Adding to a growing body of recent research showing that the adult brain can indeed grow new cells, Harvard investigators have the first evidence that the brain tries to repair itself after injury.
In experiments with mice, researchers damaged a specific set of mature nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, and found that primitive cells known as neural precursors began to divide in an effort to replace the damaged cells. Less than 10 years ago, researchers still believed the adult brain had no precursors left and was thus unable to generate new nerve cells. The results may lay the groundwork for a new approach to treating brain and spinal cord injuries as well as degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Nature 2000;405:951-955
New Brain Cells May Grow Throughout Life Span
High chromium yeast supplementation in pigs was shown in this study to improve their glucose tolerance, possibly through a decrease in the extraction of insulin by the liver. Animals given the chromium had lower glucose levels than controls at 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes following the infusion of a sugar solution.
Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130:1274-1279
This Italian study showed that, in a population that had previously been exposed to dangerously high dioxin levels, those men whose blood levels of dioxin were high, had a much greater likelihood of fathering girls, rather than boys. The authors point out that dioxin is the most toxic man-made substance ever made. The toxic effects of this substance can last for many years. This study may further explain the increasing ratios of female to male births in many parts of the world, including the USA. As the authors state "These observations could have important public-health implications."
Lancet 2000; 355: 1858 - 1863
Women with high-grade cervical neoplasia -- the precursor to invasive cervical cancer -- were significantly more likely to report lifetime stressful events than women with low-grade neoplasia or normal cervical tests.
Cervical neoplasia is characterized by changes in cells that indicate a risk of developing cervical cancer. A Pap smear, where cells are collected from the cervix, is a common way to diagnose the problem.
Society for Epidemiologic Research meeting Seattle, Washington. June 2000
Women face an increased risk of cervical cancer if their mothers took the world's first synthetic female hormone during pregnancy, researchers report.
It has been known for years that such women -- known as 'DES daughters' because their mothers took diethylstilbestrol (DES) -- have higher rates of infertility and miscarriages. DES has also been linked to a higher risk of developing a relatively uncommon type of cancer at an early age, known as clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix.
The New England Journal of Medicine -- June 22, 2000 -- Vol. 342, No. 25
COMMENT: A great example of why pregnant women shouldn't take any medications unless it is a matter of life and death.