EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Skeletal Muscle
Burnt sugar derivative reduces muscle wasting in fly and mouse muscular dystrophy
A trace substance in caramelized sugar, when purified and given in appropriate doses, improves muscle regeneration in an insect and mammal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The substance, THI, protects the body's levels of a cell signal important in cell differentiation, proliferation, and migration. Fruit flies and mice with the muscular dystrophy gene both showed improvements in movement, and other reductions of symptoms.

National Institutes of Health, Duchenne Alliance, RaceMD, Ryan's Quest

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell Reports
Novel drug shuts down master protein key to lymphoma
Researchers have discovered how an experimental drug is capable of completely eradicating human lymphoma in mice after just five doses. The study, led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, sets the stage for testing the drug in clinical trials of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, itself the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer in the US.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, National Science Foundation, Chemotherapy Foundation

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cancer Cell
Blocking key enzyme in cancer cells could lead to new therapy
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have identified a characteristic unique to cancer cells in an animal model of cancer -- and they believe it could be exploited as a target to develop new treatment strategies.

US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Chicago Biomedical Consortium, The Searle Funds

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Pediatrics In Review
Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding
In an article published in this month's issue of Pediatrics In Review, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine stress the importance of physicians recognizing that many mothers use herbal supplements while breastfeeding in order to make accurate health assessments for both mother and child.

NIH/National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Science
Scientists discover new type of protein modification, may play role in cancer and diabetes
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have discovered a new type of chemical modification that affects numerous proteins within mammalian cells. The modification appears to work as a regulator of important cellular processes including the metabolism of glucose. Further study of this modification could provide insights into the causes of diabetes, cancer and other disorders.

National Institutes of Health, Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Nature
Advance in regenerative medicine could make reprogrammed cells safer while improving their function
The enormous promise of regenerative medicine is matched by equally enormous challenges. But a new finding by a team of researchers led by Weill Cornell Medical College has the potential to improve both the safety and performance of reprogrammed cells.

National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell Host & Microbe
Vanderbilt studies outline new model for staph bone infections
Vanderbilt microbiologist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, and colleagues have identified a staph-killing compound that may be an effective treatment for osteomyelitis.

Searle Scholars Program, National Institutes of Health, Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Pediatrics
Children with elevated blood pressure don't get recommended follow-up, few at risk for hypertension
Children who have a first elevated blood pressure at the doctor's office are not likely to receive the recommended follow-up blood pressure readings within a month, according to a study published today in Pediatrics. However, when the blood pressure was later repeated, most children's blood pressure returned to normal for their age, sex and height.

NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Pain
Study reveals target for drug development for chronic jaw pain disorder
In a study in mice, researchers at Duke Medicine identified a protein that is critical to temporomandibular joint disorder pain, and could be a promising target for developing treatments for the disorder.

National Institutes of Health, Duke, Keimyung University School of Medicine

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Science
The when and where of the Y: Research on Y chromosomes finds new clues about human ancestry
Using advanced analysis of DNA from Y chromosomes from men all over the world, scientists have shed new light on the mystery of when and how a few early human ancestors started to give rise to the incredible diversity of today's population.

National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Biological Chemistry
Study highlights possible new approach to prostate cancer treatment
A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry identifies a new therapeutic approach to treat prostate cancer. The research shows that expression of the FoxM1 protein is essential for prostate cancer to develop in mouse models. The study also shows that depletion of FoxM1 in prostate epithelial cells inhibits tumor cell proliferation, the process by which new blood vessels are formed, and metastasis -- the spread of cancer to other organs of the body.

Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell
Targeted therapy identified for protein that protects and nourishes cancer
UT MD Anderson scientists identify the first targeted therapy to block Skp2, which suppresses a cellular defense against cancer and activates glycolysis to feed tumors. The drug restores the senescence program and stifles glycolysis to thwart tumor progression.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Molecular Cell
Sanford-Burnham researchers map a new metabolic pathway involved in cell growth
Deciphering the body's complex molecular pathways that lead to disease when they malfunction is highly challenging. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute now have a more complete picture of one particular pathway that can lead to cancer and diabetes. In the study published by Molecular Cell, the scientists uncovered how a protein called p62 has a cascade affect in regulating cell growth in response to the presence of nutrients such as amino acids and glucose.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell
New insight into how brain 'learns' cocaine addiction
A team of researchers says it has solved the longstanding puzzle of why a key protein linked to learning is also needed to become addicted to cocaine. Results of the study, published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Cell, describe how the learning-related protein works with other proteins to forge new pathways in the brain in response to a drug-induced rush of the "pleasure" molecule dopamine.

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

BMC Infectious Diseases
The 4-point test to predict death risk from C. difficile
A research paper published today, 2nd August 2013, in BMC Infectious Diseases has for the first time identified a unique four-point test using easily measurable clinical variables which can be used to accurately predict the death risk to patients from C. diff. Accurate prediction means that those patients at risk can be managed accordingly by the clinical team.

NIH/National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care in the South West Peninsula

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell
Potential nutritional therapy for childhood neurodegenerative disease
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the gene mutation responsible for a particularly severe form of pontocerebellar hypoplasia, a currently incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting children. Based on results in cultured cells, they are hopeful that a nutritional supplement may one day be able to prevent or reverse the condition.

National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell
New designer compound treats heart failure by targeting cell nucleus
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have made a fundamental discovery relevant to the understanding and treatment of heart failure -- a leading cause of death worldwide. The team discovered a new molecular pathway responsible for causing heart failure and showed that a first-in-class prototype drug, JQ1, blocks this pathway to protect the heart from damage.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell Stem Cell
UC San Diego researchers develop efficient model for generating human iPSCs
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report a simple, easily reproducible RNA-based method of generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the Aug. 1 edition of Cell Stem Cell. Their approach has broad applicability for the successful production of iPSCs for use in human stem cell studies and eventual cell therapies.

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Defense, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell Reports
Neuroscientists find protein linked to cognitive deficits in Angelman syndrome
A team of neuroscientists has identified a protein in laboratory mice linked to impairments similar to those afflicted with Angelman syndrome -- a condition associated with symptoms that include autism, intellectual disability, and motor abnormalities.

National Institutes of Health, Angelman Syndrome Foundation

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of American Society of Nephrology
Simple ultrasound treatment may help protect the kidneys
Ultrasound treatment can help prevent acute kidney injury in animals. Anti-inflammatory effects of the treatment appear to give it its kidney-protective properties.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Defense against bacterial infection in chronic granulomatous disease
Patients suffering from chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) are prone to recurrent and potentially life threatening bouts of infection due to the inability of phagocytic cells to kill invading microorganisms. In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Griffin Rodgers and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health identify a neutrophil granule protein, OLFM4 as a potential therapeutic target for CGD patients.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Identification of a molecule linking bone loss and bone formation
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Sunao Takeshita and colleagues at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology identify a protein, CTHRC1 that is secreted by bone adsorbing cells and helps initiate bone formation.

Japan/Ministry of Education, NIH/Promotion of Fundamental Studies in Health Sciences

Public Release: 31-Jul-2013

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
New target identified for food allergy therapy
Researchers at National Jewish Health have identified an enzyme that is essential to the allergic reaction to peanuts. Blocking the enzyme's activity in sensitized mice prevented diarrhea and inflammation, and reduced levels of several proteins associated with allergies. The findings, published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, identify the enzyme, known as Cyp11a1, as a potential target for treatment of increasingly common and potentially deadly food allergy.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 31-Jul-2013

PLOS ONE
Breath analysis reliably indicates presence, level of infection in mice, UCI study finds
Breath analysis may prove to be an accurate, noninvasive way to quickly determine the severity of bacterial and other infections, according to a UC Irvine study appearing online today in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 31-Jul-2013

Reproductive Health
Obesity doesn't reduce chance of getting pregnant with donor eggs
In women who use donor eggs to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization, those who are obese are just as likely to become pregnant as normal weight women, according to a new report.

NIH/Women's Reproductive Health Research Program