The Caruso Homeopathy Blog

Autism spectrum disorders are a genetically heterogeneous constellation of syndromes characterized by impairments in reciprocal social interaction. Available somatic treatments have limited efficacy. We have identified inactivating mutations in the gene BCKDK (Branched Chain Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Kinase) in consanguineous families with autism, epilepsy, and intellectual disability. The encoded protein is responsible for phosphorylation-mediated inactivation of the E1-α subunit of branched chain ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH). Patients with homozygous BCKDK mutations display reductions in BCKDK mRNA and protein, E1-α phosphorylation, and plasma branched chain amino acids. Bckdk knockout mice show abnormal brain amino acid profiles and neurobehavioral deficits that respond to dietary supplementation. Thus, autism presenting with intellectual disability and epilepsy caused by BCKDK mutations represents a potentially treatable syndrome. Read on

By David Liu, PHD

Tuesday Aug 28, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in Cancer Causes and Control suggests that maintaining a high level of serum vitamin D may help fight a variety of malignancies including breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer and lymphoma. Previous studies suggest taking vitamin D supplements may fight prostate cancer as well. Read on
 

Study: Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity Diagnosed by Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Challenge: Exploring a New Clinical Entity.

Carroccio A, Mansueto P, Iacono G, Soresi M, D'Alcamo A, Cavataio F, Brusca I, Florena AM, Ambrosiano G, Seidita A, Pirrone G, Rini GB.

Source

Division of Internal Medicine, Hospital of Sciacca, ASP, Agrigento, Italy.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Non-celiac wheat sensitivity (WS) is considered a new clinical entity. An increasing percentage of the general population avoids gluten ingestion. However, the real existence of this condition is debated and specific markers are lacking. Our aim was thus to demonstrate the existence of WS and define its clinical, serologic, and histological markers.

METHODS:

We reviewed the clinical charts of all subjects with an irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like presentation who had been diagnosed with WS using a double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) challenge in the years 2001-2011. One hundred celiac disease (CD) patients and fifty IBS patients served as controls.

RESULTS:

Two hundred and seventy-six patients with WS, as diagnosed by DBPC challenge, were included. Two groups showing distinct clinical characteristics were identified: WS alone (group 1) and WS associated with multiple food hypersensitivity (group 2). As a whole group, the WS patients showed a higher frequency of anemia, weight loss, self-reported wheat intolerance, coexistent atopy, and food allergy in infancy than the IBS controls. There was also a higher frequency of positive serum assays for IgG/IgA anti-gliadin and cytometric basophil activation in "in vitro" assay. The main histology characteristic of WS patients was eosinophil infiltration of the duodenal and colon mucosa. Patients with WS alone were characterized by clinical features very similar to those found in CD patients. Patients with multiple food sensitivity were characterized by clinical features similar to those found in allergic patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our data confirm the existence of non-celiac WS as a distinct clinical condition. We also suggest the existence of two distinct populations of subjects with WS: one with characteristics more similar to CD and the other with characteristics pointing to food allergy.Am J Gastroenterol advance online publication, 24 July 2012; doi:10.1038/ajg.2012.236.

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What is in your gut may determine how much you weigh on the scale. The human gut contains a lot of organisms that help break down food. Recent research has suggested that manipulating the composition of the organisms in the gut can help people live a healthy life
Read more at http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/11743/20120827/gut-bacteria-manipulate-weight.htm#sUolEQfwGfbT3CC7.99

Some new research tried to figure out what might help post-menopausal women achieve long-term weight loss. And it turns out that adding produce to their diet didn’t show up as especially helpful in the short term, but in the long term it mattered.

Read on

Vitamin B12 is essential to human health. However, some people have inherited conditions that leave them unable to process vitamin B12. As a result they are prone to serious health problems, including developmental delay, psychosis, stroke and dementia. An international research team recently discovered a new genetic disease related to vitamin B12 deficiency by identifying a gene that is vital to the transport of vitamin into the cells of the body. This discovery will help doctors better diagnose this rare genetic disorder and open the door to new treatments. The findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics.
redOrbit (http://s.tt/1lR8u)
 

New research indicates vitamin B3, also known as nicotinamide, may be able to fight off antibiotic-resistant staph infections that have plagued hospitals and killed thousands worldwide.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/28/large-doses-vitamin-b3-may-treat-staph-infections-study-says/#ixzz26Rqze0FV

