Health News

The specific types of macrophages identified that affect Crohn's disease severity

Date: Mar-04-2014
New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that a decrease in classical blood monocytes, coupled with an increase in certain macrophages may lead to therapeutic targets for Crohn's diseaseFor those coping with Crohn's disease, a new research report published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology offers hope for the development of new and more effective drugs. In the report, scientists show for the first time, precisely what type of immune cells are involved in driving the inflammation process in the disease.

Chaperone binds protein responsible for Alzheimer's disease

Date: Mar-04-2014
Tau proteins, which are responsible for Alzheimer's disease, bind to the folding protein Hsp90. The molecular recognition mechanisms that play a role here, have been unveiled by an international team of scientists led by the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen. This might open the door for new approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, as the scientists report in the trade journal "Cell".Proteins like the so-called heat shock protein Hsp90 play an important role in almost all processes within human cells.

New mechanisms identified in cellular stress response

Date: Mar-04-2014
After a natural disaster like a big fire, countless helpers work together to get rid of debris, to build temporary shelters and to provide food for people in need. When a cell is exposed to dangerous environmental conditions such as high temperatures or toxic substances, a quite similar process is initiated: the cellular stress response, also called heat shock response.

Neglected diseases of poverty plague Indonesia

Date: Mar-04-2014
The control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is one of the most cost-effective ways Indonesia can sustain economic growth and reduce inequality, said scientists in an analysis published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. While Indonesia is poised to defeat NTDs by 2020, it has an opportunity to scale up national programs, integrate NTDs with other development efforts, strengthen coordination and enhance collaboration among key partners.

Flu infections can lead to deadly cytokine storm that sparks lung inflammation

Date: Mar-04-2014
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have mapped key elements of a severe immune overreaction - a "cytokine storm" - that can both sicken and kill patients who are infected with certain strains of flu virus.Their findings, published in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also clarify the workings of a potent new class of anti-inflammatory compounds that prevent this immune overreaction in animal models.

Handheld electronic device counteracts hand shakes caused by essential tremor

Date: Mar-04-2014
For people whose hands shake uncontrollably due to a medical condition, just eating can be a frustrating and embarrassing ordeal - enough to keep them from sharing a meal with others.But a small new study conducted at the University of Michigan Health System suggests that a new handheld electronic device can help such patients overcome the hand shakes caused by essential tremor, the most common movement disorder.

Study of primate brain reveals evolution at work

Date: Mar-04-2014
New research by UC Santa Barbara's Kenneth S. Kosik, Harriman Professor of Neuroscience, reveals some very unique evolutionary innovations in the primate brain.In a study published online in the journal Neuron, Kosik and colleagues describe the role of microRNAs - so named because they contain only 22 nucleotides - in a portion of the brain called the outer subventricular zone (OSVZ). These microRNAs belong to a special category of noncoding genes, which prevent the formation of proteins.

Mechanisms cancer cells use to establish metastatic brain tumors

Date: Mar-04-2014
New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering provides fresh insight into the biologic mechanisms that individual cancer cells use to metastasize to the brain. Published in the journal Cell, the study found that tumor cells that reach the brain - and successfully grow into new tumors - hug capillaries and express specific proteins that overcome the brain's natural defense against metastatic invasion.Metastasis, the process that allows some cancer cells to break off from their tumor of origin and take root in a different tissue, is the most common reason people die from cancer.

Strange infection identified that killed famed Milwaukee County Zoo orangutan

Date: Mar-04-2014
Mahal, the young orangutan who became a star of the Milwaukee County Zoo and an emblem of survival for a dwindling species, led an extraordinary life.It turns out, the young ape died an extraordinary death, too.Rejected by his biological mother at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colo., and eventually flown to Milwaukee aboard a private jet to live with a surrogate mother, Mahal became one of the Milwaukee County Zoo's star attractions.

International study reveals that most children are unaware of cigarette warning labels

Date: Mar-04-2014
An international study of children's perceptions of cigarette package warning labels found that the majority of children are unaware that they exist. Children in countries where larger warning labels are used, and which include a compelling graphic image of the negative health impacts of smoking, were more likely to be aware of and understand the health risks of tobacco products. The study, led by Dina Borzekowski, Ed.D, in the University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD), and Joanna Cohen, Ph.D.