Abnormalities in these brain regions are associated with neurological and mental health disorders. According to Professor Donohoe: For years scientists have been fascinated by the development of different brain structures and how this changes in brain-based disorders.
and learning and is implicated in Parkinson's disease. This finding opens up new avenues for research in this disease by giving new clues about the biological mechanisms involved.
The research was funded in part by Science Foundation Ireland and the Health Research Board in Ireland and involved collaboration between researchers at NUI Galway and Trinity college Dublin.
and to understanding the basis of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders such as schizophrenia Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.
Unless you know what'normal'development looks like it's hard to know how disease manifests in these sub-cortical regions.
of which has previously been implicated in risk for schizophrenia. The article published in Nature today is'Common genetic variants influence human subcortical brain structures
The findings come weeks after a report commissioned by British Prime minister David cameron concluded that failure to battle drug-resistant infections
#Key factor discovered in formation of metastases in melanoma Melanoma, the most aggressive of all skin cancer strains, is often fatal for patients due to the pronounced formation of metastases.
Until now, a melanoma's rampant growth was attributed mainly to genetic causes, such as mutations in certain genes.
This opens up new possibilities for future cancer treatments. Patients who visit the doctor because of malignant skin cancer often go too late--the aggressive cancer has formed already numerous metastases in their bodies.
This rapid malignant metastatic formation of melanoma, was previously put down to the high mutation rate that is characteristic of melanoma,
i e. genetic changes that stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Various cancer drugs therefore target the signaling pathways activated in the process, some
and the tumor spreads again. Evidently, the cancer cells have found new ways to grow. A team of researchers headed by Professor Lukas Sommer from the University of Zurich's Institute of Anatomy has now found a possible explanation for this dynamic behavior in cancer cells:
whether epigenetic factors are especially active in melanoma cells --and stumbled across EZH2, an epigenetic control protein found very frequently in malignant melanoma cells compared to normal cells.
Joining forces with dermatologists and oncologists from the University Hospital in Zurich and backed by the University Research Priority Program"Translational Cancer Research,
"Sommer's team was able to demonstrate that, in melanoma cells, the epigenetic factor EZH2 controls genes that govern tumor growth as well as genes that are important for the formation of metastases.
In their study, the researcher exploited this central position of EZH2 to combat the cancer:
They used a pharmacological inhibitor to suppress the activity of EZH2. As a result, the researchers were able to prevent the growth and malignant spread of the cancer in the animal model and human melanoma cells."
"To our astonishment, we were able to use the approach to influence the progression of the disease,
even if tumors had developed already, "explains Sommer. Epigenetic factors like EZH2 therefore appear to be highly promising targets for future cancer treatments,
especially combined with other drugs that are already available e
#New technique for growing high-efficiency perovskite solar cells This week in the journal Science, Los alamos National Laboratory researchers reveal a new solution-based hot-casting technique
that allows growth of highly efficient and reproducible solar cells from large-area perovskite crystals.""These perovskite crystals offer promising routes for developing low-cost, solar-based, clean global energy solutions for the future,"said Aditya Mohite,
The discovery could lead to targeted therapies and interventions for Alzheimer's disease, autism and other neurological conditions.
The discovery will guide research into more personalized medical treatments for Alzheimer's, autism, depression and other disorders."
if the genetic mutations are implicated in disease. The ENIGMA researchers screened millions of"spelling differences"in the genetic code to see which ones affected the size of key parts of the brain in magnetic resonance images (MRIS) from 30,717 individuals.
some of the genes are implicated in cancer and mental illness. In October 2014, the NIH invested nearly $32 million in its Big data Initiative,
#Erectile dysfunction drugs could protect liver from sepsis-induced damage Infection can lead to the release of chemicals that cause whole-body inflammation
Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the intensive care unit. Sepsis is a very challenging problem so the possibility that we might be able to repurpose a drug that is in use and well understood is very exciting Dr. Billiar said.
Sepsis triggers production of a protein called tumor necrosis factor or TNF which helps fight infection but is sustained harmful at high levels.
The researchers found in a mouse model of sepsis that sildenafil more commonly known as Viagra induced the liver to produce greater amounts of a protein called CYCLIC GMP
which in turn led cells to shed surface proteins called TNF receptor reducing TNF signaling in the cells and preventing liver damage.
Our study suggests that increasing the bioavailability of CYCLIC GMP might be beneficial in ameliorating the inflammation associated with sepsis Dr. Billiar said.
