New findings suggest altered kidney regulation of COX-2 occurs at very early stage in obesity-related diabetic nephropathy
In human diabetic patients, an excessive vasoconstrictive and pro-aggregatory thromboxane (TXA2) renal synthesis, along with a decrease in vasodilatory and anti-aggregatory prostaglandin (PGE2) synthesis, has been found to influence kidney function. Prostaglandins and thromboxane are formed by the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid catalyzed by the cyclooxyge
Does the body’s synthesis of certain substances affect the relationship between obesity and blood pressure?
The number of overweight Americans has reached record levels, and obesity now affects almost one in three citizens. Published findings from the 1999-2000 report of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the definitive measure for weight matters in the United States, show that 59 million (31 percent) of adults are obese. One third of adult women are obese
Researchers at Stanford University Medical Center have identified a genetic marker that can explain why some people experience side effects to common antidepressants while others do not. They also found that a key liver enzyme involved in breaking down these antidepressants surprisingly played no role in the development of side effects nor in how well the drugs worked. The findings may lead to fewer side effects for patients undergoing antidepressant drug therapy.
“Antidepressants are among
A new technique accurately identifies breast cancers that are difficult to detect with conventional mammography, according to a study appearing in the October issue of the journal Radiology.
“The dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital subtraction mammography technique is feasible for hard-to-demonstrate breast cancers and is worthy of further study,” said the study’s lead author, John M. Lewin, M.D. Dr. Lewin is an associate professor of radiology at the University of Colorado Health Sc
Targeting angiogenesis alone not effective
Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and colleagues found that by inhibiting both the proteins responsible for breast cancer growth and those required for the formation of new blood vessels, they could more effectively suppress the growth of extremely aggressive breast tumors in mice. In a surprising finding, the researchers showed that mice harboring a mutation commonly found in human breast cancers developed tumors that were
Angioplasty surpasses clotbuster drugs only when treatment comes quickly
In a perfect world, heart attack patients would get to the hospital within minutes after their symptoms start.
And most would immediately get sent for an emergency angioplasty, which uses a tiny balloon to clear blood clots that are clogging arteries. Study after study has shown that quick access to this life-saving treatment, also called percutaneous coronary intervention, surpasses fibrinolytic (clot-
Catalysts which cause cancer cells to ’’commit suicide’’ have been developed in the laboratory by West Country scientists.
The research groups of Dr Claus Jacob, of Exeter University and Dr Nicholas Gutowski at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, with support from the Peninsula Medical School, are investigating the anti-cancer effects of biocatalysts that mimic the activity of the human selenium enzyme, glutathione peroxidase. Their work opens up a very promising
Young children need to be highly physically active if they are to stave off degenerative joint disease, specifically osteoarthritis of the knee, suggest researchers in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Assessing all the evidence, the researchers from the Monash University and the University of Tasmania in Australia, show that physical activity in young children is associated with the healthy development of cartilage, the firm rubbery tissue that cushions joint bones.
Loss of c
Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that contrary to the classical model of aging, increased blood pressure does not accelerate the age-related decline in performing certain mental tasks.
Furthermore, the researchers reported, middle-aged subjects with high blood pressure showed more of a slowing in cognitive performance tests than did older adults with high blood pressure.
According to the researchers, past studies have been epidemiological in nature and have hi
Researchers find positive results in people with HIV
The evolving science of “flushing” hidden reservoirs of HIV from cells got a encouraging boost today as researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center demonstrated how an experimental intranasal drug can activate the immune system and send HIV viral counts in white blood cells to undetectable levels.
Published in the latest issue of Peptides, this is the first human study to assess antiviral and immune effects of the
Many medications such as therapeutic DNA, insulin and human growth hormone must enter the body through painful injections, but a Johns Hopkins researcher is seeking to deliver the same treatment without the sting. Justin Hanes wants to pack the drugs inside microscopic plastic spheres that can be inhaled painlessly. Inside the lungs, the particles should dissolve harmlessly, releasing the medicine at a predetermined pace.
“We’ve made significant progress,” said Hanes, an assistant prof
As doctors tout the toxin found in Botox for its ability to iron out wrinkles, calm muscle spasms and treat migraine headaches, defense agencies condemn it as a weapon that could wipe out large numbers of civilians.
While it is well known that this toxic substance can paralyze the body’s muscles, including the ones that help us breathe, how it infiltrates cells to do this has not been determined.
In a paper published in the Sept. 29 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, resea
Findings Could Lead to New Treatments of HIV Infection
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine used positron emission tomography (PET) scans to identify sites of replicating HIV in the lymphatic system of people recently infected with the virus. PET scan imaging is typically used to detect tumors. The researchers believe PET scans could lead to greater understanding of HIV disease and new methods for treating the in
Scientists used to think that fibroblasts – the cells that form basic tissue structures – were little more than scaffolding on which more important cells would climb. But University of Rochester Medical Center scientists have discovered that certain fibroblasts have highly specialized duties and play a major role in how scars form, fat accumulates, and harmful inflammation arises in humans.
The research is published in The American Journal of Pathology, October 2003 edition. The work may he
Discovery holds immediate promise for diagnosis & treatment of hereditary spastic paraplegia
A single mutation in a single gene is enough to slowly rob people of their ability to walk, scientists from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania report today.
And while the inherited defect itself is rare, its discovery may help researchers unravel the mysteries of much more common paralyzing conditions, from spinal cord injury to Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Deep brain stimulation via electrodes implanted on both sides of the brain markedly improves the motor skills of patients with advanced Parkinson’s Disease, says a new long-term study by researchers at the University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital.
“We saw a pronounced decrease in the motor scores associated with Parkinson’s Disease – the tremors, stiffness and slowness – and this benefit was persistent through the course of the long-term followup,” says Dr. Anthony Lang,
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