New Compounds May Reduce Health Risks
Photo/Dietmar Quistorf
The study, appearing online Jan. 31 in the journal Endocrinology, reports that mice with induced Alzheimer’s-like symptoms got better when given the synthetic hormone propylpyrazole triol (PPT).
“It improved behavior much the way that estrogen does,” said study leader Christian Pike, associate professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology.
But unlike estrogen, which enlarges the uterus and is a known risk factor for endometrial and breast cancer, PPT caused no obvious changes to the animals’ reproductive tract.
Pike called the study a first step in the search for safer compounds that mimic estrogen’s positive effects on mental function and bone density.
“If hormone therapy as it is now is a problem, what are the alternatives?” he asked.
PPT is one in a class of alternatives known as selective estrogen receptor modulators, or SERMs. These are tissue-specific compounds, acting only on certain parts of the body.
Some already are commercially available. The cancer drug tamoxifen blocks estrogen in breast tissue. Another drug, raloxifene, is an estrogen-like compound that promotes bone density but inhibits estrogen action in breast and uterus.
Raloxifene has been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women, Pike said. The Endocrinology study should encourage further animal and human research on the potential benefits of SERMs, he added.
Another SERM in Pike’s study, diarylpropionitrile (DPN), showed limited benefits for mice with Alzheimer’s symptoms. PPT and DPN act on different parts of the estrogen system, Pike said.
The finding of differential effects among SERMs suggests it may be possible to design an optimal compound with the best possible risk-to-reward profile.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging under a large grant to USC researcher Roberta Diaz Brinton, who is leading a university-wide effort to study the effects of hormone therapy on women’s health.
Doctors prescribe hormone therapy to counter some of the harmful consequences of menopause, such as losses in bone density. But other large studies have shown that hormone therapy also increases the risk of breast cancer.
USC graduate student Jenna Carroll was the other author of the study.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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