UC Science Today

This week on Science Today. Our bodies naturally produce byproducts that may not be too healthy for us but are usually adept at maintaining balance. So, when a medication leads to an excess of molecules that are harsh on the body, we should probably be concerned, right? Researcher Aldrin Gomes of the University of California, Davis says common pain relievers known as NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, do just this.

"These NSAIDs were actually inducing something called reactive oxygen species – stuff that our body produces naturally but in small amounts."

Aldrin explains how these molecules can stress heart cells and are even linked to disease. We then go from the heart to the skeletal system and hear from biomedical scientist Gabriela Loots of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She's investigating the tendency of aggressive cancers to metastasize to bone.

"There are certain molecules, for examples, that once secreted by the bone they seem to create this environment that’s very attractive to the cancer cells to go there and to grow."

So Loots and her team are now trying to understand how to manipulate the environment of a tumor to prevent this spread. Also on the cellular scale, UCSF researcher Jeremiah Osteen is studying how a specific toxin in tarantula venom can very selectively target what’s known as a sodium channel, which much of the nervous system uses to carry signals to your brain."

"What was very interesting and serendipitous for us was that it was selective for a certain subtype of sodium channel. And that’s really what allowed us to study that sodium channel using the toxin."

Osteen says this toxin will help give insight into a particular pain pathway. Listen to this and other episodes about the University of California research. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or Stitcher. You can also follow us on Facebook. Thanks for listening. Until next time, I’m Larissa Branin.

Subscribe to Science Today:

iTunes: apple.co/1TQBewD

Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/science-today

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ucsciencetoday

Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/pain_relief

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/cancer_bone

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/pain_pathway

Wherever you are in the world, you receive a daily dose of radiation from the natural environment. That may sound intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of background radioactivity. So to make the subject more tangible for the public, nuclear physicist Kai Vetter and his team at the University of California, Berkeley developed the DoseNet program, which uses a network of radiation sensors distributed to schools around the world. The DoseNet website displays real time measurements from these sensors that double as educational tools in the classroom.

"Because it turns out, with nuclear radiation, even those we can’t sense it, it’s very easy to measure. Each of these sensor packages not only have the silicon sensor, which senses nuclear radiation, but it has a little computer on that to process the data and make the data ultimately available through our network."

DoseNet’s goal is to engage students in science and engineering through lessons on radiation. In fact, students can even analyze data and practice programming on these sensors, which Vetter hopes will someday form a sustainable, global network to monitor radiation.

Wherever you are in the world, you receive a daily dose of radiation from the natural environment. That may sound intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of background radioactivity. So to make the subject more tangible for the public, nuclear physicist Kai Vetter and his team at the University of California, Berkeley developed the DoseNet program, which uses a network of radiation sensors distributed to schools around the world. The DoseNet website displays real time measurements from these sensors that double as educational tools in the classroom.

"Because it turns out, with nuclear radiation, even those we can’t sense it, it’s very easy to measure. Each of these sensor packages not only have the silicon sensor, which senses nuclear radiation, but it has a little computer on that to process the data and make the data ultimately available through our network."

DoseNet’s goal is to engage students in science and engineering through lessons on radiation. In fact, students can even analyze data and practice programming on these sensors, which Vetter hopes will someday form a sustainable, global network to monitor radiation.

This week on Science Today. Our bodies naturally produce byproducts that may not be too healthy for us but are usually adept at maintaining balance. So, when a medication leads to an excess of molecules that are harsh on the body, we should probably be concerned, right? Researcher Aldrin Gomes of the University of California, Davis says common pain relievers known as NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, do just this.

"These NSAIDs were actually inducing something called reactive oxygen species – stuff that our body produces naturally but in small amounts."

Aldrin explains how these molecules can stress heart cells and are even linked to disease. We then go from the heart to the skeletal system and hear from biomedical scientist Gabriela Loots of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She's investigating the tendency of aggressive cancers to metastasize to bone.

"There are certain molecules, for examples, that once secreted by the bone they seem to create this environment that’s very attractive to the cancer cells to go there and to grow."

So Loots and her team are now trying to understand how to manipulate the environment of a tumor to prevent this spread. Also on the cellular scale, UCSF researcher Jeremiah Osteen is studying how a specific toxin in tarantula venom can very selectively target what’s known as a sodium channel, which much of the nervous system uses to carry signals to your brain."

"What was very interesting and serendipitous for us was that it was selective for a certain subtype of sodium channel. And that’s really what allowed us to study that sodium channel using the toxin."

Osteen says this toxin will help give insight into a particular pain pathway. Listen to this and other episodes about the University of California research. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or Stitcher. You can also follow us on Facebook. Thanks for listening. Until next time, I’m Larissa Branin.

