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Low Vitamin D Levels In Blacks Could Contribute To Higher Rates Of Cancer, Other Diseases, Researcher Says
Low vitamin D levels in blacks could contribute to health gaps between white and black U.S. residents, Michael Holick, a professor at Boston University and a vitamin D researcher, said recently, the GNS/Chicago Sun-Times reports. According to Holick, blacks have lower levels of vitamin D than whites in part because the higher amount of pigment in their skin makes it harder for their body to absorb the nutrient, which is produced in response to sun exposure. Although scientists are debating optimum vitamin D levels, some scientists have said that vitamin D can reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. Holick added that some scientists believe blacks are more likely to have prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer and have more aggressive forms of the cancer because they have lower levels of vitamin D. John Flack, principal investigator at the Center for Urban and African American Health at Wayne State University, said lower vitamin D levels among blacks is "potentially a very important explanation for some of the differences, from hypertension to cancer to heart failure," adding, "The actual proof is not there, but it"s plausible." Flack added that many factors -- including decreased access to health care and differences in income and education -- contribute to the overall poorer health among blacks. The Institute of Medicine next year is expected to release new guidelines on recommended daily intake for vitamin D. "All Americans, but particularly people with darker skin, should pay attention" to the new guidelines, according to Adit Ginde, a researcher at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine who led a recent study that found vitamin D levels are decreasing in all racial groups and are particularly low in blacks (Painter, GNS/Chicago Sun-Times, 5/28).
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Combined Stem Cell Gene Therapy Approach Cures Human Genetic Disease In Vitro
A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. The study, published in the May 31, 2009 early online edition of Nature, is a major milestone on the path from the laboratory to the clinic.
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Royal Society Awards Recognise MRC Scientists
Four members of the Medical Research Council community were recognised for their contribution to science by the Royal Society.
Mental Health

School Of Dentistry Studies Link Between Oral Health And Memory

Keeping your teeth brushed and flossed can cut down on gum disease, drastically reducing risk of heart attack and stroke, dentists have warned for years. Now researchers at West Virginia University have found a clean mouth may also help preserve memory. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $1.3 million grant over four years to further build on studies linking gum disease and mild to moderate memory loss. "Older people might want to know there"s more reason to keep their mouths clean -- to brush and floss -- than ever," said Richard Crout, D.M.D., Ph.D., an expert on gum disease and associate dean for research in the WVU School of Dentistry. "You"ll not only be more likely to keep your teeth, but you"ll also reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and memory loss." Crout will share the grant with gerontologist Bei Wu, Ph.D., formerly of WVU and now a researcher at the University of North Carolina; Brenda L. Plassman, Ph.D., of Duke University, a nationally recognized scientist in the field of memory research; and Jersey Liang, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Michigan. Wu is the principal investigator. The team will look at health records over many years of several thousand Americans. "This could have great implications for health of our aging populations," Crout said. "With rates of Alzheimer"s skyrocketing, imagine the benefits of knowing that keeping the mouth free of infection could cut down on cases of dementia." The research builds on an ongoing study of West Virginians aged 70 and older. Working with the WVU School of Medicine, School of Dentistry researchers have given oral exams and memory tests to 270 elderly people in more than a dozen West Virginia counties. Funded by a $419,000 two-year grant, they"ve discovered that about 23 percent of the group suffers from mild to moderate memory loss. A blood draw is also part of the study for research subjects who agree. "If you have a gum infection, you"ll have an increased level of inflammatory byproducts," Crout explained. "We"re looking for markers in the blood that show inflammation to see if there is a link to memory problems. We"d like to go full circle and do an intervention -- to clean up some of the problems in the mouth and then see if the inflammatory markers go down." Researchers don"t yet understand whether microorganisms in the mouth create health problems or whether the body"s inflammatory response is to blame. It may be a combination of both. Researchers also don"t know much about mild to moderate memory loss, even though the connection between severe dementia and gum disease is well-known, Crout said. In the future, dentists may routinely administer memory tests to their older patients, he said. "A dentist may see a longtime, older patient with an area of the mouth that"s showing signs of inflammation because of not being properly cleaned daily," Crout said. "Many times we as clinicians, however, don"t think of this as due to a memory problem. The patient may not be flossing or brushing properly as we have instructed they should. But this research indicates that the problem may be due to memory loss as opposed to noncompliance." West Virginia University Health Sciences Center


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