“We found significant divergences in metal uptake between ASD-affected children and their healthy siblings, but only during discrete developmental periods,” said Manish Arora, PhD, BDS, MPH, Director of Exposure Biology at the Senator Frank Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory at Mount Sinai and Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Specifically, the siblings with ASD had higher uptake of the neurotoxin lead, and reduced uptake of the essential elements manganese and zinc, during late pregnancy and the first few months after birth, as evidenced through analysis of their baby teeth. Furthermore, metal levels at three months after birth were shown to be predictive of the severity of ASD eight to ten years later in life.”

To determine the effects that the timing, amount, and subsequent absorption of toxins and nutrients have on ASD, Mount Sinai researchers used validated tooth-matrix biomarkers to analyze baby teeth collected from pairs of identical and non-identical twins, of which at least one had a diagnosis of ASD. They also analyzed teeth from pairs of normally developing twins that served as the study control group. During fetal and childhood development, a new tooth layer is formed every week or so, leaving an “imprint” of the micro chemical composition from each unique layer, which provides a chronological record of exposure. The team at the Lautenberg Laboratory used lasers to reconstruct these past exposures along incremental markings, similar to using growth rings on a tree to determine the tree’s growth history.

“Our data shows a potential pathway for interplay between genes and the environment,” says Abraham Reichenberg, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Our findings underscore the importance of a collaborative effort between geneticists and environmental researchers for future investigations into the relationship between metal exposure and ASD to help us uncover the root causes of autism, and support the development of effective interventions and therapies.”

Additional studies are needed to determine whether the discrepancies in the amount of certain metals and nutrients are due to differences in how much a fetus or child is exposed to them or because of a genetic difference in how a child takes in, processes, and breaks down these metals and nutrients.

Source:Science Daily

{Cellphones are addictive, and important too. Addictive because you have all the cool apps and games you love to have fun with, and important because you have to stay in touch, I mean, you never really know when that life- changing call will come in, so, you need to carry it around and keep it as close to you as possible, even if it means taking it to bed with you. But as ‘harmless’ as it may seem, going to bed with your mobile phone isn’t quite good for you, and that’s because of the following reasons…}

{{Defeats the purpose of going to bed }}

Unless you’re getting in your bed to sit and not sleep, then, there’s nothing wrong with taking your phone with you, but if the intention is to get some sleep, then, there’s absolutely no point taking your phone because you’ll probably end up not sleeping at all. Consider the notifications that will keep pouring in, the calls and the temptation to try that game one more time. Don’t forget health experts advise that you get at least 8hrs sleep every night to stay in good shape.

{{Your eyes can be endangered }}

Over using your phone at night can expose your eyes to vision problems. This is due to the fact that most smart phones today emit blue light which is potentially dangerous if stared into for long. It can lead to dryness of the eyes and blurred vision.

{{Nomophobia }}

Nomophobia is the fear of being without a mobile phone. This happens when you’re addicted to using one, and it can lead to unnecessary anxiety. If you fall asleep while using your phone, chances are you’ll wake up in the middle of the night anxiously looking for it, and in the end you end up disrupting your sleep.

{{It can ruin your relationship }}

For most couples, bedtime is ‘us’ time. It’s a time for a couple to catch up on stuff they might have missed in each other’s lives during the day. You can imagine how awful that would be if you go to bed with your phone. You’ll be distracted, and your partner would be frustrated with you.

{{Exposure to radiation }}

You may not know this, but smartphones usually release a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed if it is too near your body. However, the risk is reduced when the phone is turned off.

Source:Science Daily

{A new study in Biological Psychiatry may pave the way for treating alcohol addiction by reducing motivation to drink, rather than by altering the effects of alcohol itself. Led by Drs. Kasia Radwanska and Leszek Kaczmarek of the Nencki Institute, Warsaw, Poland, the study reports a new mechanism behind alcohol seeking behavior.}

When people think about drugs to treat alcoholism, their first thought is usually a drug that stimulates or blocks a receptor for a chemical messenger. However, the new study highlights a process that changes brain activity by altering the network of proteins that surrounds nerve cells. This network of proteins, called the extracellular matrix, provides active support for the development and activity of nerve cells. The functions of the matrix are regulated, in part, by enzymes that break down matrix proteins; one of these enzymes is matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9).

In the study, while mice had free access to alcohol to establish addiction-like behavior, those missing the enzyme MMP-9 (MMP-9 KO) drank just as much as normal mice. However, first author Dr. Marzena Stefaniuk and colleagues found that MMP-9 KO mice were less motivated to obtain alcohol when its access was restricted, and less persistent to seek alcohol during withdrawal — behaviors normally characteristic of addiction. The researchers were able to restore the impaired motivation by replacing MMP-9 in the central amygdala, a part of the brain’s emotional center that has also been implicated in alcohol dependence.

“Interestingly, in human alcoholics, the MMP-9 gene polymorphism that leads to a higher MMP-9 production correlates with greater motivation to drink alcohol,” said Dr. Kaczmarek, referring to their analysis of 167 alcohol-addicted males compared with 199 control males, also included in the new study. Using a clinical assessment of alcoholism behavior, the researchers found that addicted people with a T allele in the MMP-9 gene continued to drink alcohol despite the negative consequences more frequently than patients with a C allele. The findings further support the role of MMP-9 in motivation for alcohol.

“Matrix metalloproteinases play critical roles in brain function and disease that have only recently received intensive study,” said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. “The exciting study by Stefaniuk and colleagues implicates them in alcohol use disorders, but they are likely to play roles quite broadly in psychiatric disorders. It will be important to determine whether these proteins may be targeted therapeutically.”

In previous studies, MMP-9 has been demonstrated to be mandatory in the central amygdala for formation of appetitive memory traces via synaptic plasticity — the structural and physiological alteration of synapses, the connections that facilitate communication between neurons. Indeed, the loss of MMP-9 in mice impaired structural and physiological alcohol-related alterations in the central amygdala, leading the authors to suggest MMP-9-dependent synaptic plasticity in this brain region as a new mechanism behind alcohol craving.

“In aggregate, these findings point to MMP-9 as a novel therapeutic target in fighting alcohol addiction,” said Kaczmarek.

Source:Science Daily