An elusive anti-cancer property of vitamin E that has long been presumed to exist, but difficult to find, has finally been identified.

Many animal studies have suggested that vitamin E could prevent cancer, but human clinical trials following up on those findings have not shown the same benefits.

In a new study, researchers showed in prostate cancer cells that one form of vitamin E inhibits the activation of an enzyme that is essential for cancer cell survival. The loss of the enzyme, called Akt, led to tumor cell death. The vitamin had no negative effect on normal cells.

"This is the first demonstration of a unique mechanism of how vitamin E can have some benefit in terms of cancer prevention and treatment," said lead author Ching-Shih Chen, professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy at The Ohio State University and an investigator in Ohio State`s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Chen cautioned that taking a typical vitamin E supplement won`t offer this benefit for at least two reasons: The most affordable supplements are synthetic and based predominantly on a form of the vitamin that did not fight cancer as effectively in this study, and the human body can`t absorb the high doses that appear to be required to achieve the anti-cancer effect.

"Our goal is to develop a safe pill at the right dose that people could take every day for cancer prevention. It takes time to optimize the formulation and the dose," he said.

Chen has filed an invention disclosure with the university, and Ohio State has filed a patent application for the agent.

Vitamin E occurs in numerous forms based on their chemical structure, and the most commonly known form belongs to a variety called tocopherols. In this study, researchers showed that, of the tocopherols tested, the gamma form of tocopherol was the most potent anti-cancer form of the vitamin.

The scientists manipulated the structure of that vitamin E molecule and found that the effectiveness of this new agent they created was 20-fold higher than the vitamin itself in cells. In experiments in mice, this agent reduced the size of prostate cancer tumors.
These findings suggest that an agent based on the chemical structure of one form of vitamin E could help prevent and treat numerous types of cancer - particularly those associated with a mutation in the PTEN gene, a fairly common cancer-related genetic defect that keeps Akt active.

The researchers began the work with both alpha and gamma forms of the vitamin E molecule. Both inhibited the enzyme called Akt in very targeted ways, but the gamma structure emerged as the more powerful form of the vitamin.

In effect, the vitamin halted Akt activation by attracting Akt and another protein, called PHLPP1, to the same region of a cell where the vitamin was absorbed: the fat-rich cell membrane. PHLPP1, a tumor suppressor, then launched a chemical reaction that inactivated Akt, rendering it unable to keep cancer cells alive.

"This is a new finding. We have been taking vitamin E for years but nobody really knew about this particular anti-cancer mechanism," Chen said.

The gamma form was most effective because its chemical shape allowed it to attach to Akt in the most precise way to shut off the enzyme.

Because of how the various molecules interacted on the cell membrane, the scientists predicted that shortening a string of chemical groups dangling from the main body, or head group, of the gamma-tocopherol molecule would make those relationships even stronger. They lopped off about 60 percent of this side chain and tested the effects of the new agent in the prostate cancer cells.

"By reducing two-thirds of the chain, the molecule had a 20 times more potent anti-tumor effect, while retaining the integrity of vitamin E`s head group," Chen said.

This manipulation enhanced the anti-tumor potency of the molecule by changing its interaction with the cell membrane, so that the head group was more accessible to Akt and PHLPP1.

When mice with tumors created by these two prostate cancer cell lines were injected with the agent, the treatment suppressed tumor growth when compared to a placebo, which had no effect on tumor size. Chemical analysis of the treated tumor s showed that the Akt enzyme signal was suppressed, confirming the effects were the same in animals as they had been in cell cultures.

The animal study also suggested the experimental agent was not toxic. Chen`s lab is continuing to work on improvements to the molecule.

Their initial results will appear in the March 19, 2013, issue of the journal Science Signaling.

The drug, suramin used to treat sleeping sickness since around 1916- corrects autism-like symptoms in mice, new research has shown.

Scientists in the US found that the drug corrected 17 types of abnormality linked to the disease, including social behaviour problems, the Daily Express reported.

Autism is a wide-ranging condition, mostly seen in boys, that affects the ability to socialise and can have a devastating lifelong impact.

Around 600,000 children and adults in the UK are thought to have the disorder.

Professor Robert Naviaux, co-director of the Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center at the University of California, said that the drug normalised brain connections.

"Our theory suggests that autism happens because cells get stuck in a defensive metabolic mode and fail to talk to each other normally, which can interfere with brain development and function," he said.

"Simply put, when cells stop talking to each other, children stop talking," he added.

The drug "blocked the danger signal, allowing cells to return to normal metabolism and restore cell communication."

Suramin targets a messaging system that produces the cell danger response linked to immunity and inflammation.