Sildenafil and other ED drugs might be a good approach to try early in the course of the illness to forestall organ damage.
The research team plans to verify their findings in a large animal model of sepsis s
If hypoglycemia develops in these premature babies and persists for over an hour, it can affect brain development.
and stress would be too great. In a project funded by The swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF),
For the future, the researchers also envisage the use of Glucolight in other fields, such as diabetes s
and no prior work has examined the relationship of MITOCHONDRIAL DNA to psychosocial stress. We are interested in these relationships
because there is now clear evidence that stress exposure and psychiatric conditions are associated with inflammation and health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Identifying the changes that occur at a cellular level due to these psychosocial factors allows us to understand the causes of these poor health conditions
or absence of childhood adversity and the presence or absence of lifetime depressive anxiety or substance use disorders.
These effects were seen in individuals with major depression depressive disorders and anxiety disorders as well as those with parental loss and childhood maltreatment.
These findings indicate that childhood stress and some psychiatric disorders are linked to important cellular changes that may represent advanced cellular aging.
and prevention options for stress-related psychiatric and medical conditions and may shed light on the aging process itself. said Dr. Tyrka also the director of research for Butler Hospital l
#New cancer-fighting strategy would harden cells to prevent metastasis Existing cancer therapies are geared toward massacring tumor cells
This is a novel approach to cancer therapy that we believe could fight the disease with less potential for side effects
We think the new screening system we devised will help identify drugs for many other diseases as well.
Since changes in cell shape figure into conditions from cancer to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to degenerative nerve diseases compounds that affect cells shape could turn out to stall disease progress.
Most drug screens look for an effect on a specific biochemical pathway that has been linked to disease;
In collaboration with another Johns Hopkins lab led by Robert Anders M d. Ph d. an associate professor of pathology Robinson's group identified changes in the amount of myosin II in pancreatic cancer cells as they spread from the original
tumor into other areas of the body a crucial step in progression of the disease. The research team tested 4-HAP on lab-grown pancreatic cancer cells
The drug is already in use in some countries as a treatment for jaundice so if it shows success against pancreatic cancer it could potentially make it to market relatively quickly Robinson says.
#Scientists invent system to improve effectiveness of cancer surgery With the goal of making it easier for surgeons to detect malignant tissue during surgery
and hopefully reduce the rate of cancer recurrence, scientists have invented a new imaging system that causes tumors to ight upwhen a hand-held laser is directed at them. surgeon goal during cancer surgery is to remove the tumor,
as well as enough surrounding tissue to ensure that malignant cells are not left behind, said Aaron Mohs, Ph d,
Mohs and co-authors report on their prototype system that combines a fluorescent dye that localizes in tumors with a real-time imaging system that allows the surgeon to simply view a screen to distinguish between normal tissue and the ightedmalignant tissue.
In both mice and companion dogs with tumors, the scientists found that the fluorescent dye accumulated at higher levels in tumors than in the surrounding tissue
and the system was able to detect a distinct boundary between normal and tumor tissue.
Canine tumors are known to be similar to human tumors in architecture and canines get the same types of tumors as humans.
The scientists are working to further develop the system so it can be evaluated in human patients.
Current technology allows cancer surgeons to scan tumors prior to surgery with magnetic resonance imaging and other systems.
However, to scan the tumor during surgery involves moving the patient from the operating table and into the machinery hich prolongs the surgery. eing able to quickly scan a tumor during surgery to visualize tumor tissue from non-tumor tissue is an unmet clinical need,
said Mohs. athology techniques that examine tumor tissue during surgery can take up to 20 minutes
and they focus on the tissue removed during surgery, not the tissue that remains in the body.
In TBME, the authors noted that the ideal system would find tumor boundaries with high sensitivity,
a surgeon would scan the tumor prior to surgery to determine its boundaries. The tumor would then be removed surgically
and the area would be scanned re to assess for any remaining malignant tissue. If diseased tissue is found,
and nanoparticles that can be targeted to specific tumors. Recently, Mohs was awarded a $1. 37 million research grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging
The research will investigate invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer. Under the project, the researchers will focus on optimizing the loading of the dye,
and whether disease recurrence is reduced. Members of the research team all from Wake Forest Baptist, are:
#New antibodies for cancer treatment A research team at Aarhus University i Denmark has developed ten new antibodies that can possibly be used in the battle against cancer.
