Scientists discover gene that controls body clock

The gene in question, zinc finger homeobox 3 (Zfhx3), is highly active in the hypothalamus - an area of the brain that is responsible for the production of several important hormones.

Published in Cell, the study's findings could explain why the body clock remains so consistent and why the irregular hours of shift work can have such a negative effect on employees' health.

Previously, Medical News Today ran a Spotlight investigating the impact of shift work on health, examining how disruption to the body clock can cause sleep problems and potentially increase the prevalence of certain diseases.

"We've known for some time that upsetting the body clock isn't good for us but this study takes us a lot closer to understanding the mechanism of that clock," states study co-author Dr. Michael Hastings, a researcher at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.

The body clock is also referred to as the circadian clock or cycle. It is a cycle lasting roughly the length of a day that controls the timing of several crucial biological processes such as sleep, hormone production and body temperature regulation. These processes that regularly change over the course of the day are known as circadian rhythms.

Although these processes are in part managed by cells within corresponding tissues, for all of the processes across the body to synchronize, there needs to be a centralized point to co-ordinate everything. This point is a small region of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).

Study authors investigated mice with a 'short circuit' body clock

To learn more about the workings of the body clock, the researchers compared the genes of mice with abnormally short body clocks with a control group with normal circadian rhythms. It was during this comparison that the researchers discovered Zfhx3 plays a much more prominent role than previously understood.

Although Zfhx3 had never been considered to be a part of the body clock, the researchers were able to demonstrate that it regulates the expression of important neurotransmitters (neuropeptides) and receptors that are crucial to the work of the SCN in synchronizing circadian rhythms.

In the mice, faults in the Zfhx3 gene led to miscommunication between cells in this area of the brain, in turn causing the biological clocks of the mice to be much faster than normal.

Lead researcher Dr. Pat Nolan says:

"Our discovery of this gene fault that speeds up the circadian rhythm of mice provides a valuable insight into how the body clock is controlled. This approach has allowed us to gain insight into how the regulation of neuropeptide networks in the hypothalamus can synchronize biological clocks in the whole organism."

Being unable to synchronize biological rhythms within the brain has previously been associated with various behavioral and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Dr. Hastings states that their findings help explain why work patterns that force people to work against the synchronization of their body clock could lead to mental health and psychiatric disease.

"The success of this project highlights the enormous potential of using approaches based on mouse genetics to understand brain function and provides answers we could not get in other ways," he concludes.

Earlier this year, another group of scientists was successful in identifying the key cells in the SCN that are critical in determining circadian rhythms.

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Venezuelan soccer player's medical bill $100,000 and rising

Jose Garcia had no travel insurance and wasn't covered by league insurance when he was hurt

A Venezuelan tourist is facing a medical bill of over $100,000 after being badly injured in a soccer game while he was on holiday in B.C.

Jose Garcia had been visiting Vancouver since January when he joined a friend's recreational soccer league, Colombia FC. He suffered a crushed kidney while playing goal on July 16 . 

"When I was going to catch the ball, the other team striker jumped and he hit me with his knee in my stomach," said Garcia from a wheelchair outside of Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C.

The 22 year-old collapsed on the field and was rushed to hospital. Since then, he's had three surgeries and contracted pneumonia.

Garcia, who played semi-pro soccer in Venezuela, did not renew his travel medical insurance when it expired in April. 

The Multicultural Soccer Association of British Columbia, in which Colombia FC plays, does carry extended medical insurance, but as a foreigner Garcia is not covered. 

Garcia's friends from Colombia FC have started a crowdfunding campaign to help pay his medical bills. 

"He is here alone from Venezuela," said Jaquie Marin. "He's got no family. We have become his family because he plays on the soccer team that our sons play on."

As of 11 a.m. PT Saturday, just over $2,000 had been raised.

"There are no words that can express how thankful, how grateful I am," said Garcia. "I really appreciate all that they are doing."

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Most common medical condition for cats

A recent analysis of medical claims by Veterinary Pet Insurance finds that bladder and urinary tract infections are the most common medical conditions for cats.

Dr. Carol McConnell, Chief Medical Officer at VPI, says urinary tract infections can be serious, so you need to know the warning signs.

“If they are frequently urinating, straining inside the box or outside the box, frequent licking of the genital area down there where they urinate, vocalizing or crying, you need to take that very seriously with a cat,” Dr. McConnell said.

Sometimes the problem can be caused by bacteria, sometimes by crystals or stones. But in 60 to 70 percent of the cases, she tells me, there is no obvious reason why the lining of the bladder is inflamed. And there's a name for this: Idiopathic Cystitis.

"Idiopathic means we don't know what actually causes it and cystitis means inflammation of the bladder lining,” she explained.

A cat with idiopathic cystitis is usually given a special diet and pain relievers. Pet parents are also told how to keep their cat's stress level low.

