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Prevention of preterm birth caused by gene-environment interactions
Date: Aug-29-2013New research in the Journal of Clinical Investigation provides evidence that gene-environment interactions are a major contributor to preterm birth and that using a combinatory treatment strategy can prevent preterm delivery in a mouse model. In findings posted online, scientists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center say their study provides important new insights into a major global health problem - one that remains stubbornly persistent in the United States...
Genomic sequencing leads to discovery of origin of hereditary east Texas bleeding disorder
Date: Aug-29-2013A severe hereditary bleeding disorder was described in a large family from east Texas in 2001. The affected family members routinely had bruising, nosebleeds, massive blood loss following injury or surgery, and often required blood transfusions. Routine tests for functional components of the blood coagulation pathway did not reveal any obvious defects. Genomic sequencing revealed a mutation in the gene encoding coagulation factor 5 (FV), but it was not considered to contribute to disease, since clotting assays were normal...
Multiple stages of the HIV-1 life cycle involved in protease inhibitor resistance
Date: Aug-29-2013HIV-1 protease inhibitors are very effective antiviral drugs. These drugs target HIV-1 proteases, which are required for viral replication. Despite the success of protease inhibitors for suppressing HIV-1, some patients do not respond to protease inhibitor therapy. For most patients, the lack of response is not due to mutation of the HIV-1 protease. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Robert Silcano and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University identify the effects of protease inhibitors on different stages of viral replication...
Combating drug-resistant cancers
Date: Aug-29-2013Many cancer therapies function by activating proteins like Caspase-3 (CASP3) that promote cell death. Several forms of cancer develop resistance to these drugs by down regulating CASP3 through an unknown mechanism. In the absence of CASP3, tumor cells produce another cell death promoting protein CASP7, but it is rendered inactive by the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Po-Huang Liang and colleagues at Academia Sinica identify a compound (I-Lys) that disrupts the interaction between CASP7 and XIAP...
It is essential to treat pediatric AIDS in the elimination agenda
Date: Aug-29-2013Scott Kellerman and colleagues argue that the scope of the current HIV elimination agenda must be broadened in order to ensure access to care and treatment for all children living with HIV. In 2011, despite the global initiative to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, 330,000 new pediatric infections were added worldwide to the existing pool of 3.4 million children living with the virus. Children are more vulnerable to HIV infection and have higher morbidity and mortality...
The molecular process behind a form of non-syndromic deafness
Date: Aug-29-2013Researchers identify an underlying molecular process that causes a genetic form of non-syndromic deafness in a new study that also suggests affected families may be at risk of damage to other organs. A multi-national research team led by scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report their findings in a study posted online by the Journal of Clinical Investigation...
Math anxiety experienced by girls
Date: Aug-29-2013Girls report more math anxiety on general survey measures but are not actually more anxious during math classes and exams, according to new research forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Existing research suggests that females are more anxious when it comes to mathematics than their male peers, despite similar levels of achievement...
Skin cancer an increased risk for recipients of donor kidneys
Date: Aug-29-2013Patients that receive kidney transplants have an increased risk of an invasive form of skin cancer. It is unclear if donor tissue contributes to cancer formation. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Philippe Ratajczak and colleagues at INSERM demonstrate that donor tissue can lead to cancer formation in transplant recipients. They examined tumor cells and transplant tissues from a small sample of kidney transplant patients that had subsequently developed skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)...
Migraines may permanently affect brain structure
Date: Aug-29-2013Scientists have discovered that migraines may affect the long-term structure of the brain and increase the risk of brain lesions, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark analyzed six population-based studies and 13 clinic-based studies to see whether there was a link between migraines and brain lesions, silent abnormalities or brain volume changes. The study authors looked at MRI brain scans of patients with common migraines or migraines with aura...
For colorectal cancer patients at VA, wait times up 78 percent
Date: Aug-29-2013A study published in the August print issue of the Journal of Oncology Practice shows that from 1998-2008, wait times for colorectal cancer operations at Veterans Administration hospitals increased from 19 to 32 days. But researchers think longer waits may be a reflection of several unmeasured variables including more careful care, staffing, and patient conditions or preferences. "Some of it is purely staffing - we don't have enough surgeons or nurses or anesthetists or O.R...
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