BRI Briefs
BWH Medical Staff News brings you BRI Briefs to share some of the latest research news coming out of the Biomedical Research Institute (BRI).
Roberts Makes Strides in Noonan Syndrome Research
Amy Roberts, MD, of the Genetics Division, led a team of researchers in the discovery of new gene mutations which cause Noonan Syndrome, a congenital disorder characterized by a wide range of symptoms including abnormal facial features; a broad or webbed neck, a low hairline in the back of the head and short stature. Their paper appears in the December 2006 issue of Nature Genetics.
Lechene Paper Recognized
Claude Lechene, MD, of the Department of Medicine, and colleagues developed the methodology for multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS), a revolutionary technique to image and quantify molecules labeled with stable or radioactive isotopes within subcellular compartments. It was published in the Oct. 5 Journal of Biology and received an honorable mention in the field of biology from BioMed Central in the publisher’s first Open Access Research Awards.
Vitamin D Insufficiency and Prostate Cancer Risk
Many researchers hypothesize that vitamin D, often obtained through diet and sunlight, decreases prostate cancer risk as higher prostate cancer mortality is seen in regions of low solar radiation exposure. Additionally, rates of prostate cancer are higher in men whose vitamin D deficiencies are attributed to African descent, northern latitudes and old age.
Haojie Li, MD, PhD, and colleagues from the Channing Laboratory at BWH and HMS observed that a large portion of men a part of the Physicians’ Health Study had less than optimal blood levels of vitamin D, and that this insufficiency increased their risk for prostate cancer. Additionally, the researchers found that men with the less functional Fokl ff genotype are more susceptible to prostate cancer in the presence of low vitamin D status.
This study appears in the March 20 PLoS Medicine, and received funding from the National Institutes of Health and US Army Medical Research.
Whole-Grain Cereal Decreases Heart Failure Risk
Luc Djousse, MD, MPH, DSc, and J. Michael Gaziano, MD, both of the Department of Aging, observed a 28 percent decrease in the risk of developing heart failure in people who ate whole-grain breakfast cereal seven or more times per week compared to those who ate refined cereal. Djousse presented this finding at the American Heart Association’s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention on March 2.
In addition to the above finding, the researchers also observed a 22 percent decrease in heart failure risk in people who ate whole-grain cereal two to six times per week and a 14 percent decrease in those who ate whole-grain cereal up to once per week.
According to the researchers, if this data is confirmed by other studies, a healthy diet including whole-grains found in breakfast cereal and other foods, along with other measures like exercise and not smoking, may help reduce the risk of heart failure.
This research, a part of The Physicians’ Health Study, was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
KPF Boosts Metabolism in Human Skeletal Muscle Cells
Antonio C. Bianco, MD, PhD, and colleagues from the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension observed a 30 percent increase in energy expenditure in human skeletal muscle cells treated with kaempferol (KPF), a flavonol found in foods such as apples, onions, leeks, citrus fruits and grapes.
Additionally, the researchers observed that KPF leads to a several fold stimulation of the D2 enzyme, which activates thyroid hormone. These findings appear in the March 2007 issue of Diabetes.
However, because this research is in its preliminary stage, it is hard to predict the effects of increased consumption of leeks and other natural sources of KPF on body weight, Bianco explained.
The NIH funded this research.
BRI Briefs also appear on bwhbriresearchintranet.partners.org, the BRI Intranet, and on brighamandwomens.org under Public Affairs. Researchers are encouraged to submit their work for consideration through the BRI Public Affairs Kit available on the BRI Intranet.