Health News

Chronic kidney disease may be caused by epigenetic changes

Date: Nov-26-2013
The research of physician-scientist Katalin Susztak, MD, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, strives to understand the molecular roots and genetic predisposition of chronic kidney disease.

Powerful tool for genetic engineering

Date: Nov-26-2013
Viruses cannot only cause illnesses in humans, they also infect bacteria. Those protect themselves with a kind of 'immune system' which - simply put - consists of specific sequences in the genetic material of the bacteria and a suitable enzyme. It detects foreign DNA, which may originate from a virus, cuts it up and thus makes the invaders harmless. Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig have now shown that the dual-RNA guided enzyme Cas9 which is involved in the process has developed independently in various strains of bacteria.

Why some ear and respiratory infections become chronic

Date: Nov-26-2013
Scientists have figured out how a bacterium that causes ear and respiratory illnesses is able to elude immune detection in the middle ear, likely contributing to chronic or recurrent infections in adults and children. A team from The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital published the findings in a recent issue of PLOS Pathogens and has now received a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to further the work.Led by Kevin M. Mason, PhD, and Sheryl S.

Artificial skin grown using stem cells from the umbilical cord

Date: Nov-26-2013
This important scientific breakthrough, developed by the University of Granada, will aid the immediate use of artificially-grown skin for major burn patients, since the skin could be stored in tissue banks and made available when needed.One of the problems major burn victims have is that, using the current protocols for artificial skin, they need to wait various weeks in order for it to be grown, using healthy skin from the own patient.Spanish scientists, from the Tissue Engineering Research Group, from the Dept.

Combo of plant nutrients kills breast cancer cells

Date: Nov-26-2013
A study led by Madhwa Raj, PhD, Research Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and its Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, has found that a super cocktail of six natural compounds in vegetables, fruits, spices and plant roots killed 100% of sample breast cancer cells without toxic side effects on normal cells. The results, which also revealed potential treatment target genes, are published in the November 2013 issue of The Journal of Cancer.

New targets for Parkinson's disease identified by gene-silencing study

Date: Nov-26-2013
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to reveal dozens of genes which may represent new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson's disease. The findings also may be relevant to several diseases caused by damage to mitochondria, the biological power plants found in cells throughout the body."We discovered a network of genes that may regulate the disposal of dysfunctional mitochondria, opening the door to new drug targets for Parkinson's disease and other disorders," said Richard Youle, Ph.D.

Nanodiamonds offer the potential for precise resolution and biocompatibility for MRI, sensors

Date: Nov-26-2013
By exploiting flaws in miniscule diamond fragments, researchers say they have achieved enough coherence of the magnetic moment inherent in these defects to harness their potential for precise quantum sensors in a material that is 'biocompatible'.Nanoscopic thermal and magnetic field detectors - which can be inserted into living cells - could enhance our understanding of everything from chemical reactions within single cells to signalling in neural networks and the origin of magnetism in novel materials.

How living cells solved a needle in a haystack problem to produce electrical signals

Date: Nov-26-2013
Filtered from a vast sodium sea, more than 1 million calcium ions per second gush through our cells' pores to generate chargesScientists have figured out how calcium channels - the infinitesimal cell membrane pores that generate electrical signals by gating a charged-particle influx - have solved a "needle in a haystack" problem.The solution to the longstanding riddle is reported in the advanced online edition of Nature by University of Washington and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. Dr. Ning Zheng, a noted X-ray crystallographer, and Dr.

Asparagine in Meat, egg and dairy products essential for brain development

Date: Nov-26-2013
Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development. This is not the case for other organs. "The cells of the body can do without it because they use asparagine provided through diet. Asparagine, however, is not well transported to the brain via the blood-brain barrier," said senior co-author of the study Dr.

Brain region identified that helps you make up your mind

Date: Nov-26-2013
One of the smallest parts of the brain is getting a second look after new research suggests it plays a crucial role in decision making.A University of British Columbia study published in Nature Neuroscience says the lateral habenula, a region of the brain linked to depression and avoidance behaviors, has been largely misunderstood and may be integral in cost-benefit decisions."These findings clarify the brain processes involved in the important decisions that we make on a daily basis, from choosing between job offers to deciding which house or car to buy," says Prof.