The antibodies we've found prevent a cancer tumour from growing. They appear to work perfectly in the laboratory
The antibodies neutralise the effects of signal substances released by carcinoma cells to get blood vessels to replicate
A cancer tumour deprived of oxygen and nutrients becomes dormant and is made thereby harmless. If it receives a supply from the bloodstream
They are among the world's leading specialists in developing artificial antibodies for cancer treatment
To date they have identified actually ten that appear to be able to impede the development of cancer.
The demand for therapeutic antibodies for cancer treatment is steadily increasing. In 2013 alone worldwide sales amounted to more than DKK 340 billion.
We've got a large library of antibodies that can supplement the body's own fight against disease.
and this is crucial for our better understanding of disease mechanisms and possibly developing new forms of therapy says Associate professor Kristensen.
Professor Mahiran said in pharmaceuticals an innovation has produced successfully a drugs delivery method to penetrate the'blood brain barrier'especially for diseases that are associated with the brain such as Alzheimer Parkinson epilepsy and meningitis.
#Insights into a rare genetic disease Recently a grassroots effort initiated by families and clinicians led to the discovery of a human genetic disorder with severe consequences that is linked to a mutation in the human NGLY1 gene.
In a big step towards understanding the effects of this mutation research by scientists at the RIKEN-Max Planck Joint Research center in Japan implicates the enzyme ENGASE as the factor responsible for deficient protein degradation that occurs in the absence
and epilepsy to abnormal liver function and the inability to make tears. The leader of the research effort Tadashi Suzuki notes that
Its stripped down size and odd chemical modifications may have evolved as a way to make it better at causing hypoglycemia in prey y
#New cellular pathway triggering allergic asthma response identified Researchers at the University of California, San diego School of medicine,
with collaborators in Korea and Scotland, have identified a novel signaling pathway critical to the immune response of cells associated with the initiation of allergic asthma.
could point the way to new therapies that suppress the inflammatory allergic response, offering potential relief to millions of Americans with the chronic lung condition and potentially other allergic diseases.
the scientists demonstrated that T helper 2 (Th2) type inflammation in allergic asthma involves dendritic cells (DC), a type of white blood cell,
which shares many similarities with human asthma. Conversely, increasing camp levels inhibited the cells'inflammatory response that results in asthma's characteristic symptoms."
"These findings and the related mechanism are very different from the current residing view of activation of specific T helper cell responses,
"The role of camp formation and action in dendritic cells in the induction of allergic response was added really surprising
which recognizes and responds to pathogens in an immediate, but generalized, way and does not confer long-lasting immunity.
or prevent pathogen growth --and create immunological memory in case of future encounters with the same pathogen.
Th2 immunity is one of two major aspects of adaptive immunity. Th1 responses target intracellular pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria that have invaded host cells.
The Th2 response is more effective against extracellular pathogens (such as bacteria parasites and toxins that operate outside of cells) and also plays a major role in allergic reactions and related diseases.
Allergic asthma is triggered by inhaled allergens, such as pet dander, pollen, mold and dust mites. It is characterized by inflammation
and narrowing of the airways, resulting in wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing and other symptoms.
The common form of allergic asthma is associated with an exaggerated Th2 immune response. Allergic asthma affects people of all ages, most often appearing in childhood.
More than 25 million Americans suffer from the condition.""This research will open a new field of exploration of DC-related molecules as mediators that influence Th2 induction
and Th2'bias,'"said Jihyung Lee, Phd, a postdoctoral fellow and first author of the study."
or ones that mimic or block them might be used as novel therapeutics of allergic and asthmatic diseases."
"Raz noted that the genetic mouse model developed for the research shares multiple similarities with human allergic asthma,
"We are quite optimistic the mice will reveal additional, novel insights into human allergy, "he said d
New method improves single-cell genomics analyses Single-cell RNA-sequencing is a relatively new technology that helps scientists understand how genes are expressed in different types of healthy tissue and in cancers.
Cancer cells differentiation processes and the pathogenesis of various diseases can be explored better and understood when they are based only on known detailed cell profiles.
or understand how cancer cells are organized in a metastasizing tumor or how immune cells are configured in an autoimmune attack you have to look at a large piece of tissue with nanoscale precision he says.
