According to new research from the University of Leeds Natural, chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer`s disease pathway.

In early-stage laboratory experiments, the researchers identified the process that allows harmful clumps of protein to latch on to brain cells, causing them to die. They were able to interrupt this pathway using the purified extracts of EGCG from green tea and resveratrol from red wine.

The findings offer potential new targets for developing drugs to treat Alzheimer`s disease.

Alzheimer`s disease is characterised by a distinct build-up of amyloid protein in the brain, which clumps together to form toxic, sticky balls of varying shapes. These amyloid balls latch on to the surface of nerve cells in the brain by attaching to proteins on the cell surface called prions, causing the nerve cells to malfunction and eventually die.

"We wanted to investigate whether the precise shape of the amyloid balls is essential for them to attach to the prion receptors, like the way a baseball fits snugly into its glove," said co-author Dr Jo Rushworth.

"And if so, we wanted to see if we could prevent the amyloid balls binding to prion by altering their shape, as this would stop the cells from dying," he added.

The team formed amyloid balls in a test tube and added them to human and animal brain cells.

Lead researcher Professor Nigel Hooper of the University`s Faculty of Biological Sciences said: "When we added the extracts from red wine and green tea, which recent research has shown to re-shape amyloid proteins, the amyloid balls no longer harmed the nerve cells. We saw that this was because their shape was distorted, so they could no longer bind to prion and disrupt cell function.

"We also showed, for the first time, that when amyloid balls stick to prion, it triggers the production of even more amyloid, in a deadly vicious cycle," he added.

Professor Hooper says that the team`s next steps are to understand exactly how the amyloid-prion interaction kills off neurons.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Living in a sunnier climate may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to US researchers.

Their study of more than 200,000 women, published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, suggested a link between sunlight and the risk of developing the disease.

They speculated that vitamin D, which is produced in sunlight, may protect the body.

Experts warned that people should not spend all day in the sun.

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body's own immune system attacking the joints and it can be intensely painful.

It is more common in women, but the reason why a patient's own defences turn against them is unknown.
Sunny side

Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed two groups of more than 100,000 women. The first were monitored from 1976 onwards, the second from 1989.

Their health was then compared with estimates of the levels of UV-B radiation they were exposed to, based on where they lived.

In the 1976 group, those in the sunniest parts of the US getting the highest levels of sunshine were 21% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those getting the least UV radiation.

However, UV levels had no affect upon the risk of rheumatoid arthritis is the 1989 group.

The report's authors said: "Our study adds to the growing evidence that exposure to UV-B light is associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis."

They suggested that "differences in sun protective behaviours, eg greater use of sun block" could explain why the younger group of women showed no benefit from living in sunnier climes.

One theory is that difference in levels of vitamin D, which is produced when UV radiation hits the skin, could affect the odds of developing the disease. Low levels of vitamin D have already been implicated other immune system disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Dr Chris Deighton, the president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said it was an "interesting study" which "gives us more clues" about how the environment can affect the chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis.

He added: "We cannot advocate everybody sitting in the sunshine all day to protect from rheumatoid arthritis, because UV-B burns people and increases the risk of skin cancer.

"The treatment options in rheumatology have transformed the lives of patients with this crippling disease in recent years and anything that adds to our knowledge is welcomed."
Sunshine vitamin

Prof Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said: "Studies that have been undertaken have not shown, thus far, that vitamin D is a useful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

"We know that many people with arthritis have low levels of vitamin D and this can have a powerful effect on the types of immune cells which may cause this condition.

"We're currently doing research to find out how this happens and are performing lab studies to find out whether vitamin D can alter the aggressive immune response found in rheumatoid arthritis and turn it into a less harmful or even a protective one.

"In the meantime, until we know more, the best thing that people can do is to go out in the sunshine for up to 15 minutes in the summer months and expose their face and arms to the sun to top up their vitamin D levels."

Pregnant women aged over 40 should be given the option of being induced early to reduce the risks of losing their baby, says a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists paper.

Inducing these women at 39 weeks instead of the normal 41 could prevent 17 stillbirths in the UK each year, the authors said.

And this would not lead to increased numbers of caesarean sections.

A stillbirth charity said induction could save many babies' lives.

Dr Mandish Dhanjal, a clinical senior lecturer from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Dr Anna Kenyon, from University College London Hospital, looked at a number of studies that explored the impact of the rising age of mothers on the health of the foetus and the mother.
Good argument

The data showed that at 39-40 weeks pregnant, women over 40 double their risk of stillbirth compared with women under 35 - two in 1,000 compared with one in 1,000.

But at 39 weeks, the risk is lowered for the older group - becoming similar to women in their late 20s at 41 weeks pregnant.

As a result, Dr Kenyon said, there was a good case for inducing labour early.

"It is justifiable for experts to conclude that inducing labour at an earlier stage of gestation (39-40 weeks) in older mothers (40+ years) could prevent late stillbirth and any maternal risks of an ongoing pregnancy, without increasing the number of operative vaginal deliveries or emergency caesarean sections."

