Health News

Mouse model developed for atopic dermatitis

Date: Jan-13-2014
A study reports the development of a new mouse model for atopic dermatitis, an inflammatory skin disorder commonly known as eczema. The findings, published in Cell Reports, suggest that mast cells, a type of immune cell, are critical for both spontaneous and allergen-induced eczema. The study, led by researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, was supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Hormone linked to improved glucose metabolism activates browning of fat

Date: Jan-13-2014
Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that a hormone long associated with weight loss and improved glucose metabolism is linked to activation of calorie-burning brown fat. This finding could have implications for production of new medications for type 2 diabetes and obesity. The results are published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation in a paper titled "Interplay between FGF21 and Insulin Action in the Liver for the Regulation of Metabolism."For the past decade, FGF21 has been known to play a role in metabolic regulation.

Researchers aiming to predict future flu virus

Date: Jan-13-2014
Every year, influenza outbreaks claim hundreds of thousands of human lives. Though vaccination against flu is fairly efficient, the disease is difficult to exterminate because of the high evolutionary rate of the flu virus. Every year, new flu strains spread over the planet that differ slightly from those that were common a year before, which helps the virus to escape the immune response, and possibly compromises the efficiency of anti-viral drugs. Furthermore, from time to time, a drastically new strain appears, posing a threat of human pandemic.

Genomic phenomenon captured that fuels the complexity and diversity of living things

Date: Jan-13-2014
A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a phenomenon that alters prevailing views of how the genome is expressed to make and sustain the life of mammals. Published in the journal Science, the paper helps explain why genetically identical animals are sometimes so different in their biology and appearance, and why some inherited disorders caused by a shared set of aberrant genes can be of such variable severity in different people.

Cells cause destructive scarring that contributes to kidney function decline

Date: Jan-13-2014
New research reveals that certain cells contribute to kidney function decline, making them attractive targets for treatments against kidney failure. The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).The blood-filtering cells in the kidneys - called podocytes - are critical to kidney function, and kidney failure can occur when as little as about 20% to 30% of them are lost.

A single dose of mood stabilizing drug helped restore kidney function in mice with acute kidney injury

Date: Jan-13-2014
A mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar affective disorders may also help treat acute kidney injury, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings are significant because there are no effective therapies for AKI.AKI, an abrupt decline in kidney function, is an increasingly prevalent and potentially serious condition that can arise following trauma, sepsis, major surgery, or exposure to drugs that are toxic to the kidneys.

Exposure to retinoid deficiency in utero leads to bronchial hyperresponsiveness as adults in mouse model

Date: Jan-13-2014
Individuals with asthma and COPD are subject to debilitating bronchospasm as a result of airways that are hyperresponsive to stimuli. Factors that lead to the development of airway hyperresponsiveness are not well characterized.In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Wellington Cardoso and colleagues at the Boston University School of Medicine reveal that mice born to mothers with retinoid deficiency during pregnancy are at increased risk of developing airway hyperesponsiveness. Prenatal retinoid deficiency promoted altered airway development and lung differentiation.

Engineered anti-toxin antibodies improve efficacy

Date: Jan-13-2014
The effectiveness of toxin-neutralizing antibodies is considered to be mediated through the interaction of the variable region of the antibody and the toxin; however, recent studies suggest that the constant region (Fc) of antibodies also influence efficacy.In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jeffrey Ravetch and colleagues at The Rockefeller University demonstrate that engineering the Fc domain of anti-toxin antibodies increases toxin neutralization activity through enhancing the interaction between toxin-targeting antibodies and the Fc receptor on immune cells.

How vascular disease activates autoimmune disorders

Date: Jan-13-2014
The hardening of the arteries, also called atherosclerosis, that can lead to heart attack or stroke, has also been linked to autoimmune disorders. It has not been clear why these diseases are related, but a study published by Cell Press in the journal Immunity reveals that a molecule that causes atherosclerosis also activates white blood cells called T cells, causing clinical symptoms of autoimmune disease to worsen in mice. The findings shed light on the tight link between autoimmunity and atherosclerosis, opening new avenues for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

Often there is no clear medical need for testosterone therapy

Date: Jan-13-2014
Although testosterone use has sharply increased among older men in the past decade, many patients appear to have normal testosterone levels and do not meet the clinical guidelines for treatment, according to new research accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.Testosterone is a key male sex hormone involved in maintaining sex drive, sperm production and bone health.