A6
NEWS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Copper compound shows potential to slowing ALS
Steve Lundeberg
Oregon State University
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A
compound with potential
as a treatment for ALS has
gained further promise in
a new study that showed it
improved the condition of
mice whose motor neurons
had been damaged by an
environmental toxin known
to cause features of ALS.
ALS patients are cate-
gorized either as familial –
meaning two or more people
in their family have had the
disease, which in their case
is linked to inherited genetic
mutations – or sporadic,
which accounts for about
90% of the cases. Sporadic
means the cause or causes
are unknown.
The research by Joe Beck-
man at Oregon State Univer-
sity and collaborators at the
University of British Colum-
bia builds on a 2016 study by
Beckman in which the com-
pound, copper-ATSM, halted
familial ALS progression in
transgenic mice for nearly
two years, allowing them to
approach their normal lifespan.
The animals had been
genetically engineered to
produce a mutation of an
antioxidant protein, SOD,
that’s essential to life when
functioning properly but
kills motor neurons when
it lacks its zinc and copper
co-factors and “unfolds.”
SOD mutations are present
in 3% of ALS patients.
ALS, short for amyo-
trophic lateral sclerosis and
also known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease, is caused by the
deterioration and death of
motor neurons in the spinal
cord. It is progressive, debil-
itating and fatal.
ALS was fi rst identifi ed
in the late 1800s and gained
international recognition in
1939 when it was diagnosed
in a mysteriously declin-
ing Gehrig, ending the Hall
of Fame baseball career of
the New York Yankees fi rst
baseman. Known as the Iron
Horse for his durability – he
hadn’t missed a game in 15
seasons – Gehrig died two
years later at age 37.
Scientists have devel-
oped an approach to treating
ALS that’s based on using
copper-ATSM to deliver
copper to specifi c cells in
Tumeric compound slows bone cancer
By Tina Hilding
Washington State University
PULLMAN, Wash. – A
Washington State University
research team has developed
a drug delivery system using
curcumin, the main ingredi-
ent in the spice turmeric, that
successfully inhibits bone
cancer cells while promoting
growth of healthy bone cells.
The work could lead to
better post-operative treat-
ments for people with osteo-
sarcoma, the second most
prevalent cause of cancer
death in children.
The researchers, includ-
ing Susmita Bose, Her-
man and Brita Lindholm
Endowed Chair Professor
in the School of Mechani-
cal and Materials Engineer-
ing, and graduate student
Naboneeta Sarkar, report
on their work in the journal,
ACS Applied Materials and
Interfaces.
Young patients with bone
cancer are often treated with
high doses of chemother-
apy before and after surgery,
many of which have harm-
ful side effects. Researchers
would like to develop gen-
tler treatment options, espe-
cially after surgery when
patients are trying to recover
from bone damage at the
same time that they are tak-
ing harsh drugs to suppress
tumor growth.
Turmeric has been used in
cooking and as medicine for
centuries in Asian countries,
and its active ingredient, cur-
cumin has been shown to
have anti-oxidant, anti-in-
fl ammatory and bone-build-
ing capabilities. It has also
been shown to prevent vari-
ous forms of cancers.
“I want people to know
the benefi cial effects of
these natural compounds,”
said Bose. “Natural biomol-
ecules derived from these
plant-based products are
inexpensive and a safer alter-
native to synthetic drugs.”
However, when taken
orally as medicine, the com-
pound can’t be absorbed
well in the body. It is metab-
olized and eliminated too
quickly.
In their study, the
researchers used 3D printing
to build support scaffolds out
of calcium phosphate. While
most implants are cur-
rently made of metal, such
ceramic scaffolds, which are
more like real bone, could
someday be used as a graft
material after bone cancer
surgery.
T HE B OOKLOFT
the spinal cord. Copper is a
metal that helps stabilize the
SOD protein and can also
help improve mitochondria
weakened by the disease.
The entire human body
contains only about 100 mil-
ligrams of copper, the equiv-
alent of 5 millimeters of
household wiring.
