Newsline — Tuesday, March 24, 2015 9:00
New Insight Into How the Brain Performs Mental Time Travel
Study Shows Why Some Brain Cancers Resist Treatment
Monday, March 23, 2015 14:54
New research conducted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may reveal how brain cancers are able to survive treatment methods on a genetic level. The study reveals research on Akt3, a kinase protein that regulates cell signaling and is linked to DNA repair within the cellular structures of tumors — which may be responsible for treatment resistance in common forms of brain cancer. Present in glioblastomas, this study clarifies the compound’s exact role in the disease. “This activation led to enhanced survival of brain tumor cells following radiation or treatment with temozolomide,” said the author of the study. “Our work has potentially broad application to multiple cancer types in which Akt3 is expressed. Blocking this pathway may help prevent or alleviate therapeutic resistance resulting from enhanced DNA repair.” Future research will attempt to control this protein, and hopefully combine targeted blocking with conventional cancer treatments, in order to improve overall success rates. To learn more about this study, click here.
Gene Responsible for Familial Scoliosis Discovered
Monday, March 23, 2015 9:19
For years researchers have been trying to uncover the origins of familial scoliosis, particularly from a genetic point of view. Many genes have been suspected of causing scoliosis amongst different populations, but the genes responsible for the familial form of the disease remained unknown. However, the discovery of the first gene causing familial scoliosis was recently announced by an international research team from the Foundation Yves Cotrel-Institut de France, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. A variation in the POC5 gene was initially identified by DNA sequencing collected from a large family in France, of whom several members are affected by idiopathic scoliosis. Other variants of the POC5 gene were detected in scoliotic families, and also in people whose scoliosis had no precedence in their families. The pathogenicity of POC5 variants was documented using zebrafish, a genetic animal model that has a spine, which revealed that the overexpression of the mutated POC5 gene led to the rotational deformation of the anterior-posterior axis of the spine in half of the zebrafish embryos. These deformations are similar…
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Mental Health After War-zone Concussions Predicts Disability
Friday, March 20, 2015 12:53
New research indicates that early symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are a strong indicator of future long-term disability, stemming from concussion or similar damage. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently published a study in the journal Brain detailing their evaluations of recently injured active-duty soldiers, with follow-ups later on. This is the first study of its kind to evaluate able-bodied and active soldiers in the field, rather than severely-injured personnel in medical treatment. In order to determine long term warning signs, 38 participants of varying ages, cognition and thinking skills were evaluated two separate times. “Most previous studies have hypothesized that things such as duration of loss of consciousness, duration of post-traumatic amnesia and how well patients could perform tasks of thinking, memory, attention, balance and coordination would be the predictors of later disability,” the lead researcher said. “We looked at these factors. And they were not strongly correlated with how well patients did long term.” Results concluded that mild signs of PTSD were found in individuals who later…
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Researchers Find Class of NSAIDs Stop Growth of Vestibular Schwannomas
Friday, March 20, 2015 9:00
In a recent study, conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, a class of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), called salicylates, reduced the proliferation and viability of cultured vestibular schwannoma cells that cause a sometimes lethal intracranial tumor. The research, published in the journal Translational Research, used pre-clinical data based on cultured primary vestibular schwannoma cells, and combined it with previously published work on aspirin intake that correlated with halted growth of vestibular schwannomas. Currently, patients with symptomatic or growing vestibular schwannomas can undergo surgical resection or radiotherapy. Both of these procedures can result in serious complications. Effective drug therapies that can limit growth would greatly advance health care for these patients. Salicylates are attractive therapeutics because they are clinically relevant, well-tolerated and commonly used against pathologies such as pain and arthritis. Furthermore, in some cases, chronic intake of salicylates has led to a significant reduction in the incidence and burden of various tumors, such as colorectal cancer….
