Pittsburgh Compound B gives unique view of amyloid plaques in the living human brain
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in collaboration with researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden, have laid the groundwork for a new era in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research by completing the first human study of a compound that, through positron emission tomography (PET), enables them to peer into the brains of people with the memory-stealing illness and see the tell
A study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests two proteins work together in mice to prevent formation of brain plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
The proteins, apolipoprotein E (apoE) and clusterin, appear to act as “chaperones” orchestrating the clearance of potentially hazardous molecules out of the brain. Ironically, these proteins also have been implicated in a key stage of plaque formation. The study appears in the Jan. 22
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today a plan to expand collaboration between national tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS programmes to curb the growing pandemic of TB/HIV co-infection, with a principal focus on Africa where 70% of the world’s 14 million people who are co-infected live.
The new policy guidelines define activities necessary to address the dual epidemic of TB and HIV and gives clear guidance for countries on the circumstances under which these effective activities nee
Three brain areas of panic disorder patients are lacking in a key component of a chemical messenger system that regulates emotion, researchers at the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered. Brain scans revealed that a type of serotonin receptor is reduced by nearly a third in three structures straddling the center of the brain. The finding is the first in living humans to show that the receptor, which is pivotal to the action of widely prescribed anti-anxiety medication
Although vaccines developed to help the immune system fight tumors appear to have an impact against early-stage tumors, they have little if any success in slowing the growth of tumors in later stages. Now researchers writing in the Feb. 1, 2004 issue of The Journal of Immunology identify abnormalities in the immune system’s T cells, provide insight into their origin, and describe how these defects can be prevented and “repaired” in animal experiments.
“Conventional thinking and previous s
Yeast used as surrogate model
New biochemical studies may hold clues to more powerful malaria and pneumonia treatments that could save more than 2 million lives worldwide. Using baker’s yeast as a surrogate disease model, researchers led by Dartmouth Medical School are exploring why enzymes in organisms that cause pneumonia and malaria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. This work could provide the answer to testing a new generation of drugs to combat these preval
Fat cells, commonly blamed for a number of diseases, also may aid in the body’s defense against illnesses such as diabetes and cancer, according to Purdue University researchers.
Rather than contributing to disease, fat cells, or adipocytes (pronounced ah-dip-poe-sights), normally function as part of the immune system and help control lipid accumulation, so they actually may benefit human health, said Michael Spurlock, animal sciences professor.
“Adipocytes can be funct
The omission of radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer is associated with higher rates of relapse and a slightly higher mortality rate, according to a study in the January 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Many studies have shown that women with early-stage breast cancer who have breast-conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy have similar survival rates as women who have a mastectomy, and those women are also spared the disfigu
Scientists at the Babraham Institute have discovered that a tiny change in a protein involved in cell survival is responsible for abnormal cell activity in the early stages of cancer.
The protein, known as Bcl-xL, normally protects cells from dying; and when the DNA in cells becomes damaged, Bcl-xL is modified so that it no longer keeps the cells alive. Hence, the cells with damaged DNA usually die, so preventing them from becoming cancer cells.
However, in the presence of a parti
The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF), a Saratoga, Calif.-based non-profit research foundation, today announced the formation of a consortium of five of the world’s leading scientists in myelin research. By providing the funding, as well as the business and technology infrastructure to support the collaboration, the Myelin Repair Foundation expects to accelerate the research process and deliver targets for palliative treatments for people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in five years.
Dr. B
A new anti-inflammatory compound called Lisofylline prevents diabetes from coming back after insulin-manufacturing islet cells are transplanted into diabetic mice, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Virginia Health System. The study is published in the January 20 issue of the journal Transplantation.
Pancreatic islet cell transplantation has become a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes in humans in recent years. But without several powerful immunosuppressive dr
The HIV protein Nef sparked intensive research after observations that patients with a rare strain of HIV lacking Nef took a very long time to develop AIDS symptoms. Nef has been linked to molecules involved in cell signaling pathways and may use them for its own ends. But how Nef does this has not been clear. Now Jacek Skowronski and his colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York have identified a mechanism involving Nef, by which HIV-infected T cells are kept from traveling to sites wi
A new silicon chip that harnesses emerging technology at the nano scale will allow the detection of viruses faster, and more accurately, than ever before. One of the applications of this new technique will help save thousands of lives in patients undergoing heart transplants; by enabling doctors to detect rapidly whether a donor heart is infected or not. The scientists announced their discovery today in the Institute of Physics journal Nanotechnology.
The device, called the “ViriChip” was de
Elderly people suffering from insomnia may be better advised to seek help from cognitive behavioural therapy than sleeping pills, according to research published by Oxford and Bristol on Monday, 19 January 2004.
The team systematically examined scientific evidence to assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural treatments for insomnia for the over 60 year olds. Such treatment aims to improve sleep by changing poor sleeping habits and challenging negative thoughts, attitudes or beliefs a
Rutgers researchers have discovered what could be the newest target for drugs in the treatment of memory and learning disabilities as well as diseases such as Alzheimer’s and fetal alcohol syndrome: a protein known as cypin.
Cypin is found throughout the body, but in the brain it regulates nerve cell or neuron branching. Branching or dendrite growth is an important process in normal brain function and is thought to increase when a person learns. A reduction in branching is associated w
A novel wound dressing made of genetically engineered human collagen that will enable faster and improved healing of injuries has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University Faculty of Dental Medicine.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the animal kingdom, including humans. It is the major constituent of connective tissues – tendons, skin, bones, cartilage, blood vessel walls and membranes. Collagen fibers are the “warp and woof” of these connective tissues and are responsi
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