Archived BioMedical News

All Weight Gain is Not the Same
March 05, 2012. By From

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 4 -- The Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute issued the following news release: Malnutrition in its many forms remains a world-wide epidemic. In the United States, more than 60 percent of adults are classified as overweight or obese, whereas third-world nations are struggling with under-nutrition and insufficient food supplies. A new study provides scientific insight that may benefit development of public health policy to influence healthy weight gain. A study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examines the impact of diets containing varying amounts of protein on weight gain, body composition and energy expenditure. The research , led by Steven R. Smith, M.D., Florida Hospital - Sanford-Burnham Translational Research Institute, and George Bray, M.D., Pennington Biomedical Research Center, found that total calories account for increases in body fat, while increasing the percent of dietary protein during overfeeding led to more lean body mass storage. The research appears to be the first to analyze the impact of dietary protein during overfeeding and provides guidance on dietary composition for healthy weight gain. Consuming a high protein/low calorie diet for weight loss has been a well-known, yet controversial method of dieting. Protein in the diet may raise resting energy expenditure, effectively burning calories. The study's investigators were intrigued by this principle and decided to look at the impact of varying levels of protein during overconsumption to better understand metabolic changes that occur during obesity. Dr. Steven Smith, scientific director of the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, was the principal investigator on the research protocol and one of the first authors. "A large number of studies have been performed to understand the role of protein to help dieters. Our work addresses the possibility that protein is important to help prevent weight gain through increased calorie burning," explained Dr. Smith. Participants lived in an inpatient unit for 10 to 12 weeks. Initially, test subjects consumed a weight stabilizing diet while their energy expenditure was measured. Subsequently, they were fed diets with 40 percent higher energy value with eitherfive percent (low), 15 percent (normal), or 25 percent (high) of calories from protein. Body composition was measured biweekly using a whole body scanner. Body fat increased similarly in all three protein diets. Resting energy expenditure and body protein increased significantly with the normal and high protein diets. While the low protein diet resulted in less total weight gain, all of the weight was deposited as fat. In contrast, weight gain on the mid- and high-level protein diets included increased lean body mass. The study is remarkable for its duration and number of participants, having evaluated 25 participants for 24 hours per day during a 10-week inpatient period. The authors believe that this is the first study to analyze the impact of three levels of dietary protein during overfeeding and one of a few to calculate both resting and total energy expenditure. "As obesity develops, metabolic changes occur that reflect the differences in the way that individuals process food. The next phase of research will evaluate the mechanisms that account for the increased energy burned," said Dr. Smith. "Understanding how the body increases calorie burning will provide insight into novel ways to rev up metabolism as a way to treat metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Orlando's soon-to-open Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (TRI), a collaboration between Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Florida Hospital, will enable this kind of cutting-edge clinical research in metabolism. The new facility will house clinic space, testing rooms, a 3T MRI scanner, a DEXA scan, calorimetry rooms to measure energy metabolism, and a biorepository. These and other technologies will help researchers understand the metabolic origins of obesity and diabetes. The TRI is expected to open in early 2012. This study was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Louisiana State University. The primary investigator was Dr. George A. Bray of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La. Dr. Steven R. Smith of the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, Orlando, Fla., was primary investigator on the research protocol. Both Drs. Bray and Smith contributed equally to this work. Co-authors include George Bray, Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Steven R. Smith, Translational Research Institute; Lilian de Jonge, National Institutes of Health ; Hui Xie, Translational Research Institute; Jennifer Rood, Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Corby K. Martin, Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Marlene Most, St. James Place; Courtney Brock, Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Susan Mancuso, Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and Leanne M. Redman, Pennington Biomedical Research Center. >> More

Scripps Florida Team Awarded Nearly $1.5 Million to Develop Potent New HIV Inhibitors
March 05, 2012. By From