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Lawmakers Call For Investigation Into DOJ's Continued Crackdown On Medical Marijuana

Two congressmen behind a federal provision protecting state-legal medical marijuana operations are seeking an investigation into the Department of Justice's continued crackdown on medical marijuana patients and providers, saying the DOJ may be in violation of federal law.

"We request that you immediately investigate the Department's expenditure of funds to continue prosecuting these cases, which we believe are in direct violation of the prohibition on such expenditures established by Rohrabacher-Farr," reads the letter, addressed to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz from Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). 

Rohrabacher and Farr's amendment, which blocks the Justice Department from using funds to undermine state-legal medical marijuana programs, found support in Congress and ultimately made it into the final federal spending bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in December. As the marijuana provision is part of an annual funding bill that will expire, the lawmakers introduced an identical version again in June, which was reauthorized by the House of Representatives. 

Despite last year's provision becoming law, "the Department has continued to pursue and prosecute individuals and businesses for involvement with medical marijuana in states where it is legal despite the clear direction in the law to forswear such activities," the lawmakers wrote Thursday.

DOJ spokesman Patrick Rodenbush laid out the department's justification for doing so earlier this year, telling the Los Angeles Times that the marijuana protections only stop the department from "impeding the ability of states to carry out their medical marijuana laws," and that the DOJ didn't "expect that the amendment will impact our ability to prosecute private individuals or private entities who are violating the Controlled Substances Act.” 

But in Thursday's letter, the congressmen blast Rodenbush's position on the matter.

"Mr. Rodenbush's interpretation is clearly a stretch," the letter reads. "The implementation of state law is carried out by individuals and businesses as the state authorizes them to do. For DOJ to argue otherwise is a tortuous twisting of the text ... and common sense."

Any DOJ official who interprets their provision differently is "doing so knowingly and willfully, without regard for the facts," the congressmen argue, adding that the continued use of federal funds to prevent individuals or businesses who are compliant with their state laws is "clearly a violation" of their provision.

Although the DOJ has slowed its crackdown on medical marijuana recently, it continues to target some dispensaries and patients. 

Earlier this year, Farr and Rohrabacher, along with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), wrote a letter publicly condemning the DOJ for trying to shutter the Oakland, California-based Harborside Health Center -- widely considered to be the largest and one of the most well-respected medical marijuana dispensaries in the nation.

In Washington state last year, the DOJ went after a family of medical marijuana patients who have maintained they were growing more than 70 medical marijuana plants for their own personal medical use near their rural home in Kettle Falls.

Citing these and other cases in their letter, Rohrabacher and Farr argue the DOJ has overstepped its bounds "spending dollars it does not have the legal authority to spend."

A spokesman for the DOJ inspector general's office acknowledged that the letter was received and said that the office will respond to the congressmen after reviewing it. DOJ spokesman Rodenbush declined a Huffington Post request for comment. 

To date, 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, and an additional 17 have legalized limited medical use of nonpsychoactive cannabis extracts, which are often used to treat children with severe epilepsy. Four states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. 

Under the Obama administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration and several U.S. attorneys have raided marijuana dispensaries and sent people to prison, even though they complied with state laws. According to a 2013 report released by advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, the Obama administration has spent nearly $80 million each year -- more than $200,000 per day -- cracking down on medical marijuana.

Meanwhile, the American public overwhelmingly support the use of medical marijuana: A 2014 CBS News poll found 86 percent of Americans believe doctors should be able to prescribe marijuana to their patients.

Despite the public's support and congressional amendment's protections, the federal government continues to classify the plant among the most "dangerous" substances, alongside heroin and LSD, with "no currently accepted medical use."

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NY's Medical Pot Distributors Reflect Industry's Evolution

Tie-dyed they're not.

Entrepreneurs, physicians and well-heeled investors are among those authorized by New York health officials to grow and dispense medical marijuana, the latest sign that the industry has come a long way from its humble beginnings 20 years ago.

"You can't ignore that this is a billion-dollar industry," said Marc Ross, a New York City attorney who has studied the emergence of medical marijuana. "The big businesses are sitting on the sidelines now because they can't come out of the closet — not just yet anyway."

Of the five companies selected Friday that will grow and dispense the medication, three have significant experience in other states with existing programs. One vendor has three physicians on its board. Another boasts executives who have worked at Goldman Sachs and PepsiCo.

Since California's first legal medical marijuana dispensaries opened in 1996, 22 other states have passed their own medical pot laws as the industry evolved in the face of skepticism by investors and some in the medical community and a patchwork of conflicting state and federal laws.

Few states have a law as restrictive as New York's 2014 statute, which, for now, caps the number of dispensaries at 20 and requires the marijuana to be sold in non-smokable forms like oils and tinctures that can be ingested or vaporized. The dispensaries are expected to open in January.

The state's cautious approach reflects persistent concerns not only about the efficacy of the drug, but also about the risk that marijuana would be diverted for recreational uses. It frustrates advocates who note longstanding programs in many other states.

"It's not like we have to start from scratch," said Julie Netherland, deputy state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. "Twenty-two other states have done this. We know a lot more about medical cannabis than we did back in 1996. The medical cannabis industry has grown in sophistication."

