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New study shows vitamin D deficiency is associated with arterial stiffness

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with arterial stiffness, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, in black teens according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's www.endo-society.org. Black teens taking vitamin D supplementation of 2,000 international units per day had a decrease in central arterial stiffness.

29 Jul 2010

UCLA study suggests effective approach to cultivate female leadership in medicine

Half of U.S. first-year medical students are female, yet a new UCLA study shows that they volunteer for leadership roles in the classroom significantly less than their male counterparts. Subtle encouragement from teachers, however, can even out the playing field by boosting female students' willingness to identify themselves as leaders.

29 Jul 2010

Researchers examine why some obese people become diabetic while others do not

Why some obese people go on to become diabetic while others do not. It is common to find obese people - even morbidly obese people - who are healthier than their condition would normally allow.

29 Jul 2010

NARSAD to honor five young scientists at Annual Klerman and Freedman Awards event

July 30 NARSAD will honor five outstanding researchers at the Annual Klerman and Freedman Awards event in New York City.

29 Jul 2010

Two middle school students join scientists to research on key bacterial enzyme

Grown-ups aren't the only ones making exciting scientific discoveries these days. Two middle school students from Wisconsin joined a team of scientists who are reporting the first glimpse of the innermost structure of a key bacterial enzyme. It helps activate certain antibiotics and anti-cancer agents so that those substances do their job. Their study appears in ACS' weekly journal Biochemistry.

29 Jul 2010

Researchers find how angiotensin influences immune system

Researchers in Heidelberg and Stanford have discovered a new signalling pathway of brain cells that explains how widely used antihypertensive drugs could keep inflammation in multiple sclerosis in check. The peptide angiotensin not only raises blood pressure but also activates the immunological messenger substance TGF beta on a previously unknown communication pathway in the brain.

29 Jul 2010

Researchers unveil mechanism of cholera bacteria to create cell energy

Researchers have found that an enzyme in the bacteria that causes cholera uses a previously unknown mechanism in providing the bacteria with energy. Because the enzyme is not found in most other organisms, including humans, the finding offers insights into how drugs might be created to kill the bacteria without harming humans.

29 Jul 2010

Scientists identify new targets to develop treatment for HD

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research have discovered that a particular family of enzymes are involved in the breakdown of proteins that modify the production of toxic fragments that lead to the pathology of Huntington's disease. These enzymes, matrix metalloproteinases, provide new targets for drug therapies for the disease - targets that have already been shown to respond to cancer drugs currently in clinical development.

29 Jul 2010

Genetic signals determine neurotransmitter use for communication

Cascades of genetic signals determine which neurotransmitter a brain cell will ultimately use to communicate with other cells. Now a pair of reports from biologists at the University of California, San Diego, have shown for the first time that electrical activity in these developing neurons can alter their chemical fate-and change an animal's behavior-by tweaking this genetic program.

29 Jul 2010

Study reveals high rate of atrial fibrillation in patients with early stages of CKD

Millions of Americans in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at an increased risk of having atrial fibrillation (AF) - a major risk factor for stroke - according to new research by investigators at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

29 Jul 2010

REM sleep behavior disorder may later lead to neurologic disorders

A new study shows that a sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed. The research is published in the July 28, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Jul 2010

Loss of key nerve cells cause Parkinson's disease: Research

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a molecular pathway responsible for the death of key nerve cells whose loss causes Parkinson's disease. This discovery not only may explain how a genetic mutation linked to Parkinson's causes the cells' death, but could also open the door to new therapeutic approaches for the malady.

29 Jul 2010

Scientists study mutant protein lump formation process to control brain cell death

Australian scientists have identified the behaviour of the mutant protein 'huntingtin' which leads to the fatal Huntington's disease providing potential targets to treat the disease, a University of Melbourne study reveals.

29 Jul 2010

Increased SIRT1 protein can delay delay aging, extend lifespan

Researchers watched two groups of mice, both nearing the end of a two-day fast. One group was quietly huddled together, but the other group was active and alert. The difference? The second set of mice had been engineered so their brains produced more SIRT1, a protein known to play a role in aging and longevity.

29 Jul 2010

Inhibition of MMPs can offer therapeutic benefit in Huntington's disease: Study

A new study reveals that an enzyme linked with multiple disorders is also involved in the generation of toxic, neuron-killing protein fragments in Huntington's disease (HD). The research, published by Cell Press in the July 29 issue of Neuron, provides insight into Huntington's pathology and proposes new therapeutic strategies for this devastating incurable disease.

29 Jul 2010

Aggressive prostate cancer patients tend to retain denser bones

Men who develop prostate cancer, especially the more aggressive and dangerous forms that spread throughout the body, tend to retain denser bones as they age than men who stay free of the disease, suggests new research from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Jul 2010

Scientists identify new catalytic process to create pharmaceuticals with less chemical waste

Much like two children in the back seat of a car, it can be challenging to get two catalysts to cooperate for the greater good. Now Northwestern University chemists have gotten two catalysts to work together on the same task -- something easily done by nature but a difficult thing to do in the laboratory.The findings, published by the journal Nature Chemistry, will allow medicinal chemists to invent new reactions and produce valuable bioactive compounds faster with less impact on the environment.

29 Jul 2010

HIV drug can raise the risk of heart disease: Study

There are a handful of drugs effective in treating HIV/AIDS. However new research shows that some of these drugs can increase the risk of heart attacks. The results come from a Garvan Institute of Medical Research study involving 20 people, 10 taking the drug Ritonavir and 10 others the drug Raltegravir for one month.

28 Jul 2010

SCCT names recipients of fourth annual Young Investigator Award

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), the leading international professional society dedicated to research, education and clinical excellence in cardiovascular computed tomography (CT), has named Dr. Raman Dusaj and Dr. Thomas Smith the recipients of the fourth annual Young Investigator Award. The Young Investigator Award was announced at SCCT's 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas.

28 Jul 2010

Study of over 6,200 impairment ratings spanning 5 years reveals 78% error rate

A study of more than 6,200 impairment ratings spanning 5 years revealed an error rate of 78 percent, resulting in ratings averaging more than twice what was appropriate. Ratings from eight states were examined, with 81 percent of the cases being from California and 91% rated using the Fifth Edition of the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

28 Jul 2010