March 2019 digital v1

The study demonstrates a less invasive
method of drug delivery which can be
used to deliver insulin and other protein
drugs.
Source: Science 08 Feb 2019: Vol. 363, Issue
6427, pp. 611-615 DOI: 10.1126/science.
aau2277 http://science.sciencemag.org/
content/363/6427/611
Gut microbiome may
alter symptoms of
schizophrenia
Peng Zheng et al have found that
people with schizophrenia have
a significant difference in their gut
microbiomes compared to people
without the disorder which may be
linked to the altered neurologic function.
The researchers collected stool samples
from 53 schizophrenia patients who
were taking medication, five samples
from schizophrenia patients who were
not taking medication and from 69
people who did not have schizophrenia.
Gene sequencing of the samples
was done to isolate gut microbiome
bacteria. They divided the bacteria they
found into operational taxonomic units
(OTUs). Out of 854 OTUs, they found
56 that appeared only in schizophrenia
patients and 64 that appeared only
in the control group. They also noted
that the gut microbiomes of the
schizophrenia patients had overall lower
diversity than the control group. The
study also reported the presence of a
smaller subset of bacteria that were
clearly different between schizophrenia
patients and those without the disorder.
On introducing samples of the subset
from the schizophrenia patients into
the microbiomes of healthy mice, the
mice displayed behaviour changes. The
research reveals a plausible link between
schizophrenia microbiome which may
alter neurochemistry and neurologic
function in ways that may be relevant to
schizophrenia pathology.
Source: Science Advances 06 Feb 2019: Vol. 5, no.
2, eaau8317 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau8317 http://
advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/2/eaau8317
Binge-watching of
TV shows raises
colorectal cancer risk
Long H Nguyen et al shows sedentary
behavior as a contributory factor to
the dramatic rise in colorectal cancer
(CRC) among people under the age
of 50. The study specifically looked at
TV viewing time and increased risk of
young-onset CRC, after adjusting for
putative risk factors, including obesity
and physical activity. The study subjected
89,278 American women between 25
and 42 years at the start of the study,
in 1991. The research documented 118
incident cases of young-onset CRC
over 22 years of follow-up. The study
found that in women with 7.1–14 hours
of TV watching per week had a multivariable
relative risk (RR) of 1.12, which
further increased for greater than 14
e-cigarette chemical
flavourings may
impair lung function
Hae-Ryung Park et al found
evidence suggesting the
potentially harmful effect of
two chemicals used to flavour
e-cigarettes on human lungs.
Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedion,
widely used to flavour electronic
cigarettes, were found to impair
the function of cilia in the human
airway by inducing transcriptomic
changes. Researchers identified that
RNA-Sequencing of primary normal
human bronchial epithelial (NHBE)
cells showed a total of 163 and 568
differentially expressed genes in
cells that were exposed to diacetyl
and 2,3-pentanedione, respectively.
The cells were cultured at an airliquid
interface (ALI) to mimic
the in vivo airway characteristics.
The expression of multiple genes
involved in cilia biogenesis was
also found to be significantly
downregulated in reverse
transcription polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) test of NHBE
cells. These flavouring substances
commonly used as food flavouring
substances are not proven safe for
inhalation apart from consumption.
The study sheds new light on the
likely adverse effect of e-cigarettes
on the lungs.
Source: Scientific Reports volume 9, Article
number: 1400 (2019) https://www.nature.
com/articles/s41598-018-37913-9
March 2019 / FUTURE MEDICINE / 57