EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Removing a protein enhances defense against bacteria in CGD mice
Deletion of a protein in white blood cells improves their ability to fight the bacteria staphylococcus aureus and possibly other infections in mice with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), according to a National Institutes of Health study. CGD, a genetic disorder also found in people, is marked by recurrent, life-threatening infections. The study's findings appear online in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell
Stray prenatal gene network suspected in schizophrenia
Researchers have reverse-engineered the outlines of a disrupted prenatal gene network in schizophrenia, by tracing spontaneous mutations to where and when they likely cause damage in the brain. Some people with the brain disorder may suffer from impaired birth of new neurons in the front of their brain during prenatal development, suggest the researchers, who compared spontaneous mutations in 105 affected and 84 unaffected siblings, in families without previous histories of the illness.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Ultrasound patch heals venous ulcers in human trial
In a small clinical study, researchers administered a new method for treating chronic wounds using a novel ultrasound applicator that can be worn like a band-aid. The applicator delivers low-frequency, low-intensity ultrasound directly to wounds, and was found to significantly accelerate healing in five patients with venous ulcers.

NIH/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Public Release: 31-Jul-2013

New England Journal of Medicine
Therapy for severe vasculitis shows long-term effectiveness
Administering the drug rituximab once weekly for one month provides the same benefits as 18 months of daily immunosuppressive therapy in people with severe forms of vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels, a study has found.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
NIH launches neurological drug development projects
The NIH launched three innovative projects that will focus on development of therapeutics for Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction, and age-related macular degeneration. These projects are funded through the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network which provides access to a variety of drug development resources.

NIH/Blueprint for Neuroscience Research

Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
NIH expands study to better understand kidney disease progression
Researchers from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study are embarking on another five years of work to identify risk factors for progression of early stage chronic kidney disease (CKD), better understand the importance of reduced kidney function in older persons, and learn what role CKD may play in other illnesses that require hospitalization. CRIC is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Public Release: 29-Jul-2013

Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology
NIH math model predicts effects of diet, physical activity on childhood weight
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have created and confirmed the accuracy of a mathematical model that predicts how weight and body fat in children respond to adjustments in diet and physical activity. The results will appear online July 30 in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Public Release: 29-Jul-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
NIH researchers identify therapy that may curb kidney deterioration in patients with rare disorder
A team led by NIH researchers has overcome a biological hurdle to find improved treatments for patients with methylmalonic acidemia . Using genetically engineered mice created for their studies, the team identified a set of biomarkers of kidney damage -- a hallmark of the disorder -- and demonstrated that antioxidant therapy protected kidney function in the mice. The discovery is reported in the July 29, 2013, advance online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 25-Jul-2013

Cell Reports
NIH researchers discover how brain cells change their tune
NIH researchers may have answered a long-standing, fundamental question about how brain cells communicate by showing that brief bursts of chemical energy coming from rapidly moving power plants, called mitochondria, may tune synaptic transmission.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Public Release: 25-Jul-2013

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Silky brain implants may help stop spread of epilepsy
Silk has walked straight off the runway and into the lab. According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, silk implants placed in the brain of laboratory animals and designed to release a specific chemical, adenosine, may help stop the progression of epilepsy.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, US Department of Defense

Public Release: 25-Jul-2013

Journal of Clinical Investigation
NIH study uncovers a starring role for supporting cells in the inner ear
Researchers have found in mice that supporting cells in the inner ear, once thought to serve only a structural role, can actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells, the functional cells that turn vibrations into the electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound.

NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Public Release: 23-Jul-2013
NIH funds new grants exploring use of genome sequencing in patient care
The National Institutes of Health has awarded four grants for up to four years to multidisciplinary research teams to explore the use of genome sequencing in medical care. The awards total approximately $6.7 million in the first year and, if funding remains available, approximately $27 million in total.