While Boyden's team is focused on the brain other possible applications for this technique include studying tumor metastasis
and angiogenesis (growth of blood vessels to nourish a tumor) or visualizing how immune cells attack specific organs during autoimmune disease e
#Gene tied to profound vision loss discovered by scientists An exhaustive hereditary analysis of a large Louisiana family with vision issues has uncovered a new gene tied to an incurable eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa,
according to an examination led by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHEALTH).
It is a family of eye diseases that affects more than 200,000 in the United states and millions worldwide The retina converts images into electrical signals that can be processed by the brain.
Retinitis pigmentosa damages this film (the retina) and its early symptoms include decreased night vision and peripheral vision.
Once it starts, the loss of vision is relentlessly progressive, often ending in blindness. In the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, UTHEALTH's Stephen P. Daiger, Ph d,
. and his colleagues report their discovery of a new gene tied to retinitis pigmentosa, which brings the total of genes associated with this sight-threatening disease to more than 60.
The gene is called hexokinase 1 (HK1. This information is important because it helps affected families cope with the disorder,
helps explain the biologic basis of these diseases and suggests targets for drug treatments and gene therapy, said Daiger, the report's senior author and holder of the Thomas Stull Matney Ph d. Endowed Professorship in Environmental and Genetic sciences at UTHEALTH School of Public health."
"Dr. Daiger is trying to make a breakthrough in potentially blinding diseases with no known treatments,
"Right now, we address the symptoms of the disease and help patients make the most of their existing vision."
"For approximately three decades, Daiger, a member of the Human genetics Center at the UTHEALTH School of Public health, has been following the progress of hundreds of families across the country with retinitis pigmentosa."
"We've found the cause of disease in 80 percent of the families we have studied,
"Equipped with the genetic profiles of family members, Daiger's team has identified differences in the genetic makeup of those with the disease.
There are different types of retinitis pigmentosa and Daiger's laboratory is focused on the autosomal dominant type.
This means that only one parent needs the mutation in order to pass the disease to a child.
This type accounts for about a third of all cases and many of its disease-causing genes have been discovered
#Environment not genes dictates human immune variation study finds A study of twins conducted by Stanford university School of medicine investigators shows that our environment more than our heredity plays the starring role in determining the state of our immune system the body's primary defense against disease.
if you sequence someone's genome you can tell what diseases they're going have 50 years later said Mark Davis Phd professor of microbiology and immunology and director of Stanford's Institute for Immunity Transplantation and Infection.
But while genomic variation clearly plays a key role in some diseases he said the immune system has to be tremendously adaptable
in order to cope with unpredictable episodes of infection injury and tumor formation. The immune system has to think on its feet said Davis senior author of the new study which will be published Jan 15 in Cell.
But what we found was that in most cases including the reaction to a standard influenza vaccine
Davis and his associates also observed considerable environmental influence over the quantities of antibodies produced in members of twin pairs who had been vaccinated for influenza in a separate Stanford investigation directed by study co-author Cornelia Dekker MD professor of pediatric infectious disease
or absence of a single chronic viral infection could have a massive effect on the system's composition and responsiveness.
A healthy human immune system continually adapts to its encounters with hostile pathogens friendly gut microbes nutritional components
The authors also found a possible link to cancer. In mice prone to develop benign skin tumors-papillomas-the activation of Fra-2 reduced skin tumor burden.
The authors demonstrate that Fra-2 induces premature differentiation of keratinocytes. An additional novelty is related to the regulation of the transcriptional activity of Fra-2. The work reveals that the activation of this transcription factor depends on chemical protein modifications
whether inhibition of Ezh2 may be a valuable therapeutic strategy for skin diseases related to keratinocyte differentiation defects s
major disease implications"Instead of asking,'How do we study the immune response of the brain?''''Why do multiple sclerosis patients have the immune attacks?'
'now we can approach this mechanistically. Because the brain is like every other tissue connected to the peripheral immune system through meningeal lymphatic vessels,
Arraythe unexpected presence of the lymphatic vessels raises a tremendous number of questions that now need answers, both about the workings of the brain and the diseases that plague it.
take Alzheimer's disease.""In Alzheimer's, there are accumulations of big protein chunks in the brain, "Kipnis said."
And there's an enormous array of other neurological diseases, from autism to multiple sclerosis, that must be reconsidered in light of the presence of something science insisted did not exist t
which might give an impact on tyrosine kinase-targeted leukemia therapy, was found to be expressed in a leukemia cell line.
