EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Archives of General Psychiatry
VA and BUSM researchers discover dissociative subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder
A recent study by Erika J. Wolf, Ph.D., and principal investigator Mark W. Miller, Ph.D., both from the National Center for PTSD at the VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, found an association between post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation.

NIH/National Institute on Mental Health, VA Merit Review Grant, VA Career Development Award

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Cell Metabolism
Hormone discovered that preserves insulin production and beta cell function in diabetes
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found protective, anti-diabetic functions for a hormone that, like insulin, is produced by the islet cells of the pancreas. The new hormone was found to stimulate insulin secretion from rat and human islet cells and protect islet cells in the presence of toxic, cell-killing factors used in the study.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Eli Lilly

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Surprising culprit behind chemo resistance in rare cancer
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown how an aggressive form of multiple myeloma resists chemotherapy. Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Though the finding has no immediate benefit for patients, the scientists say it could help guide research into better treatments.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation, National Medical Research Council, Harvey and Linda Saligman, NIH/National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Oncogene
Why cancer rate increases with age (it's not what you think)
A University of Colorado Cancer Center review published today in the journal Oncogene presents compelling evidence against conventional wisdom's opinion that the accumulation of oncogenic mutations drives higher cancer rates in the elderly.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Archives of General Psychiatry
Uncontrollable anger prevalent among US youth
Nearly two-thirds of US adolescents have experienced an anger attack in their lives that involved threatening violence or violent behavior. These severe attacks of uncontrollable anger are much more common among adolescents than previously recognized. Nearly one in 12 adolescents -- close to six million young people -- meet criteria for a diagnosis of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), a syndrome characterized by persistent uncontrollable anger attacks not accounted for by other mental disorders.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Gene variant reduces cholesterol by 2 mechanisms
A variant in the human gene encoding the protein sortilin is associated with reduced plasma LDL levels and a decreased risk of heart attack. Dr. Daniel Rader and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have uncovered a two-pronged mechanism for the change in LDL observed.

American Heart Association, and the National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Cell Metabolism
Physical activity needed in order to reap benefits of dietary restriction
Dietary restriction alone does not extend lifespan -- at least in fruit flies. Researchers at the Buck Institute report that flies, which share many genetic similarities with humans, require physical activity in order to live longer on a Spartan diet. If the same axiom holds true in humans, those practicing caloric restriction need to make sure they eat enough to avoid fatigue.

American Federation of Aging Research, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Breaking the skin barrier
"Getting under your skin" takes on new meaning thanks to Northwestern University research that could transform gene therapy. A team from the fields of dermatology and nanotechnology is the first to demonstrate the use of commercial moisturizers to deliver gene therapy with great potential for life-saving therapies for skin cancers. The drug -- consisting of novel spherical arrangements of nucleic acids -- penetrates the skin's layers and can selectively target disease-causing genes while sparing normal genes.

NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH/National Cancer Institute, US Army Research Office

Public Release: 2-Jul-2012

Cancer Research
Single protein promotes resistance to widely used anti-estrogen drugs
Researchers at Georgetown have uncovered a single molecule they say is a major determinant of resistance to anti-estrogen therapy used to treat or prevent breast cancer in high-risk women. The scientists say glucose-regulated protein 78, activated as breast cells undergo stress induced by the agents tamoxifen and fulvestrant, turns off apoptosis, a cell death response, and turns on autophagy.

National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 1-Jul-2012

Nature
Potential treatment target identified in an animal model of pancreatic cancer
Detailed analysis of genes expressed in circulating tumor cells -- cells that break off from solid tumors and travel through the bloodstream -- has identified a potential treatment target in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Stand Up to Cancer, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NIH/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Warshaw Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research

Public Release: 1-Jul-2012

Nature Materials
Penn researchers improve living tissues with 3-D printed vascular networks made from sugar
New advances in tissue engineering could one day make a replacement liver from a patient's cells, or animal muscle tissue that could be cut into steaks. One problem with making 3-D tissue structures, however, is keeping the interior cells from suffocating. Now, University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed an innovative solution: they've shown that 3-D printed templates of filament networks can be used to rapidly create vasculature and improve the function of engineered living tissues.

National Institutes of Health, Penn Center for Engineering Cells and Regeneration, American Heart Association, Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation

Public Release: 1-Jul-2012

Nature Methods
Scripps Research Institute Scientists Develop Alternative to Gene Therapy
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have discovered a surprisingly simple and safe method to disrupt specific genes within cells. The scientists highlighted the medical potential of the new technique by demonstrating its use as a safer alternative to an experimental gene therapy against HIV infection.