“The damage from ALS
is happening primarily in the
spinal cord, one of the most
diffi cult places in the body to
absorb copper,” said Beck-
man, distinguished profes-
sor of biochemistry and bio-
physics in the College of
Science and principal inves-
tigator and holder of the Bur-
gess and Elizabeth Jamieson
Chair at OSU’s Linus Paul-
ing Institute. “Copper can be
toxic, so its levels are tightly
controlled in the body.
The therapy we’re work-
ing toward delivers copper
selectively into the cells in
the spinal cord that actually
need it. Otherwise, the com-
pound keeps copper inert.”
In the mid-20th century,
it was discovered that indig-
enous residents of Guam
frequently developed an
ALS-like disease, known as
ALS-Parkinsonism demen-
tia complex (ALS-PDC),
and its onset was linked to
an environmental toxin pro-
duced by cycad trees, whose
seeds provided food for ani-
mals the sickened people
had hunted and ate.
In the new research,
Michael Kuo and Chris
Shaw at the University of
British Columbia along
Midday naps increase children’s happiness, IQ
By Michele W. Berger
UC Irvine via the
University of Pennsylvania
Ask just about any par-
ent whether napping has
benefi ts and you’ll likely
hear a resounding “yes,”
particularly for the child’s
mood, energy levels, and
school performance. New
research from the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania and
the University of Califor-
nia, Irvine, published in the
journal SLEEP backs up
that parental insight.
A study of nearly 3,000
fourth, fi fth, and sixth grad-
ers ages 10-12 revealed a
connection between mid-
day napping and greater
happiness,
self-control,
and grit; fewer behav-
ioral problems; and higher
IQ, the latter particularly
for the sixth graders. The
most robust fi ndings were
associated with academic
achievement, says Penn
neurocriminologist Adrian
Raine, a co-author on the
paper.
“Children who napped
three or more times per
week benefi t from a 7.6 per-
cent increase in academic
performance in Grade 6,”
he says. “How many kids
at school would not want
their scores to go up by 7.6
points out of 100?”
Sleep defi ciency and
daytime drowsiness are
surprisingly widespread,
with drowsiness affecting
up to 20 percent of all chil-
dren, says lead author on
the study Jianghong Liu, a
Penn associate professor of
nursing and public health.
What’s more, the negative
cognitive, emotional, and
physical effects of poor
sleep habits are well-estab-
lished, and yet most previ-
ous research has focused on
preschool age and younger.
That’s partially because
in places like the United
AND
Skylight Gallery
Finding books is our specialty
541.426.3351 • 107 E. Main • Enterprise • www.bookloftoregon.com
with Beckman used a sim-
ilar toxin to induce ALS-
PDC symptoms in mice,
then treated the mice with
copper-ATSM.
“With the treatment, the
behavior of the sick animals
was improved on par with
the control animals,” Beck-
man said. “Treatment pre-
vented the extensive motor
neuron degeneration seen in
the untreated animals. These
outcomes support a broader
neuroprotective role for cop-
per-ATSM beyond mutant
SOD models of ALS with
implications for sporadic
ALS. It means the copper is
doing more than just helping
to fi x the SOD. One result
after another shows the
compound is working pretty
good.”
Church
Directory
Church of Christ
Grace Lutheran
Church
502 W. 2nd Street • Wallowa
541-398-2509
409 West Main -Enterprise
SUNDAY WORSHIP at 9am
Worship at 11 a.m.
Mid-week
Bible Study 7 p.m.
St. Katherine’s
Catholic Church
Fr. Thomas Puduppulliparamban
301 E. Garfield Enterprise
Mass Schedule
Sundays:
St. Pius X, Wallowa - 8:00 am
St. Katherine of Siena, Enterprise 10:30am
Saturdays:
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise 5:30am
Weekday:
St. Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 8:00am
(Monday – Thursday and First Friday)
Mission Project:
“Bag It for School”
School clothes for Foster Children
phone (message): 541-426-4633
web: gracelutheranenterprise.com
States, napping stops alto-
gether as children get older.
In China, however, the prac-
tice is embedded into daily
life, continuing through ele-
mentary and middle school,
even into adulthood. So,
Liu and Raine, with Penn
biostatistician Rui Feng,
UC Irvine sleep researcher
Sara Mednick and others,
turned to the China Jintan
Cohort Study, established
in 2004 to follow partic-
ipants from toddlerhood
through adolescence.