The function of the lncrna CCDC26 is understood not fully; however, researchers at Hiroshima University revealed the mechanisms by
The results provide new insights into leukemia recurrence and may help to develop new leukemia therapies.
Recent transcriptomic studies have revealed the existence of numerous RNAS that are relatively long but not translated into proteins.
therefore cause a variety of diseases such as cancer. However, the molecular functions of lncrnas remain to be elucidated fully.
Leukemia cells in which CCDC26 was knocked down showed enhanced survival periods after serum withdrawal. A KIT-specific inhibitor reversed this increased survival of the cells.
These results are published in a Molecular Cancer article titled""Long noncoding RNA, CCDC26, controls myeloid leukemia cell growth through regulation of KIT expression.""
Leukemia characterized by a mutated copy number of CCDC26 might be treated by KIT-targeted therapy"quoted Dr. Hirano o
Researchers at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered two new groups of viruses within the Bunyavirus family in the tropical forest of Ivory coast.
"The most well-known bunyaviruses include, for example, the Rift valley fever virus, which can cause febrile illnesses with severe bleeding in humans,
"says Dr. Sandra Junglen from the Bonn Institute of Virology, also affiliated with the German Center for Infection Research.
In 2011, the"Schmallenberg virus"gained much attention: also a part of the Bunyavirus family and transmitted by gnats,
Agents of human disease have developed from insect viruses"These were two groups of as yet-unknown viruses
They performed infection trials in a large number of cell cultures at different temperature levels. While pathogenic bunyaviruses can multiply at temperatures that include the human body temperature,
Simplified test to test novel viruses for risk of human infection Triggered by epidemics such as SARS and Ebola,
"We hope our temperature test for estimating the risk of vertebrate infection can be useful for assessing other viruses that keep being discovered,
#Intelligent bacteria for detecting disease Another step forward has just been taken in the area of synthetic biology.
in association with Montpellier Regional University Hospital and Stanford university, have transformed bacteria into"secret agents"that can give warning of a disease based solely on the presence of characteristic molecules in the urine or blood.
The bacteria thus programmed detect the abnormal presence of glucose in the urine of diabetic patients.
and are considered often to be our enemies, causing many diseases such as tuberculosis or cholera. However, they can also be witnessed allies,
Medical diagnosis is a major challenge for the early detection and subsequent monitoring of diseases.""In vitro"diagnosis is based on the presence in physiological fluids (blood and urine, for example) of molecules characteristic for a particular disease.
Because of its noninvasiveness and ease of use, in vitro diagnosis is of great interest. However, in vitro tests are sometimes complex,
in association with Professor Eric Renard (Montpellier Regional University Hospital) and Drew Endy (Stanford university), applied this new technology to the detection of disease signals in clinical samples.
The authors used the transcriptor's amplification abilities to detect disease markers, even if present in very small amounts.
and detected the abnormal presence of glucose in the urine of diabetic patients.""We have deposited the genetic components used in this work in the public domain to allow their unrestricted reuse by other public
"Our work is focused presently on the engineering of artificial genetic systems that can be modified on demand to detect different molecular disease markers,
In future, this work might also be applied to engineering the microbial flora in order to treat various diseases, especially intestinal diseases
135 K) which caused the"high-Tc fever"in the world 30 years ago, it obviously exceeds the record of other"high-Tc superconductors"such as fullerene (C60) superconductors (Tc 33 K) and Mgb2 (Tc 39k),
Disruption of the clock has been associated with a variety of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
According to Carrie Partch a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa cruz and corresponding author of the paper, the connection between clock disruption and cancer is still unclear."
"The clock is disrupted not always in cancer cells, but studies have shown that disrupting circadian rhythms in mice causes tumors to grow faster,
and one of the things the clock does is set restrictions on when cells can divide,
including melanoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer. It belongs to a group of proteins known as"cancer/testis antigens,
"which are expressed normally in the germ line cells that give rise to sperm and eggs, but are also found in some cancer cells.
Cancer researchers have been interested in these proteins as markers for cancer and as potential targets for therapeutic cancer vaccines."
"For very few of these do we understand the roles they might play in driving cancer,
We could potentially find ways to disrupt it in those cancers in which it is expressed."
"Beyond its role in cancer, Partch is interested also in understanding the normal role of PASD1
causing either advanced sleep syndrome or delayed sleep syndrome. There is also a growing body of evidence showing that environmental changes affecting circadian rhythms
and we have ongoing studies to explore its role in cancer and other human health problems
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