National Institutes of Health, Skaggs Institute of Chemical Biology at Scripps Research

Public Release: 1-Jul-2012

Nature Neuroscience
Why chronic pain is all in your head
Why do some people with similar injuries end up with chronic pain while others recover and are pain free? The first longitudinal brain imaging study to track participants with a new back injury shows that the more two sections of the brain related to emotional and motivational behavior communicate, the greater likelihood a patient will develop chronic pain. Researchers were able to predict, at the beginning of the study, which participants would go on to develop chronic pain based on the level of brain interaction.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Public Release: 1-Jul-2012

Nature Biotechnology
An error-eliminating fix overcomes big problem in '3rd-gen' genome sequencing
A team has developed a software package that fixes a serious problem inherent in "3rd-gen" single-molecule genome sequencing: the fact that every fifth or sixth DNA "letter" it generates is incorrect. The high error rate is the flip side of the new method's chief virtue: it generates much longer genome "reads," providing a much more complete picture of genomes.

US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Public Release: 1-Jul-2012

Nature
Beyond base pairs: Mapping the functional genome
In a paper published in the July 1, 2012, issue of the journal Nature, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine open the book further, mapping for the first time a significant portion of the functional sequences of the mouse genome, the most widely used mammalian model organism in biomedical research.

NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute

Public Release: 29-Jun-2012

Molecular Cancer Research
New marker, new target in Ewing's sarcoma
Study published this week in Molecular Cancer Research implicates the protein EYA3 in Ewing's sarcoma chemoresistance. Checking level could help offer accurate prognosis and aid in treatment decisions, and could eventually provide a therapeutic target.

NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 29-Jun-2012

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
New study finds low rates of biopsy contribute to celiac disease underdiagnosis in US
Under-performance of small bowel biopsy during endoscopy may be a major reason that celiac disease remains underdiagnosed in the United States, according to a new study published online recently in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Investigators at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) found that the rate of small bowel biopsy is low in this country.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 29-Jun-2012

Neuroscience
Easter Island drug raises cognition throughout life span
Rapamycin, a compound first isolated from soil on Easter Island, enhanced learning and memory in a study of young, middle-aged and older mice. The findings are from the School of Medicine and Barshop Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer's Association, Ellison Medical Foundation

Public Release: 29-Jun-2012

Psychological Science
University of Pittsburgh study reveals moderate doses of alcohol increase social bonding in groups
A new study led by University of Pittsburgh researchers reveals that moderate amounts of alcohol--consumed in a social setting--can enhance positive emotions and social bonding and relieve negative emotions among those drinking.

NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Public Release: 29-Jun-2012
AFAR's MSTAR program addresses shortage of geriatric medicine physicians
One hundred forty-seven students from some of the nation's top medical schools are entering a unique program addressing the shortage of physicians specially trained to care for America's older adults -- a shortage that is expected to get far worse in coming years. The American Federation for Aging Research's Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program, funded through a private-public partnership, addresses this issue by exposing future physicians to geriatric medicine experiences early in their careers.

MetLife Foundation, John A. Hartford Foundation, NIH/National Institute on Aging

Public Release: 29-Jun-2012

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Acoustic tweezers capture tiny creatures with ultrasound
A device about the size of a dime can manipulate living materials such as blood cells and entire small organisms, using sound waves, according to a team of bioengineers and biochemists from Penn State.

National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 28-Jun-2012

Cancer Research
Study identifies pathway to enhance usefulness of EGFR inhibitors in lung cancer treatment
A study published today in Cancer Research details the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in aiding lung cancer cell survival after EGFR inhibition therapy. The rational combination of EGFR inhibitors with Wnt inhibitors moves to the preclinical pipeline.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 28-Jun-2012
UMass Amherst biochemists developing tools to stop plague and other bacterial threats
Many of these pathogens are listed as bioterrorism agents by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It could become very important in the future to be able to mount an entirely new defense against their extremely effective methods of infecting populations with virulent bacterial diseases.

NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences, UMass Amherst

Public Release: 28-Jun-2012

Behavior Therapy
Research at UH finds cognitive-behavioral therapy effective in combatting anxiety disorders
Whether it is a phobia like a fear of flying, public speaking or spiders, or a diagnosis such as obsessive compulsive disorder, new research finds patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with a "transdiagnostic" approach -- a model that allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety disorders.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 28-Jun-2012
Study offers new insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy
Expectant mothers who dealt with the strain of a hurricane or major tropical storm passing nearby during their pregnancy had children who were at elevated risk for abnormal health conditions at birth, according to a study led by a Princeton University researcher that offers new insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy.

NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development