She added that further research was required to find out how induction affects pregnant women "of advanced maternal age".

The authors calculated that an extra 550 women would have to be induced at 39 weeks in the UK each year to prevent one stillbirth.

Inducing at 40 weeks could prevent seven stillbirths a year, if an extra 4,750 women were induced, they said.
Complications

Statistics show that between 1997 and 2008 the proportion of pregnant women in the UK that are aged 35 and over increased from 8% to 20%, and that of women aged 40 and over rose from 1.2% to 3.6%.

In their paper, the authors said there was a proven link between advancing maternal age and increased risk of complications during pregnancy - and a strong link with increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal death.

For women over 40 in the UK, the rate of unexplained stillbirths - defined as losing a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy - is 7.6 per 1,000 pregnancies compared with 5.5 in women aged 35-39.

In women aged 30-34, it is 4.7. And for 25-29-year-olds, the rate is 4.6.

This equates to an absolute risk of one in 132 for the over-40s and one in 182 for 35-39-year-old women.

Research published in the Lancet in 2011 indicated that the UK had higher stillbirth rates than almost every other high-income country.

Charlotte Bevan, from the stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, said hundreds of stillbirths were potentially avoidable.

"It is with enormous frustration and sadness that Sands too often hears from mums whose seemingly perfect baby dies at or beyond term.

"Sometimes it's a first baby, in some cases it's an IVF pregnancy and because of her age, that bereaved mum may not now go onto to have any more children.

"The offer of induction at term for older mums could save many families from the indescribable devastation of losing a precious child."

People taking long-acting pain killers for extended periods face a five-times greater risk of low testosterone, the male sex hormone, a new study says.

The study is the first to compare the use of short-acting opioids, which immediately release the drug, taken every four to six hours, and long-acting opioids, which slowly release the medication and are taken every eight to 12 hours.
The 81 men involved in the study were between 26 and 79 years old (median age 51) and were seen in the chronic-pain clinic at Kaiser Permanente`s Santa Rosa Medical Centre, California (KPSRMC), between January 2009 and June 2010, the Clinical Journal of Pain reports.

All of the participants had been on a stable dose of an opioid for at least three months, and none had a previous diagnosis of low testosterone. A larger retrospective study of more than 1,500 male pain patients is currently under way, according to a KPSRMC statement.

"There`s a large gap in the evidence base with regard to opioids," said Andrea Rubinstein from the departments of chronic pain and anesthesiology, KPSRMC.

"More safety and efficacy studies are needed. We need to know how we can prescribe these very useful medications in a way that brings the greatest benefits to our patients, without introducing additional risks."

Once prescribed primarily to cancer patients, the use of opioid-based medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin) for treating chronic, non-cancer pain has increased dramatically in recent decades. An estimated 4.3 million Americans use opioids on a daily basis for pain.

"For years, doctors have been encouraged to prescribe long-acting opioids rather than short-acting opioids because we believed they were safer, had less abuse potential, and offered more consistent pain control, but no study has ever been able to support this practice," Rubinstein said.

A healthy young man should have testosterone levels between 300 and 800 nanograms per decilitre (ng/dL). Low testosterone, also known as hypogonadism, was defined as less than 250 ng/dL.

A decilitre is one-tenth of a litre.

Low testosterone levels have been linked with decreases in muscle mass, bone density (osteoporosis or osteopenia), cognition, mood, libido (sex drive) and general quality of life.

Seventy-four percent of the men on long-acting opioids had low testosterone levels, compared with 34 percent of the men using short-acting opioids.

After controlling for daily dosage and body mass index, the study found that the odds of having low testosterone were 4.78 times greater for men taking a long-acting opioid than a short-acting opioid.

Binge drinking interferes with the area of the brain that controls insulin regulation, which increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a new study has warned.

"Insulin resistance has emerged as a key metabolic defect leading to Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD)," said Christoph Buettner, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease) at Mount Sinai.

"Someone who regularly binge drinks even once a week, over many years, may remain in an insulin resistant state for an extended period of time, potentially years," said Dr. Buettner.

Researchers in this study were able to show that it is alcohol`s effect on the brain - specifically the hypothalamus, the area that controls metabolism - that makes the body less able to process insulin.

The study was conducted on a group of rats, some of which were given alcohol over a three-day period to mimic binge drinking, while others received the same amount of sugar calories from other food sources. The rats who drank alcohol were then found to have higher concentrations of plasma insulin, an indicator of metabolic syndrome, which increases one`s risk for diabetes.

Researchers also identified inflammation occurring in the drinking rats` brains. When they inhibited the protein that causes inflammation in the hypothalamus, they were able to prevent insulin resistance.

Binge drinking is commonly defined as 4 drinks in a 2-hour span for women, or 5 for men.

The study was recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.