New York officials maintained that they're using lessons learned in other states to create a program that ensures people get medication they need for conditions such as cancer, epilepsy and AIDS while discouraging abuse of the drug.

The five vendors selected by the state were chosen "through a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation process," according to state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.

The winners are Bloomfield Industries, whose founder is entrepreneur Richard Yost; Columbia Care NY LLC, which operates medical marijuana facilities in four states and Washington D.C.; Empire State Health Solutions, which has experience opening a greenhouse and dispensaries inMinnesota; and PharmaCann, one of the largest operators in Illinois' program.

Executives at the companies said it takes much more than a greenhouse and a grow lamp to succeed in the business. Today's medical marijuana vendors tout partnerships with hospitals and boast of Wall Street business acumen. Columbia Care NY LLC is working with researchers from Mount Sinai Health System.

"Our commitment to sponsor research with our hospital partners will ensure that New York State will remain at the cutting edge of innovation by continually improving patient care," said Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care.

It's a big change from 20 years ago, when many in the medical community discounted claims about marijuana's therapeutic value and medical marijuana was dismissed by some as fringe science and a stealthy ploy for legalization.

The fifth vendor is perhaps the closest thing to a mom-and-pop business: Etain LLC is owned by Hillary Peckham and her siblings. Their interest in the industry began when their grandmother was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and a doctor suggested marijuana.

"We watched that decline and had that experience of wanting to offer her anything that would have eased the suffering," Peckham said. "We want to help people get the medicine that can improve their quality of life."

Each of the five vendors will operate one cultivation facility and four dispensaries. Grow centers are planned for Queens, Orange, Monroe, Fulton and Warren counties. Four dispensaries are planned for New York City, with four more slated for the suburbs and the remaining 12 scattered throughout upstate New York.

Advocates predict the industry will continue to grow nationally and in New York, where there's already a push to allow more dispensaries.

"It's ludicrous because it's just not going to be enough, not for a state the size of New York," said Nancy Rivera, a Troy resident who became an advocate for medical marijuana after four bouts with cancer. "This isn't the law that we wanted passed in this state, and we're going to keep working at it."

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Modern nuclear disasters: biggest risk is mental, not physical illness

With respect to the most recent Fukushima incident, Dr. Koichi Tanigawa, of Fukushima Medical University in Japan, says:

"Although the radiation dose to the public from Fukushima was relatively low, and no discernible physical health effects are expected, psychological and social problems, largely stemming from the differences in risk perceptions, have had a devastating impact on people's lives."

There are 437 nuclear power plants in operation around the world, but nuclear accident is uncommon. The most recent disaster was at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011.

There have been four other severe nuclear accidents (rated as level 5 or higher - "an accident with wider consequences") - Kyshtym in Russia in 1957, Windscale Piles in the UK also in that year, Three Mile Island in the US in 1979 and Chernobyl in Russia in 1986.

Mental distress of evacuation

In 2006, the UN (United Nations) Chernobyl Forum report concluded that the accident's most serious public health issue was the adverse effects on mental health.

Poor communication about the health risks associated with radiation levels made the problem worse.

Rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remain elevated 20 years after the accident.

Fukushima saw similar problems. The Fukushima Health Management Survey reported that the proportion of adults with psychological distress was almost five times higher for evacuees. The proportion was 14.6%, compared with 3% in the general population.

Repeat evacuations and long-term displacement bring severe health care problems for the most vulnerable, the authors highlight. Mortality among older people in the first 3 months following evacuation went up by a factor of three.

In one of The Lancet papers, Prof. Akira Ohtsuru, of Fukushima Medical University, and colleagues discuss ways to protect the millions of residents who might be exposed to radiation after another nuclear accident.

Minimizing potential harms to physical and mental health could include responding to parental concerns about cancer risks for children and helping evacuees to adjust to new places, the paper says.

Fukushima offers lessons, the authors say. "One of the key tasks of the health services is to reliably communicate that in most nuclear accidents, very few people are exposed to a life-threatening dose of radiation," they report, adding:

"Physicians must play a key role in helping residents understand the health risks. Evacuation of a large population of vulnerable people in nursing homes and hospitals will also need careful planning and adequate medical support.

Additionally, screening for mental illness in residents relocated from their homes and providing mental health care will be essential."

70 years on from bombs

The long-term health impact of radiation exposure from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and from the Chernobyl nuclear accident are the subject of the report led by Prof. Kenji Kamiya, vice president of Hiroshima University in Japan.

A clear higher lifetime risk of cancer in survivors is shown by the Japanese Life Span Study, which followed 94,000 atomic bomb survivors from 5 years after the bombings in 1950 to the current day.

There was a dose-response for solid cancers and a higher risk for people exposed at younger ages.

After Chernobyl, an increased risk of childhood thyroid cancer among those with internal exposures from consuming radioactivity in food was also seen in affected areas. Hereditary effects in the children of survivors have not yet been detected.

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