Professor Naviaux said the "striking effectiveness" of the drug in mice would hopefully pave the way to a completely new class of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat autism.

The findings are published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE.

Researchers from Melbourne have claimed that they have found a new way to protect people against new strains of the flu virus.

They said in a statement that the University of Melbourne, Monash University and international scientists worked together and found how the virus evades immune systems by introducing specific mutations within its viral proteins, the Herald Sun reported.

They believe that the findings may lead to a new universal flu vaccine that can provide better protection against both seasonal and pandemic outbreaks.

Their statement read that the findings will also help researchers understand T cell immunity against other viral infections like HIV, hepatitis C and tumours.
Lead author Professor Peter Doherty, from the University of Melbourne, said that predicting and designing vaccines to protect against such mutants can promote T cell immunity.

He said that the studies suggested that an influenza vaccine that targets T cells and recognises distinct virus strains could provide universal immunity against any future influenza strain.

Some people who had deep brain stimulation felt they had a better quality of life

Scientists have raised the prospect that deep brain stimulation could help people suffering from severe anorexia nervosa.

In the small Canadian study three people were able to gain weight and had improvements in their overall mood after undergoing the procedure.

The researchers say larger trials are now needed to show whether this therapy could provide a last resort for people with difficult-to-treat anorexia.

The study is published in the Lancet.

Researchers from the Krembil Neuroscience Centre and University Health Network in Canada conducted the study primarily to find out whether this procedure is safe in people with severe cases of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.

Deep brain stimulation - which involves implanting electrodes into the brain - has previously been used for people with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and obsessive compulsive disorder.
'Flipping a switch'

But this is the first time researchers have implanted the device into brains of people with such severe forms of anorexia.

They treated six women, aged between 24-57, for whom most conventional therapy had failed.

The researchers chose to implant the electrodes in an area of the brain which influences how people regulate their mood and anxiety.

They then switched on the device to deliver continuous electrical stimulation over the nine months of the study.

Lead author of the research, Dr Nir Lipsman, said this was not a study about simply flipping a switch to make people eat more.

"Anorexia nervosa has many layers and we need to address the root causes. In many people with the condition this is related to difficulties in regulating mood and anxiety.

"So we wanted to see if influencing this area of the brain could help people with the condition," he said.

And after nine months three of the women felt their quality of life had improved and they had gained weight.

Crucially they were able to stick to this weight - something they hadn't been able to do since developing the condition, the researchers said.

Kim Rollins, who took part in the study and has suffered from anorexia nervosa for 20 years said: "It has really turned my life around. It has lifted my mood and lowered my anxiety... and lessened the compulsion I had to almost destroy my body.

"But it is not a miracle - I have to put a lot of work into changing my thinking and I go to therapy and see a dietitian. But it has enabled everything to be much easier for me."

Dr Lipsman said: "We think deep brain stimulation may have helped people view their illness in a different way and meant they felt more encouraged to engage in other therapy."
'Unwanted effects'

But the procedure was not without serious and unwanted effects.

One person involved had a seizure two weeks after the device was implanted and another suffered a panic attack during the operation to insert the device.

And for one person there were no improvements in mood, anxiety levels or weight by the end of the study.

The authors caution this procedure is not suitable for everyone.

"We worked very hard to identify a group of patients who had reached the limits of conventional treatment - for whom there is currently no effective therapy and therefore are at the greatest risk of death from the condition," Dr Lipsman said.

Prof Janet Treasure, of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, who was not involved in the study but wrote a linked comment, said: "What we know is that if you can get effective treatment within three years of diagnosis, the chances of short and long-term recovery are much increased, but it is more difficult as time goes on. This is what makes this study so interesting."

She said the findings of the small study must be interpreted with caution, however.

Susan Ringwood, the chief executive of the national organisation, Beat, said: "When treatments fail to work, people with eating disorders can feel it is their fault, and that can make them very more reluctant to accept the help desperately they need.

"We are learning so much more about the brain and its role in eating disorders, and this study indicates an important new aspect that may lead to improved treatment."

One in ten smokers have tried falling sick by chain-smoking through their last pack of cigarettes in a bid to kick the habit, according to a new poll.

And 35 percent have kept away from friends and family who smoke.

The data, collected from 6,200 current and former smokers by Pfizer as part of its Don`t Go Cold Turkey campaign, found that a quarter of smokers have avoided drinking any alcohol whilst trying to quit, the Daily Star reported.
On average, smokers said they tried to kick the habit at least four times.

London based GP Dr Sarah Jarvis said many smokers are desperate to quit and will make big sacrifices or take drastic action to try and help them succeed.

But he rued that the vast majority are not taking advantage of the free help available to them from their healthcare professional, which has been shown to significantly increase the chances of success.