Subscribe to Science Today:

iTunes: apple.co/1TQBewD

Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/science-today

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ucsciencetoday

Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/pain_relief

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/cancer_bone

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/pain_pathway

A lot of very aggressive forms of cancer seem to metastasize to the bone. Now, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California campuses at Merced and Davis have joined forces to figure out what’s going on in the bone microenvironment between cancer cells and bone cells. Gabriela Loots, a biomedical scientist at the Livermore Lab, says they’re onto something.

"There are certain molecules, for example, that once secreted by the bone they seem to create this environment that’s very attractive to the cancer cells to go there and to grow."

Loots and her team are studying prostate cancer in particular because the aggressive form of the disease spreads primarily to the skeleton. They’ve identified a bone protein called Sclerostin, which had an inhibitory effect on prostate cancer invasion.

"So, basically our next step now is really trying to understand how we can manipulate the environment of the tumor, so we can prevent it from forming bone metastases."

A lot of very aggressive forms of cancer seem to metastasize to the bone. Now, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California campuses at Merced and Davis have joined forces to figure out what’s going on in the bone microenvironment between cancer cells and bone cells. Gabriela Loots, a biomedical scientist at the Livermore Lab, says they’re onto something.

"There are certain molecules, for example, that once secreted by the bone they seem to create this environment that’s very attractive to the cancer cells to go there and to grow."

Loots and her team are studying prostate cancer in particular because the aggressive form of the disease spreads primarily to the skeleton. They’ve identified a bone protein called Sclerostin, which had an inhibitory effect on prostate cancer invasion.

"So, basically our next step now is really trying to understand how we can manipulate the environment of the tumor, so we can prevent it from forming bone metastases."

If you’re suffering from a fever or arthritis pain, anti-inflammatories can provide welcome relief. But this might not be entirely true for your heart. Researcher Aldrin Gomes of the University of California, Davis found that the chronic use of the anti-inflammatories known as NSAIDs can actually damage heart cells by producing chemically reactive molecules.

"These NSAIDs were actually inducing something called reactive oxygen species, stuff that our body produces naturally but in small amounts."

An excess of molecules can prevent the breakdown of harmful proteins that can build up and cause cardiac cell death. While not all NSAIDs may harm heart tissue, Gomes encourages seeking natural alternatives, like turmeric paste or tart cherries.

"Part of what we’re doing is outreach– trying to get the word out to people that they shouldn’t be using NSAIDs as a regular treatment unless it’s really, absolutely necessary. NSAIDs also has very well-known gastrointestinal problems. So we have to be careful how much we take, when we take it."

If you’re suffering from a fever or arthritis pain, anti-inflammatories can provide welcome relief. But this might not be entirely true for your heart. Researcher Aldrin Gomes of the University of California, Davis found that the chronic use of the anti-inflammatories known as NSAIDs can actually damage heart cells by producing chemically reactive molecules.

"These NSAIDs were actually inducing something called reactive oxygen species, stuff that our body produces naturally but in small amounts."

An excess of molecules can prevent the breakdown of harmful proteins that can build up and cause cardiac cell death. While not all NSAIDs may harm heart tissue, Gomes encourages seeking natural alternatives, like turmeric paste or tart cherries.

"Part of what we’re doing is outreach– trying to get the word out to people that they shouldn’t be using NSAIDs as a regular treatment unless it’s really, absolutely necessary. NSAIDs also has very well-known gastrointestinal problems. So we have to be careful how much we take, when we take it."

Our genes may be the blueprint that defines us, but environmental factors can also shape the expression of our genes. This process is known as epigenetics, and according to biologist Andrew Dillin of the University of California, Berkeley, a person’s metabolism early on in life might be able to activate certain genes and influence longevity.

"What we hypothesize is that, during these developmental stages when the metabolic status is registered, there’s an epigenetic switch that turns sets of genes on and off."

When these genes were turned on, Dillin discovered they extended the lifespan of mice and worms known as nematodes.

"And so if you disrupt these epigenetic genes in adulthood, you will erase the signal and then the animals will not live long. And in fact, there are mutations in these genes that are linked to disease in humans. So knowing the basic science behind how these genes work, to epigenetically turn gene sets on and off, we now have the tools to go forward and say, can we find a drug that mimics exactly what we see in our nematode and mouse experiments?"

Our genes may be the blueprint that defines us, but environmental factors can also shape the expression of our genes. This process is known as epigenetics, and according to biologist Andrew Dillin of the University of California, Berkeley, a person’s metabolism early on in life might be able to activate certain genes and influence longevity.

"What we hypothesize is that, during these developmental stages when the metabolic status is registered, there’s an epigenetic switch that turns sets of genes on and off."

When these genes were turned on, Dillin discovered they extended the lifespan of mice and worms known as nematodes.

"And so if you disrupt these epigenetic genes in adulthood, you will erase the signal and then the animals will not live long. And in fact, there are mutations in these genes that are linked to disease in humans. So knowing the basic science behind how these genes work, to epigenetically turn gene sets on and off, we now have the tools to go forward and say, can we find a drug that mimics exactly what we see in our nematode and mouse experiments?"