Now a seemingly harmless bug can do much more than just give you a cold. A new study has found that a certain type of bug may be priming suicide bids by causing subtle changes in the brain. New research adds to the growing work linking an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to suicide attempts, according to Michigan State University’s Lena Brundin. Read on

A gastrointestinal infection can send the immune system into overdrive, new research finds, causing immune cells to target beneficial gut bacteria as well as the bad.
The findings in mice suggest, but do not prove, a potential link between gut infections and the later development of inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/24/gut-infections-may-be-linked-to-inflammatory-bowel-disease/#ixzz26RpVbp00
 

Adults who exercise for shorter bursts of time can lose as much weight as those who work out for up to twice as long, a study has suggested.  Read on

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Research published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics indicates there is no benefit for the average healthy adult to follow the gluten-free diet. It also debunks the perception that going gluten-free is an effective way to lose weight. The paper, “Gluten-Free Diet: Imprudent Dietary Advice for the General Population?” authored by Arizona State University professor and researcher, Glenn Gaesser, PhD, addresses common misperceptions about the gluten-free diet and explores the scientific support for following it. 
Read on
 

Speech may reveal more than just your eloquence. A new study has found that speech patterns can reveal the severity of depression as well as a patient’s response to treatment. The study, the largest of its kind in the world, found that improvement in patients diagnosed with depression and undergoing treatment can be monitored over the phone by looking at changes in their speech. Read on.

Now you can add the brain to the list of things that are affected by extreme stress. Researchers say prolonged stress can actually shrink brain tissue, CBS 2′s Elise Finch reports. Read on

Exposing very young kids to antibiotics may cause them to bloat up in childhood, says a new research based on 11,532 children. Researchers from the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and and its Wagner School of Public Service found that, on an average, children exposed to antibiotics from birth to five months of age weighed more for their height than children who were not exposed to antibiotics. Between the ages of 10 to 20 months, this translated into small increases in body mass percentile, based on models that incorporated the potential impacts of diet, physical activity and parental obesity, the International Journal of Obesity reports. Read on

Research published in the recent issue of Biology of Reproduction Papers-in-Press reports that 75 grams (approximately 2.5 ounces) of walnuts consumed per day improved sperm vitality, motility, and morphology (normal forms) in a group of healthy young men between 21-35 years of age. These findings are of particular interest to the 70 million couples worldwide who experience sub-fertility or infertility. In fact, 30 – 50% of these cases are attributed to the male partner, and in the United States the prevalence of men seeking help for fertility is estimated at ~3.3 – 4.7 million[1]. Read on

An antioxidant-rich diet could do your lungs a favor when exposed to air pollution, according to a small new study. Read on

THURSDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Taking vitamin D supplements may lower children's risk of respiratory infections, according to a new study. Read on

Study: OBJECTIVE: Observational studies suggest that serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) are inversely associated with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). We hypothesized that vitamin D supplementation of children with vitamin D deficiency would lower the risk of ARIs.  Read on.

Study: OBJECTIVE: Observational studies suggest that serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) are inversely associated with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). We hypothesized that vitamin D supplementation of children with vitamin D deficiency would lower the risk of ARIs.  Read on.

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound. Numerous animal studies have been reported on its wide-ranging beneficial effects in the biological system including diabetes mellitus (DM). We hypothesized, therefore, that oral supplementation of resveratrol would improve the glycemic control and the associated risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The present clinical study was therefore carried out to test the hypothesis. Sixty-two patients with T2DM were enrolled from Government Headquarters Hospital, Ootacamund, India, in a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled trial. Patients were randomized into control and intervention groups. The control group received only oral hypoglycemic agents, whereas the intervention group received resveratrol (250 mg/d) along with their oral hypoglycemic agents for a period of 3 months. Hemoglobin A1c, lipid profile, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and protein were measured at the baseline and at the end of 3 months. The results reveal that supplementation of resveratrol for 3 months significantly improves the mean hemoglobin A1c (means ± SD, 9.99 ± 1.50 vs 9.65 ± 1.54; P < .05), systolic blood pressure (mean ± SD, 139.71 ± 16.10 vs 127.92 ± 15.37; P < .05), total cholesterol (mean ± SD, 4.70 ± 0.90 vs 4.33 ± 0.76; P < .05), and total protein (mean ± SD, 75.6 ± 4.6 vs 72.3 ± 6.2; P < .05) in T2DM. No significant changes in body weight and high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols were observed. Oral supplementation of resveratrol is thus found to be effective in improving glycemic control and may possibly provide a potential adjuvant for the treatment and management of diabetes. Read on