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How antiprion antibodies cause neurodegeneration
Date: Jul-31-2013It has been suggested that antibodies against prion protein might have therapeutic value. However, a study in this week's Nature shows that many antiprion antibodies cause neurotoxicity and also reveals the mechanism underlying these observations. The prion protein - which in a misfolded form is associated with neurotoxic effects such as those seen in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - contains a globular domain and a flexible tail. Aguzzi and colleagues show that antibodies against the globular domain cause neurotoxicity in mice and cerebellar cultured slices...
A nanothermometer for cells
Date: Jul-31-2013A novel approach to probe temperature in living cells is reported in this week's Nature. The 'nanothermometer' is based on diamond nanocrystals and can accurately measure very small temperature variations at high spatial resolution. Potential applications include temperature-induced control of gene expression, and the cell-selective treatment of diseases. The nanoscale thermometry technique developed by Mikhail Lukin and co-workers uses quantum manipulation of nitrogen vacancy (NV) colour centres in diamond nanocrystals...
Saliva study of cell phone effects
Date: Jul-31-2013Frequent cell phone use may be linked to cancer, suggests a study from researchers at Tel Aviv University, led by Dr. Yaniv Hamzany. The study paper poses the question, Is human saliva an indicator of the adverse health effects of using mobile phones? The authors decided to turn to saliva to test a hypothesis that the salivary gland would give clues to cell phone risks - the gland sits in close proximity to a cell phone when in use. The researchers examined 20 participants who had been using a mobile phone for an average of 12.5 years and for between 8 and 100 hours a month...
Estrogen may influence location of women's fat
Date: Jul-31-2013Ever wondered why some women, but not all, have the "pear" shape considered by many to be desirable? Researchers might have found some answers to the mystery, after discovering that estrogen, one of the sex hormones, affects where fat is stored in a woman's body. The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, involved 17 premenopausal women between the ages of 18 and 44 who were overweight or obese...
Alzheimer's disease linked to poor dental health
Date: Jul-31-2013A study has found that people with poor oral hygiene or gum disease could be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's compared with those who have healthy teeth. Researchers from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the UK, discovered the presence of a bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of patients who had dementia when they were alive. The bug is usually associated with chronic periodontal (gum) disease...
Cholesterol connection to Rett Syndrome
Date: Jul-31-2013Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs found in millions of medicine cabinets, may hold the key to finding a treatment for Rett Syndrome, a severe autistic disorder that affects young girls. The Connecticut-based Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) has sponsored work to identify a number of targetable genes that act on the Rett gene, MECP2 (methyl-CpG-binding protein 2), in mice. Results of the cholesterol metabolism in Rett syndrome study are published in the journal Nature Genetics...
Susceptibility to deadly fungal infection increased by methamphetamine
Date: Jul-31-2013Methamphetamine use can make a person more susceptible to the lung infection cryptococcosis, according to a study published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Researchers found that injected methamphetamine (METH) significantly enhanced colonization of the lungs by Cryptococcus neoformans and accelerated progression of the disease and the time to death in mouse models. C...
Summer holiday time-bomb facing children with asthma
Date: Jul-31-2013Parents are being warned of an 'asthma attack time-bomb' potentially facing the 1.1 million children with asthma in the UK when they go back to school after the summer holidays. Leading charity Asthma UK has today released alarming new data showing a dramatic surge in children's hospital admissions that coincides with their return to school. In England, more children are rushed to hospital with an asthma attack in mid-September than any other week during the year. Over 4...
Biobank research not fully understood by parents
Date: Jul-31-2013Researchers who collect genetic samples from children for medical research need to explain the process more clearly to parents, according to a new study that suggests many parents don't fully understand the finer details about how these samples will be used and stored. The study was published recently in Genetics in Medicine...
Smart Map launch offers new approach in the battle against Britain's biggest cancer killer, UK
Date: Jul-31-2013Lung cancer patients can now check they are getting the best care available after the launch of a new interactive online map. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation (RCLCF) announced the launch today of its Lung Cancer Smart Map, which shows patients how treatment in their area compares against government targets. Dr Jesme Fox, Medical Director at the RCLCF said: "There may be many reasons why some areas aren't meeting national standards but the point of this map is to give patients the power to ask why...
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