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Autism Genes Activate During Fetal Brain Development
Thursday, March 19, 2015 13:00
A neural pathway previously associated with autism has now been identified as the primary precursor to multiple forms the disorder throughout late fetal development. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reported in the journal Neuron that they began with an analysis of well-known autism mutations, called copy number variants (CNVs). This study elaborated on seemingly unpredictable timing of each CNV being activated, eventually noting that a region of a genome known as 16p11.2 became active in the late fetal period, before any other mutations became visible. “The most exciting moment for us was when we realized that the proteins encoded by these genes form a complex that regulates the levels of a third protein, RhoA,” said the lead researcher. “Suddenly, everything came together and made sense.” This mutation has been linked to both increased and decreased head sizes, and weight control issues; characteristics which have been loosely correlated with autism spectrum disorder. Using a stem cell model of autism, researchers hope to test pathway inhibitors to target this condition in…
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Protective Immune Response to Spinal Cord Injury Found
Thursday, March 19, 2015 8:58
Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine recently discovered a protective form of immune response to spinal cord injury — and were able to pinpoint the biological trigger for that response — a vital step toward harnessing the body’s defenses to improve treatment for spine injuries, brain trauma, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The results of the study showed that the trigger for the immune response is the molecule interleukin-33, and is concentrated in the white matter in a healthy brain and spinal cord. Interleukin-33, the researchers discovered, is released upon injury and activates glia cells, beginning the body’s protective response and promoting recovery. “It’s the first thing that tells the immune system that something’s been damaged,” explained the lead researcher. “It’s how the immune system initially knows to respond.” Researchers aren’t sure if interleukin-33 plays any other roles in addition to injury response. To read more about this study, click here.
Researchers Report on Patient Perceptions of Physicians Based on Attire
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 14:13
The University of Michigan Health System recently published a review in the British Medical Journal Open illustrating how patients react to their physicians based on their apparel and appearance. The review collects results from several studies spanning 11,533 surveyed patients from 14 different countries. Generally, it was found that consultations and examinations were better received when the physician was dressed formally (in a suit) or traditionally (in a white coat). However, in cases of emergency treatments, patients preferred a physician in scrubs, who appeared ready and active. Researchers found there was rarely any input or guidelines on dress codes for surgeons. “In order to better tailor physician attire to patient preferences and improve available evidence, we would recommend that healthcare systems capture the ‘voice of the customer’ in individual care locations, such as intensive care units and emergency departments,” explained the lead author of the review. To learn more about this study, click here.
Tau-associated Gene Increases Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 8:51
In a study recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, an international team of scientists led by researchers from the University of California identified the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene as a link to increasing a person’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. The MAPT gene encodes the tau protein, which is involved with a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. During the study, rather than looking at all possible specific gene locations, the researchers only focused on those associated with Parkinson’s disease and assessed whether they were also associated with Alzheimer’s disease, increasing their statistical power for gene discovery. By using this approach, they found that carriers of the MAPT allele (an alternative form of the gene) are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and more likely to experience increased brain atrophy compared to non-carriers. “This study demonstrates that tau deposits in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease subjects are not just a consequence of the disease, but actually contribute to development and progression of the disease,” said one of the…
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Cell Signaling Pathway Goes Awry in Common Pediatric Brain Tumor
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 13:35
John Hopkins University recently published research in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology linking a cell-signaling pathway to a very common form of pediatric brain tumors, along with the possibility that this could enhance treatment methods. The cell communication pathway, known as Notch, was evaluated in samples of both healthy children and those diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) which is known for comprising 15 percent of primary brain tumors found in children and adolescents. Researchers found the Notch genes were overexpressed in nearly every case of PA brain tissue, implying a strong association. The lead researcher explained, “Notch is a very basic signaling pathway used for cell-to-cell communication during development. We know that cancer can abnormally activate such signaling pathways to promote cell growth and survival, and our new findings line up with that knowledge. We wanted to see if Notch also was inappropriately active in lower-grade tumors like PA, and that appears to be the case.” By using ‘short hairpin’ RNA to subdue this particular gene expression, tumor cells were made to react…
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