Saint Louis University researchers have discovered the cause of one form of retinitis pigmentosa, a type of genetically inherited blindness. The research, which will be published Tuesday in the April 27 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), opens the door to the development of new treatments.

The research was based on genetic information provided by several blind members of a South African family. The laboratory of William Sly, M.D., chair of the department of biochemistry

A UCLA-led team of chemists has developed a unique new coating for inorganic particles at the nanoscale that may be able to disguise the particles as proteins — a process that allows particles to function as probes that can penetrate the cell and light up individual proteins inside, and create the potential for application in a wide range of drug development, diagnostic tools and medications.

The findings will be published in the May 19 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Socie

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Researchers are beginning to see the potential for breakthrough in healthcare through glycomics, which studies carbohydrates, proteins and their interactions. In fact, these carbohydrates are moving beyond their regular roles as sugar storage bins. Carbohydrate-binding proteins are becoming extremely useful in curing various illnesses.

“The rapid evolution of glycomics as a natural extension of proteomics provides a be

The Zoological Museum of the Universiteit van Amsterdam (ZMA), Netherlands, is now presenting 3D images of part of the bird collection on the internet. This is a completely new technology and never before a part of the collection has been presented in this way. The database contains 151 images of 50 species.

By using the mouse, the 3D images can be rotated on the computer screen and in this way the characteristic plumages of the various bird species can be studied from all angles and in dif

Chlamydia infection in women has been known for some time to be linked to infertility, but Swedish research published today (Thursday 29 April) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1] has found evidence that infection in men can also lessen the chance of their partners becoming pregnant.

A team from Umeå University Hospital in Umeå and the Scandinavian Fertility Center in Gothenburg, found decreased pregnancy rates in couples where the man had IgG antibodies

Preliminary data show that babies of epileptic mothers who take antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during pregnancy absorb the medication to substantial degrees in utero, and some of these babies may develop birth defects, other disabilities or even die. Although the majority of children born to mothers with epilepsy are normal, researchers believe some of these babies are at an increased risk for birth defects or developmental delays. The findings of this nationwide study, still preliminary, will be present

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of only eight sites nationally and the only in Chicago to participate in a research study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Implantable Gastric Stimulation (IGS) – a “pacemaker” for the stomach that may create a sense of fullness. The IGS, which essentially looks and operates very similar to a typical cardiac pacemaker, will be tested to see if it is a safer, less invasive alternative to other surgical treatments for weight loss.

Manufactu

Six genes may hold the answer to whether a person’s lymphoma is likely to respond to treatment. This finding by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine could result in the first gene-based screen to identify people who need the most aggressive therapy.

When a person is diagnosed with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, doctors use a group of indicators called the International Prognostic Index, or IPI, which includes a person’s age, tumor stage and blood markers to decide

Penn researchers show effectiveness of device in analyzing gases exhaled from the nose to determine presence of common bacterial infections

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have recently completed three studies – the most comprehensive and largest to date – that demonstrate the effectiveness of an electronic nose device for diagnosing common respiratory infections, specifically pneumonia and sinusitis. Doctors hope that the device – called the Cyranose

According to research work at the University Hospital, cell therapy could improve many of the motor deficits of patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

With Parkinson’s a degeneration of cell groups takes place and so, from a conceptual perspective, the perfect treatment would be to replace the cells lost. The big drawback in the search for a suitable cell is to find one that survives for a lengthy period within the brain, that integrates well into the brain structures in order to comply w

Since the advent of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nearly 20 years ago, scientists have been trying to overturn this method for analyzing DNA with something better. The “holy grail” in this quest is a simple method that could be used for point-of-care medical diagnostics, such as in the doctor’s office or on the battlefield.

Now chemists at Northwestern University have set a DNA detection sensitivity record for a diagnostic method that is not based on PCR — giving PCR a legitimate ri

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers have identified a gene that, when altered makes cells and animals age prematurely and die. The findings, reported in the May 1 edition of Genes and Development, may provide a new target for therapies that force cancer cells to an early death.

The gene, called PASG (Proliferation Associated SNF2-like Gene), normally works by decreasing the activity of other genes in two different ways: helping to add chemical groups to DNA, in a process known as

New Saint Louis University research sheds light on how obesity occurs

Saint Louis University researchers believe they’ve won a major skirmish in the battle of the bulge, and their findings are published in the May issue of Diabetes.
“We figured out how obesity occurs,” says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics in the department of internal medicine and professor of pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “The next st

Analyzing a blood sample for the presence of disease markers, either in a doctor’s office or on the battlefield, could soon become as quick and easy as scanning the bar-code of a grocery item. Using nanotechnology, researchers at Northwestern University have developed a way to label tiny disease markers in blood with unique DNA tags, which they call bio-bar-codes. The tags can then be scanned by an instrument to identify diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s, or identify exposure to b

Researchers at Emory University have identified a specific mutation in a sodium channel gene (SCN1A) that is associated with epilepsy syndrome in a family. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology in San Francisco on Tuesday, April 27th . The finding adds to a growing body of information about links between genetic mutations and epilepsy; more than two dozen genes implicated in the disease have been discovered to date, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

“The premi

Scientists studying the adhesive properties of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) – a protein that helps bind the nervous system together – have found that two opposing models of cell adhesion are both correct.

“Our extremely sensitive technique allows us to directly measure how these proteins bind to one another, and to further explore the relationship between their structure and function,” said Deborah Leckband, a professor and head of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Uni