Researchers have discovered a genetic deficiency in males that can trigger the development of one of the most common types of liver cancer and diabetes.

Michigan State University researchers found that when the NCOA5 gene, present in both men and women, was altered in male mice to a deficient level, a spontaneous reaction occurred producing cells that can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer found to be two-to-four times more prevalent in men than women.

Findings also showed that prior to cancer development there were occurrences of glucose intolerance, a prediabetic condition that is believed to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in humans.

Conversely, the study showed female mice did not develop these diseases.

"Essentially, what this provides is evidence for a genetic susceptibility in males to this particular type of liver cancer and diabetes," said Hua Xiao, lead researcher of the project and associate professor of physiology in MSU's College of Human Medicine.

"Ninety-four per cent of the male mice we looked at developed the liver cancer, while 100 per cent of these mice developed glucose intolerance," Xiao said.

Xiao noted the reason for the distinct outcomes between males and females also may have to do with the different levels of hormones between genders.

"Because estrogen may function through the NCOA5 gene and previously has been found to play somewhat of a protective role against both diseases, the result is a decreased risk in females," he said.

"Since males produce lower amounts of estrogen, this can contribute to their susceptibility," he added.

Type 2 diabetes has been widely associated with liver cancer as a common risk factor.

"At this point, it's not known if the genetic deficiency can be reversed and needs to be investigated further," Xiao said.

"But if it can somehow be changed through treatments such as drug therapies, this could substantially increase the chances of men in particular warding off these diseases," he said.

The research was published in the journal Cancer Cell.

Researchers have discovered that the skin is capable of communicating with the liver.

They said that the discovery may help their understanding of how skin diseases can affect the rest of the body.

Professor Susanne Mandrup and her research group in collaboration with Nils Faergeman's research group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark was actually studying something completely different when they made the groundbreaking discovery.

The Mandrup and Faergeman groups work with so-called knock-out mice, which lacks a specific fat binding protein called acyl CoA binding protein.

Some knock-out mice produced by the researchers had a strange greasy fur, and they had difficulties being weaned from their mother. In the weaning period they gained less weight and showed a failure to thrive. Analyses also showed that the mice accumulated fat in the liver at weaning.

She and her colleagues looked at the rumpled and weak knock-out mice. Their fur was greasy, and they had a leaky skin from which they lost more water than normal mice.

To clarify this, the researchers made some mice that lacked the fat binding protein only in the skin and decided to cover the mice with vaseline.

This would prevent water evaporating from the skin and thus stopping the heat loss. As a result the fat accumulation in the liver disappeared.

However, the researchers were a little unsure if there were side effects from the Vaseline, so a student proposed to cover the mice with liquid latex and the researchers found that fat accumulation in the liver disappeared again.

A team of researchers have claimed that women suffering from moderate to severe menstrual cramps may find relief in a class of erectile dysfunction drugs.

Primary dysmenorrhea, also called PD, is the most common cause of pelvic pain in women.

Sildenafil citrate, sold under the brand name Viagra, may help with pelvic pain because it can lead to dilation of the blood vessels.

The researchers looked at administering sildenafil citrate vaginally, which had not yet been tried, to treat PD.

They compared pain relief from use of sildenafil vaginally with that of a placebo.

Penn State College of Medicine researchers worked with researchers at Nova Gradiska General Hospital in Croatia.

They recruited women 18 to 35 years old who suffered from moderate to severe PD. Of the 29 women screened for the study, 25 were randomized to receive either sildenafil or a placebo drug.

Patients rated their pain over four consecutive hours. Sildenafil citrate administered vaginally alleviates acute menstrual pain with no reported side effects.

Researchers hypothesized that the drug would alleviate pain, which it does, but also that is does so by increasing blood flow. However, because uterine blood flow increased from both sildenafil and the placebo, the reason it alleviates pain is not yet known.

The study has been published in journal Human Reproduction.

