Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have shown for the first time in an animal model that vitamin C actively protects against osteoporosis, a disease affecting large numbers of elderly women and men in which bones become brittle and can fracture.
‘This study has profound public health implications, and is well worth exploring for its therapeutic potential in people,’ said lead researcher Mone Zaidi, MD, Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, and of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Director of the Mount Sinai Bone Program.
‘The medical world has known for some time that low amounts of vitamin C can cause scurvy and brittle bones, and that higher vitamin C intake is associated with higher bone mass in humans, ‘said Dr. Zaidi. ‘What this study shows is that large doses of vitamin C, when ingested orally by mice, actively stimulate bone formation to protect the skeleton. It does this by inducing osteoblasts, or premature bone cells, to differentiate into mature, mineralising speciality cells.’
The researchers worked with groups of mice whose ovaries had been removed, a procedure known to reduce bone density, and compared them with control mice that had ‘sham’ operations, which left their ovaries intact. The mice with ovariectomies were divided into two groups, one of which was given large doses of vitamin C over eight weeks. The scientists measured the bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, femur, and tibia bones.
The mice who received an ovariectomy – and no vitamin C – had a much lower bone mineral density (BMD) versus controls, whereas mice who received a ovariectomy and large doses of vitamin C, had roughly the same BMD as the controls, suggesting vitamin C prevented BMD loss in this group.
‘Further research may discover that dietary supplements may help prevent osteoporosis in humans,’ said Dr. Zaidi. ‘If so, the findings could be ultimately useful to developing nations where osteoporosis is prevalent and standard medications are sparse and expensive.’ The Mount Sinai Medical Center

Following a six-month pilot phase, the Asha Jyoti mobile outreach programme is now becoming fully operational in both semi-urban and rural areas of northern India. With a commitment from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, India, RAD-AID International and Philips are to provide education and screening to poor women in India. The Women’s Healthcare Outreach Mobile programme is a population-based screening programme of women aged between 40 and 60 years, which aims to ensure early detection of breast cancer, cervical cancer and osteoporosis, even before the individual has any signs or symptoms. It was established as a model for preventive healthcare for semi-urban and rural areas in northern India and involved the creation of a special mobile outreach van with imaging technology and clinical referral services to efficiently and effectively address multiple care needs. All women who visited the van received results from their tests within 7 to 10 days. Seven women with suspicious mammography findings and 41 women with suspicious colposcopy findings received follow-up testing and treatment, if needed, at PGIMER hospital. The aim now is to screen 2,000–3,000 women every year for at least the next 4–5 years and provide a clear plan for follow-up and further routine screening. The mobile diagnostic imaging technology is a key factor in making primary healthcare available to poor rural communities.

^{RAD-AID conference on International Radiology for Developing Countries at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland , USA.}

Studies performed by Araclon Biotech, have made it possible to quantify the protein Aβ-17 in the blood for the first time. The results show that it is the second most common amyloid beta in the blood (after Aβ-40) and that its levels vary as Alzheimer’s disease progresses. Levels of this protein observed in the blood using Araclon’s patented “ABtest” kits on 64 individuals enabled Alzheimer’s patients to be distinguished from those who were not. In addition, together with the proteins Aβ-40 and Aβ-42, it was possible to identify those individuals with mild cognitive impairment who, over the course of time, might develop Alzheimer’s. The principal significance of these results, obtained from a study performed by Araclon, in collaboration with the Fundación ACE, at the facilities of the Biomedical Research Center of La Rioja (CIBIR-Fundación Rioja Salud) is that they represent a major advance in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Current clinical practice only permits detection when the disease is already at an advanced stage, when the patient’s neurodegenerative process has manifested itself, and potentially irreversible brain damage has occurred. The discovery was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC 2012) held in Vancouver (Canada) from 14 to 19 July.
Araclon Biotech has been a pioneer in measuring the total amount of amyloid beta in the blood, which is greater than that found in serum or plasma. This quantification has made it possible to correlate the blood levels of these proteins with the development of the disease. As a result, in addition to determining amyloid beta 40 and 42, Araclon has now included measurement of the protein Aβ-17.

Scientists from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Japan and University of California Los Angeles report a new nanoscale Velcro-like device that captures and releases tumour cells that have broken away from primary tumours and are circulating in the bloodstream. This new nanotechnology could be used for cancer diagnosis and give insight into the mechanisms of how cancer spreads throughout the body. The device provides a convenient and non-invasive alternative to biopsy, the current method for diagnosis of metastatic cancer. It could enable doctors to detect tumour cells that circulate in cancer patients’ blood well before they subsequently colonise as tumours in other organs. The device also enables researchers to keep the tumour cells alive and subsequently study them.
Similar cell-capture devices have been reported but this technology is unique in that it is capable of catching the tumour cells with great efficiency and releasing them with great cell viability. Blood is passed through the device like a filter that contains a molecule capable of adhering to tumour cells like Velcro and separating them with efficiency ranging from 40% to 70%. The cancer cells are retained by tiny temperature-responsive polymer brushes inside the device. At 37 degrees Celsius, these polymer brushes stick to the tumour cells, but when cooled to 4 degrees Celsius, they release them, allowing scientists to examine the cells.
‘Until now, most devices have demonstrated the ability to capture circulating tumor cells with high efficiency. However, it is equally important to release these captured cells, to preserve and study them in order to obtain insightful information about them. This is the big difference with our device.’ Explains Hsiao-hua Yu, who led the team that developed the technique to coat the device with polymer brushes. RIKEN

A team of Australian researchers, led by University of Melbourne has developed a genetic test that is able to predict the risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD.
Lead researcher Professor Stan Skafidas, Director of the Centre for Neural Engineering at the University of Melbourne said the test could be used to assess the risk for developing the disorder.
‘This test could assist in the early detection of the condition in babies and children and help in the early management of those who become diagnosed,’ he said.
‘It would be particularly relevant for families who have a history of Autism or related conditions such as Asperger’s Syndrome,’ he said.
Autism affects around one in 150 births and is characterised by abnormal social interaction, impaired communication and repetitive behaviours.
The test correctly predicted ASD with more than 70 per cent accuracy in people of central European descent. Ongoing validation tests are continuing including the development of accurate testing for other ethnic groups.
Clinical neuropsychologist, Dr Renee Testa from the University of Melbourne and Monash University, said the test would allow clinicians to provide early interventions that may reduce behavioural and cognitive difficulties that children and adults with ASD experience.
‘Early identification of risk means we can provide interventions to improve overall functioning for those affected, including families,’ she said.
A genetic cause has been long sought with many genes implicated in the condition, but no single gene has been adequate for determining risk.
Using US data from 3,346 individuals with ASD and 4,165 of their relatives from Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) and Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the researchers identified 237 genetic markers (SNPs) in 146 genes and related cellular pathways that either contribute to or protect an individual from developing ASD.
Senior author Professor Christos Pantelis of the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health said the discovery of the combination of contributing and protective gene markers and their interaction had helped to develop a very promising predictive ASD test.
The test is based on measuring both genetic markers of risk and protection for ASD. The risk markers increase the score on the genetic test, while the protective markers decrease the score. The higher the overall score, the higher the individual risk.
‘This has been a multidisciplinary team effort with expertise across fields providing new ways of investigating this complex condition,’ Professor Pantelis said. EurekAlert