FDA Extends Comment Period on Foods From Cloned Animals
A month-long extension for comments about the safety of food from cloned animals was announced Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The original deadline of April 2 has been extended to May 3.
The FDA issued a preliminary assessment last December that said meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring were "as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals," suggesting that food from cloned animals would soon be allowed on store shelves, BusinessWeek reported.
But the FDA decided to extend the original 90-day comment period after several organizations asked for more time to study the issue. The groups include the public advocacy group Center for Food Safety, and food industry associations such as the American Frozen Food Institute and the Food Marketing Institute.
So far, nearly 4,000 comments about food from cloned animals have been submitted to the FDA's Web site. Many are from individuals who expressed ethical, safety and moral concerns about allowing food from cloned animals into the general food supply, BusinessWeek reported.
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'Friendly' Soil Bacteria May Boost Mood
Exposure to "friendly" bacteria in soil may help improve mood and fight depression, say researchers at Bristol University in Great Britain.
They found that mice exposed to Mycobacterium vaccae made more of the brain chemical serotonin. A lack of serotonin is linked with depression and common antidepressants work by increasing serotonin levels, BBC News reported.
The findings appear in the journal Neuroscience.
More research needs to be conducted to determine whether Mycobacterium vaccae helps boost mood by activating serotonin neurons, the researchers noted.
"These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health," said lead researcher Dr. Chris Lowry.
Lung cancer patients treated with Mycobacterium vaccae have anecdotally reported improved quality of life, BBC News reported.
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Scientists Identify DNA Changes Linked to Prostate Cancer
DNA changes linked to many cases of prostate cancer have been identified by U.S. researchers, the Boston Globe reported.
These DNA changes are common in the American population and, together, can increase the risk of prostate cancer by more than five times, said the study in the journal Nature Genetics.
The scientists said these DNA changes may underlie up to two-thirds of prostate cancer cases in black Americans and one-third of cases in whites, the Globe reported.
The finding could eventually lead to improved methods of screening and treating prostate cancer, which is the second leading cause of death among American men.
Interestingly, all these changes are in so-called junk DNA, which contain no genes and have no known biological function. It's possible that the scientists may have uncovered a new mechanism behind this and other forms of cancer, the Globe reported.
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Scientists Grow Human Heart Valve From Stem Cells
In a world first, British scientists grew a human heart valve from stem cells. The breakthrough, which took a decade to achieve, was led by internationally renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, a professor of cardiac surgery at Imperial College London.
Animals tests are scheduled for later this year. If they prove successful, this method could be available within a few years to treat heart disease patients, the Daily Mail reported.
Yacoub and his team used chemical and physical means to coax bone marrow stem cells to grow into heart valve cells. They then placed the cells into scaffolds made of collagen and grew small discs of heart valve tissue.
This research is a major advance toward the goal of growing an entire beating heart, the Daily Mail reported.
"It is an ambitious project but not impossible. If you want me to guess I'd say 10 years," Yacoub said. "But experience has shown that the progress that is happening nowadays makes it possible to achieve milestones in a shorter time. I wouldn't be surprised if it was some day sooner than we think."
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FDA Approves Combination Diabetes Drug
A 2-in-1 tablet called Janumet to treat diabetes has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, drug maker Merck & Co. said.
Janumet contains a new Merck diabetes drug called Januvia and an older diabetes drug called metformin, the Associated Press reported. Some type 2 diabetes patients already take Januvia and metformin separately. This combined drug is designed to make it easier for patients to control their blood sugar levels, according to Merck.
Januvia, approved by the FDA last October, enhances the body's own ability to lower blood sugar levels.
Novartis AG has applied to the FDA for approval of a similar drug called Galvus, the AP reported.
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Simple Tests Detect Placental Damage
A combination of simple, non-invasive tests early in pregnancy can detect placental damage that may cause stillbirth or a severely underweight premature infant, says a Canadian study that included 212 women with high-risk pregnancies.
Standard blood tests for Down syndrome and spina bifida, as well as a uterine Doppler flow test to check maternal blood flow in the placenta, and an ultrasound to check the shape of the placenta can help doctors determine if a pregnant woman has a damaged placenta, said the team at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, the Canadian Press reported.
The study appears in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Through the placenta, a developing fetus receives oxygen, nutrients and antibodies from the mother. An improperly formed or ill-functioning placenta can lead to a number of fetal problems.
"This strategy allows us to identify women that we should study to try to prevent placental damage. The first way to prevent it is to diagnoses it," principal investigator Dr. John Kingdom, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, told the CP.
There are a number of methods for treating a damaged placenta.
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