A Scripps Florida team has been awarded nearly $1.5 million by the National Institutes of Health to identify and develop novel potent inhibitors of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS. A. Donny Strosberg, a professor on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, is the principal investigator for the new three-year study. Current treatments of HIV-infected patients are based on combinations of drugs--called cocktails--that target several critical key steps in the early and late stages of the viral replication cycle. While these combinations have proven effective in controlling the infection in many patients, the continuous emergence of new multi-resistant viral strains requires the development of new classes of drugs that can be aimed at different targets on HIV. Strosberg's target is the capsid protein or CA, the primary component of the HIV virion--the infectious particle responsible for transporting the viral genome to host cells. This viral protein forms a cone-shaped shell around the HIV genome, and plays a critical role in the lifecycle of the virus by packaging and organizing the viral genome so that HIV can replicate efficiently. "Because of the growing resistance of HIV against current treatments, a new, differently targeted approach to treating the disease is urgently needed," Strosberg said. "We expect to use the HIV capsid protein as a new high-throughput screening target for the discovery of novel anti-HIV/AIDS agents." Identifying new compounds that could target the CA protein might make it possible to prevent the protein's assembly into capsid shells in the first place, blocking the virus's infectivity, and adding a potent complement to existing treatments, he said. This strategy has worked well for Strosberg's group, which has in the past years discovered several potent inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus. Strosberg and his colleagues, who include Susana Valente, PhD, an assistant professor at Scripps Florida , and Massimo Caputi, PhD, an associate professor of biomedical science at the Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, plan to perform an initial screening of some 350,000 compounds in the Molecular Libraries Probe Centers Network at Scripps Research ; Scripps Research is one of only four such large probe centers nationwide. >> More

Promising ovarian cancer drug is being tested in Sarasota
February 09, 2012. By Barbara Peters Smith From

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is the first site in the world to enroll participants in a study using newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients’ immune systems to create a personalized drug designed to target and destroy their deadly disease. Should the custom-blended medicine, called CVac, succeed in keeping the cancer from returning, it could extend the lives of more than 22,000 U.S. women whose cancer is diagnosed each year. There is even a chance that CVac — called a vaccine because of its potential to immunize the patient — could be made powerful enough to prevent ovarian cancer in the first place. The experimental vaccine, developed by Primo BioMed in Australia, has passed safety studies and won approval for marketing in the Middle East. Other clinical trials have involved women with advanced ovarian cancer, but this is the first study of effectiveness in newly diagnosed patients. The enthusiasm of one local women’s cancer specialist thrust Southwest Florida into the global picture in ovarian cancer research. This is the kind of advanced-stage study once confined to major academic centers. But new technologies are enabling people in places like Sarasota to participate in cutting-edge research without leaving home. Three local women have already been accepted in the study, said James Fiorica, the principal investigator in the research who pushed for trial here. The Sarasota collaboration also involves other oncologists and radiologists, the hospital’s oncology research department and Suncoast Communities Blood Bank. Ovarian cancer most often strikes women over 55, and has a high fatality rate because its symptoms are usually so subtle — bloating and abdominal discomfort — that the cancer spreads to other parts of the body before detection. CVac is designed for the 80 percent of ovarian cancer patients whose tumors contain an antigen called mucin-1, which the vaccine was developed to seek out and kill. There is no guarantee the vaccine will work, and 50 percent of patients in the study will be getting a placebo instead of the real thing. But vaccines will be created for all participants, Fiorica said. >> More

The Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation - Tampa: CAMLS Debut promises huge economic gains
January 30, 2012. By Alex Mahadevan From

It will be a bright year for Tampa Bay businesses and academic leaders if the University of South Florida Health's new location in downtown Tampa lives up to expectations. The Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation, most often referred to as CAMLS , is set to open in February. The long-awaited debut of the 90,000-squarefoot development is expected to generate $38 million in economic impact in its first year and create a hub for research in health science that will draw doctors in for years to come. Steady tourism dollars from the center's visitors is only one aspect the public should be excited about, says Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. CAMLS , which has been touted as the only project of its kind worldwide, is expected to attract interest from companies in the field of biomedical technology and robotics. In fact, Buckhorn recently took a trip to Israel to rouse interest from Israeli robotic firm Simbionix, which already works with USF. But, John Armstrong, associate professor of surgery at USF, says CAMLS will do more than bring tourists and jobs here, it will keep graduates of area universities in place. "There is so much talent here," he says, "and ( CAMLS ) will do more than just keep them here: it will bring others." John Ramil, chairman of the USF board of trustees and president and CEO of TECO Energy, says this will create a cycle of unprecedented economic growth for the region. "I'm not too excited about the name," Ramil says, "but I'm sure excited about the concept." >> More

