Cool stroke research at USF

Research at the University of South Florida could someday lead to a new drug treatment to help stroke patients.

Lab rats given a drug that put them into a state of hibernation and cooled their brains fared much better after an induced stroke, compared to untreated rats, according to a new study announced this week. USF Neuroscientist Cesar Borlongan was part of a National Institutes of Health research team looking at the role of opioids in brain injury and protection. 

"The observation that this substance, previously shown to induce hibernation, improves recovery from cerebral ischemia means it could provide a new pharmacological treatment for stroke," he said in a news release.

The drug used in the study, called DADLE for short, belongs to the same family of drugs as morphine and heroin. Some rats were given DADLE; a control group of rats was not treated. The pretreated animals had smaller strokes, less brain cell death and performed better on behavioral tests after having an induced stroke.

Previous animal studies have shown that natural hibernation protects against blood clot formation in the brain. Many strokes are caused by a blood clot that cuts off or reduces blood flow to the brain. Borlongan says artificial hibernation seems to do the same thing. "We've shown that a drug that induces hibernation can achieve similar results in the brain," Borlongan said in the news release. "Even a small decrease in the brain's temperature appears to be neuroprotective." 

Doctors already use cold temperatures, or therapeutic hypothermia, to lessen brain damage in heart attack patients. One system, called Arctic Sun, uses large gel pads placed on the skin like a blanket. The pads circulate cold water and lower a patient's body temperature to between 89 and 93 degrees. Studies have shown the device saves lives and reduces brain damage by 39 percent when used in cardiac arrest patients.

Irene Maher, Times Staff Writer

Multiyear study to seek autism risks, clues

It will take a few years, but a major new study announced Tuesday could help unlock the mysteries of autism.

The Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation or EARLI study will follow 1,200 pregnant women who already have a child with autism to learn more about the biological and environment factors that may contribute to autism. They'll look at a myriad of things, including household dust, hair samples, even a newborn's first poop, searching for clues.

Principal investigator Craig Newschaffer of the Drexel University School of Public Health said a conference call with reporters Tuesday that women will be recruited for the study while they are pregnant and will be followed until that child is 3 years old. "That early time may be very critical to understanding autism," says Newschaffer.

The study will be conducted in Philadelphia, Baltimore and northern California; participants must live near the testing sites.

During their 4 years of participation, women will be asked to fill out questionnaires, take part in phone interviews and meet with researchers at least once during each trimester of pregnancy. Biological samples such as hair, blood, urine, breast milk and the newborn's first stool will be collected and analyzed. Researchers will evaluate the baby's development at six, 12, 18 and 24 months of age. Researchers will visit homes to collect samples of dust, cleaning products and other household chemicals. Kaiser Permanente Epidemiologist Lisa Croen says this study is unique because it will collect data as it is available. "We are collecting information in real time," says Croen. "Families aren't going to be asked to remember past experiences. We are measuring these characteristics as they are happening," 

 The study is being funded by the National Institutes of Health and an anonymous donation of $2.5 million from the advocacy group Autism Speaks. For more information visit http://earlistudy.org.

Irene Maher, Times staff writer

Get an A in blood donation

This week's theme is on national Donate Life month. Here's another way to give the gift of life. Become an Apheresis blood donor. These volunteers are known as the heroes of blood donation because the process takes hours, not minutes. Just one component of the blood is collected, such as platelets or plasma, but the result is up to 8 times more of that component than a whole blood donation would produce. Call 1-800-68-BLOOD or click here for more information.

 

Irene Maher, Times Staff Writer

Study: Depression, exercise and breast cancer

Just because something seems obvious, that doesn't mean it isn't important.

Take this Ohio State University study on the impact of depression on breast cancer recovery, published in the April issue of the journal Psycho-Oncology:

"The first study to monitor physical activity in breast cancer patients for five years suggests that patients with greater depressive symptoms and a lower emotional quality of life are less likely to exercise as part of their recovery than are patients reporting less distress.''

No kidding, right? But what this means is that there's more science than ever to support what also should be obvious: You have to pay attention to patients' emotions, not just their bodies, when they get a potentially devastating diagnosis.

Researchers found that most women took care of themselves and did more exercise during the first 18 months after diagnosis and treatment. But then they slacked off -- unless they had the support of their families to keep up their physical activity.

“This suggests that stress in the form of depressive symptoms is related to actual health behavior over a sustained period of time,” said Charles Emery, professor of psychology at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.
 
Finally, researchers made another obvious, yet important conclusion: Sticking to your exercise program is tough, even if you know it could help you recover from a serious illness.

So if you know somebody who should be exercising for their health, but isn't doing it, try to help them. Maybe show them Irene Maher's story on the many health benefits of exercise.

But be as patient as you can manage. Things are tough all over.

Charlotte Sutton, health and medicine editor

How Happy Are You?

I was having breakfast with my friend Gerard, and the conversation turned to the coolest old people we know, and what keeps them ticking. He told me about his 90-year-old uncle's secret: After he retired, he decided to give up anger.

Wow, I thought. Simple, profound .... and how on earth do you do that?

So, until I figure that out, I turned my attention to a news story that came across my desk. It said, (and really, is this news?) that lots of people are pretty unhappy these days, given the state of the world. The interesting bit was the mention of something called the Authentic Happiness Inventory.

Now, I love these tests, so I had to drop everything and do it. This comes to us from the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center (love that name), so it's all official, and there actually are a bunch of fascinating tests there. In the interest of time, however, I blazed through the 24-question Authentic Happiness Inventory.

Sample:

A. In the grand scheme of things, my existence may hurt the world.

B. My existence neither helps nor hurts the world.

C. My existence has a small but positive effect on the world.

D. My existence makes the world a better place.

E. My existence has a lasting, large, and positive impact on the world.

They all pretty much follow that progression, from utter misery to ecstatic joy.

Now, I consider myself a happy camper. But I'll tell you now, I didn't circle any E's. That level of joy sounds fairly annoying, which may say more about me than the test...

But it turns out, even at a 3.75 out of a possible 5, I am still happier than 86 percent of women, and 79 percent of people in my zip code.

Take the test and see how you do. The great thing is, it's very dry and academic looking (complete with your results in a bar graph!), making it the perfect safe-for-work diversion.

Charlotte Sutton, Health and Medicine Editor

[photo: Photos.com]