From each of 2,928 chil-
dren, the researchers col-
lected data about napping
frequency and duration
once the children hit Grades
4 through 6, as well as
outcome data when they
reached Grade 6, includ-
ing psychological measures
like grit and happiness and
physical measures such as
body mass index and glu-
cose levels. They also asked
teachers to provide behav-
ioral and academic infor-
mation about each student.
They then analyzed associa-
tions between each outcome
and napping, adjusting for
sex, grade, school location,
parental education, and
nightly time in bed.
Rock the Rodeo &
Festival Season!
Boots
Blazers
Dresses
Bags
Graphic T-Shirt’s
St. Patrick’s
Episcopal Church
100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise
NE 3rd & Main St
541-426-3439
Worship Service
Sunday 9:30am
All are welcome
CLUES ACROSS
1. Cease
5. Soak
8. Fifty percent
12. Encourage
13. Road covering
14. Oblong
15. Skin opening
16. Metallic rock
17. Staple food
18. Hi-fi
20. ____ out (distributed)
22. Pilgrim John ____
24. Look forward to
28. Extreme
33. Grassy spread
34. Waterlogged
35. Soda choice
36. Pushes against
38. Answer
39. Noodles
41. Zany
45. Yearned
50. Cropland measure
51. To each his ____
53. Holler
54. Front of the leg
55. Holiday egg drink
56. Furthermore
57. Withheld
58. View
59. Honk
CLUES DOWN
1. Has dinner
2. Horse’s gait
3. Folklore giant
4. Social equal
5. Bar seat
6. Rowing blade
7. Ready the oven
8. Bugle
9. Enthusiastic
10. Tie, as shoes
11. Ran off
19. Wear away
21. “Stand ____ Deliver”
23. Put clothes on
24. High peak
25. Children’s card game
26. Dazzle
27. Office holders
29. Cold cubes
30. Beat walker
31. “____ I Need”
32. Put
34. Arms
37. Place to get fit
38. Large rodent
40. Sprinkling
41. Cher film
42. Pang
43. Leak
44. Copper coin
46. Shellfish
47. Doughnut feature
48. Slacken
49. Plummet
52. Deep sorrow
Joseph United
Methodist Church
Summit Church
3rd & Lake St. • Joseph
Pastor Cherie Dearth
Phone: 541-432-3102
Sunday Worship Service
10:00 am
Gospel Centered Community
Service time: 10:30 am
Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise
541-426-2150
Interim Pastor: Rich Hagenbaugh
JosephUMC.org
www.summitchurchoregon.org
Enterprise
Christian Church
Christ Covenant
Church
85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449
Pastor Terry Tollefson
Church Office: 541-263-0505
Worship at 9 a.m.
Sunday School at 10:30 a.m.
Evening Worship at 6 p.m.
(nursery at A.M. services)
Family Prayer: 9:30 am
Worship Service: 10:00 am
“Loving God & One Another”
David Bruce, Sr. - Minister
723 College Street
Lostine
Lostine
Presbyterian Church
Enterprise Community
Congregational Church
Discussion Group 9:30 AM
Worship Service 11:00 AM
The Big Brown Church
Childrens program during service
Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com
541.398.0597
Hwy 82, Lostine
Stephen Kliewer, Minister
Wallowa
Assembly
of God
702 West Hwy 82
Wallowa, Oregon
541-886-8445
Sunday School • 9:am
Worship Service • 10:am
Pastor Tim Barton
Visit Us on
with an open door
Pastor Archie Hook
Sunday Worship 11am
Bible Study 9:30am
Ark Angels Children’s Program
Ages 4-6th grade, 11am
Nursery for children 3 & under
301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR
Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044
Seventh-Day Adventist
Church & School
305 Wagner (near the Cemetery)
P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828
541-426-3751 Church
541-426-8339 School
Worship Services
Sabbath School 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Worship Hour 11:00 a.m. - Noon
Pastor Jonathan DeWeber
Closed Monday & Tuesday
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featuring whole green chilies
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Day
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