National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 21-Jul-2013

Nature Chemical Biology
For a healthy brain, don't let the trash pile up
Recycling is not only good for the environment, it's good for the brain. A study using rat cells indicates that quickly clearing out defective proteins in the brain may prevent loss of brain cells.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Insitute on Aging, and others

Public Release: 18-Jul-2013

Stroke
NIH-funded study suggests that moving more may lower stroke risk
Here's yet another reason to get off the couch: new research findings suggest that regularly breaking a sweat may lower the risk of having a stroke.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Public Release: 16-Jul-2013

JAMA
Length of time a young adult is obese linked with development of silent heart disease
The length of time a young adult is obese is associated with the development of silent, or subclinical, heart disease in middle age, independent of body mass index or waist circumference, according to National Institutes of Health-supported research.

NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Public Release: 14-Jul-2013

Nature Genetics
NIH scientists find that proteins involved in immunity potentially cause cancer
A set of proteins involved in the body's natural defenses produces a large number of mutations in human DNA, according to a study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that these naturally produced mutations are just as powerful as known cancer-causing agents in producing tumors.

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Public Release: 9-Jul-2013

mBio
NIH scientists assess history, pandemic potential of H7 influenza viruses
The emergence of a novel H7N9 avian influenza virus in humans in China has raised questions about its pandemic potential as well as that of related influenza viruses. Scientists at NIAID address these questions by evaluating past outbreaks of H7 subtype influenza viruses among mammals and birds and comparing H7 viruses with other avian influenza viruses and strains.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 3-Jul-2013

Cell
Altered protein shapes may explain differences in some brain diseases
It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch, and the same may be true of certain proteins in the brain. Studies have suggested that just one rogue protein can act as a seed, leading to the misfolding of nearby proteins. According to an NIH-funded study, various forms of these seeds -- originating from the same protein -- may lead to different patterns of misfolding that result in neurological disorders with unique sets of symptoms.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute on Aging, Marian S. Ware Alzheimer Program, Dr. Arthur Peck Fund, Keefer Fund, Parkinson Council

Public Release: 3-Jul-2013

New England Journal of Medicine
Urine test can diagnose, predict kidney transplant rejection
Analysis of three biomarkers in the urine of kidney transplant recipients can diagnose -- and even predict -- transplant rejection, according to results from a clinical trial sponsored by NIAID. This test for biomarkers�molecules that indicate the effect or progress of a disease�offers an accurate, noninvasive alternative to the standard kidney biopsy, in which doctors remove a small piece of kidney tissue to look for rejection-associated damage.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 25-Jun-2013

Journal of American College of Cardiology
Vietnam vets with PTSD more than twice as likely to have heart disease
Male twin Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more than twice as likely as those without PTSD to develop heart disease during a 13-year period, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 24-Jun-2013

Nature
Kidney cancer progression linked to shifts in tumor metabolism
Investigators in the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network have uncovered a connection between how tumor cells use energy from metabolic processes and the aggressiveness of the most common form of kidney cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 18-Jun-2013
NIH to fund collaborations with industry to identify new uses for existing compounds
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $12.7 million to match nine academic research groups with a selection of pharmaceutical industry compounds to explore new treatments for patients in eight disease areas, including Alzheimer's disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and schizophrenia.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 17-Jun-2013

Clinical Oncology
NIH scientists find promising biomarker for predicting HPV-related oropharynx cancer
Researchers have found that antibodies against the human papillomavirus may help identify individuals who are at greatly increased risk of HPV-related cancer of the oropharynx, which is a portion of the throat that contains the tonsils.

NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 13-Jun-2013

Cancer Discovery
Gene variants may predict who will benefit from breast cancer prevention drugs
In women at high risk for breast cancer, a long-term drug treatment can cut disease risk in half. Researchers have now identified two gene variants that may predict which women are most likely to benefit -- and which should avoid this therapy. There is nearly a six-fold difference in disease risk depending on which gene variants a woman carries. The work represents a major step toward truly individualized breast cancer prevention in high-risk women.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 12-Jun-2013

JAMA Psychiatry
Scan predicts whether therapy or meds will best lift depression
Pre-treatment scans of brain activity predicted whether depressed patients would best achieve remission with an antidepressant medication or psychotherapy, in a study that may help mental health treatment decision-making move beyond trial-and-error. The study sought to identify a biomarker that could predict which type of treatment a patient would benefit from based on the state of his or her brain.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health