New surgeries drive weight loss
January 30, 2012. By From

When the scale read 308 pounds, Orlando Denis decided it was time to make a change. “It felt like I wasn’t me anymore,” said Denis, a former City of Miami police officer who once played baseball professionally. “I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol. I was borderline diabetic.” Last year, Denis scheduled a meeting with Dr. Anthony Gonzalez, the medical director of South Miami Hospital’s Weight-loss Surgery Program. Last July, he underwent bariatric surgery. “It was the best decision I could have ever made,” said Denis, 48, now 185 pounds. As Denis can attest, new techniques and technologies are driving advances in bariatric surgery. >> More

Researchers find blood cancer may be more common than realized
January 23, 2012. By From

A group of life-threatening blood disorders collectively called myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, may occur four times more often than reported by national cancer registries, according to new research from the University of Florida based on data from Medicare claims. MDS occurs when the body's blood factory does not produce healthy red or white blood cells or platelets. Getting a more accurate picture of the disease could lead to earlier diagnosis for patients and better guidance for public health policy. The findings, reported in the November issue of the journal Leukemia Research and in an earlier issue of the journal Blood, indicate that more women than men are overlooked. "The data from the cancer registry is showing us a partial picture of MDS," said Christopher R. Cogle, M.D., an associate professor of hematology and oncology in the UF College of Medicine's department of medicine. "State cancer registries, which feed the national registries, need more resources so they can more comprehensively capture this disease and others, such as skin and gastrointestinal cancers." MDS is a hard-to-diagnose disease that presents itself in a wide range of ways. On the less severe end of the spectrum, it shows up as a low blood cell count, and, at the other extreme, as leukemic growths inside the bone marrow. >> More

New Source of Stem Cell Generation Pioneered at UCF
January 19, 2012. By From

New Source of Stem Cell Generation Pioneered at UCF A process that prompts a single gene to generate millions of supercharged stem cells, which can then turn into any kind of cell a body needs to repair itself, has been patented at the University of Central Florida. Stem cells have long been regarded as a holy grail of sorts in the medical world, because they hold so much potential for treating and perhaps curing some of the most challenging diseases in our time, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes. But a limited supply of stem cells and ethical issues associated with cells from embryonic donors have stalled progress on many fronts. For the past decade, researchers around the world have tried to generate embryonic-like stem cells from adult donors. To achieve stem cells this way, several genes have been required. And many of those genes have been known to trigger cancer. UCF’s approach, called Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology, minimizes the risk because only one gene (Nanog) is used in the process. A study described in Science noted that the gene, which had not been used by others, is not linked to cancer. The study can be seen at: http://www.sciencemag.org/site/products/lst_20070420.xhtml “This technology has the potential of literally changing the entire landscape of regenerative medicine,” said Kiminobu Sugaya, the lead researcher and a professor at UCF’s College of Medicine. “This technology demonstrates the ability to use a patient’s own cells for treatment of a wide range of illness, injury or disease.” Sugaya has been investigating the potential use of stem cells in treating Alzheimer’s disease for years. He holds dozens of patents including the one for this iPS technology, which was recently licensed to Progenicyte, an emerging biopharmaceutical company Sugaya founded in 2008. Sugaya and Progenicyte will now begin extensive collaborate efforts to advance this new technology from the lab to the treatment of patients. With better access to stem cells, scientists may be able to open the body’s healing power more quickly, giving Alzheimer, Parkinson, diabetes, cancer and heart disease patients hope that their own cells may help them get rid of these diseases, Sugaya said. More... Burnett School Undergraduate Presents Findings Dr. Daniell Presents “Green” Solution UCF Discovers Protein Plays Role in Osteoporosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis Burnett School Names New Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Sciences In Thankful Honor of UCF Benefactor Nancy Burnett UCF Licenses Bacteria Test for Possible Crohn's Treatment Grant Aids Fight Against Diabetes UCF, UF Science Partnership Lands $5.5M in NIH Grants Hijacked Proteins Linked to Salmonella Virulence Congratulations to the winners of the 6th Annual Graduate Research Symposium >> More