What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix or cancer of the entrance to the uterus (womb). It can also be defined as a type of cancer that happens in the cells of the cervix. Cervix is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.

What causes cervical cancer and how you get the disease?

Cervical cancer affects mostly women over the age of 30. It is believed that cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus or HPV. The disease can be contracted through sexual contact with someone who has it.

While there are different types of the HPV virus, not all types of HPV cause cervical cancer. Some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not show any symptoms.

About 132,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in India yearly

Gravely, the disease kills more women in India than any other countries in the world. Cervical cancer affects approximately 132,000 Indian women annually, of which an astounding 72,000 die, according to the Cervical Cancer-Free Coalition.

Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of cervical cancer may include - vaginal bleeding during sex, pelvic pain or pain during intercourse, change in menstrual cycle, bleeding in-between periods, post-menopausal bleeding, vaginal discharge tinged with blood that may have a foul odour.

Diagnosis:

Treating cervical cancer is more likely to be successful if detected in its earliest stages. The American Cancer Society advises that all women should begin cervical cancer screening at age 21. It recommends that women aged 21 to 29, should have a Pap test every three years. Women who are age 30 or older should have a Pap test combined with an HPV test every five years till age 65 or just a Pap test every three years.

According to the Society, though the Pap smear is not foolproof in screening, it has been "more successful than any other test in preventing a cancer". The Pap smear is available in several laboratories in Indian cities nowadays.

Treatment

Treatment differs depending on stage of cancer and other health problems you may have. Treatment choices may include:

Surgery- Surgery is performed to remove the uterus (hysterectomy) in the early stages of cervical cancer.

A simple hysterectomy is a surgical process to remove the cervix and the uterus.

A radical hysterectomy involves surgical removal of the cervix, uterus, part of the vagina and lymph nodes in the area.

If you have a hysterectomy, you won't become pregnant. But, hysterectomy isn't always needed if cancer is detected very early.

Radiation- In this therapy, high dose of X-rays is used to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours. It is a standard treatment for many types of cancer and may be used in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or hormonal therapy.

Chemotherapy- It is the use of drugs/medicine to kill cancer cells. Certain chemotherapy drugs may lead to infertility as well as cause early menopause in premenopausal women.

Prevention:

You can reduce your risk of getting cervical cancer by following the tips below:

1. Have regular Pap test screening

2. Get HPV vaccine

3. Do not smoke or if you do then quit smoking

4. Avoid having multiple sexual partners

5. Use condoms

6. Avoid all intimate sexual contact with anyone who has symptoms of STIs (sexually transmitted infections).

A new study suggests that exposure to air pollution could increase the risk for autism among people who carry a genetic disposition for the neurodevelopmental disorder.

"Our research shows that children with both the risk genotype and exposure to high air pollutant levels were at increased risk of autism spectrum disorder compared to those without the risk genotype and lower air pollution exposure," study's first author, Heather E. Volk, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of research in preventive medicine and pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California (USC) and principal investigator at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability characterized by problems with social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 88 children in the United States has an ASD.

ASD is highly heritable, suggesting that genetics are an important contributing factor, but many questions about its causes remain. There currently is no cure for the disorder.

"Although gene-environment interactions are widely believed to contribute to autism risk, this is the first demonstration of a specific interaction between a well-established genetic risk factor and an environmental factor that independently contribute to autism risk," Daniel B. Campbell, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the study's senior author, said.

"The MET gene variant has been associated with autism in multiple studies, controls expression of MET protein in both the brain and the immune system, and predicts altered brain structure and function. It will be important to replicate this finding and to determine the mechanisms by which these genetic and environmental factors interact to increase the risk for autism," he added.

Independent studies by Volk and Campbell have previously reported associations between autism and air pollution exposure and between autism and a variant in the MET gene.

The current study suggests that air pollution exposure and the genetic variant interact to augment the risk of ASD.

The study, 'Autism spectrum disorder: Interaction of air pollution with the MET receptor tyrosine kinase gene,' is set to be published in the journal Epidemiology.