Clinical Research

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine say they have discovered a gene that when mutated causes obesity by dampening the body's ability to burn energy while leaving appetite unaffected.  The new research could potentially lead to new pharmacologic approaches to treating obesity in humans that do not target the brain, according to study senior author Yi Zhang, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the UNC School of Medicine. Zhang is also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive…

University of Minnesota researchers say they have identified the "master gene" behind blood vessel development.  Using genetically engineered mice, researchers with the University of Minnesota Medical School's Lillehei Heart Institute were able to identify a protein, Nkx2-5, which activates a certain gene, and in turn, determines the fate of a group of cells in a developing embryo.  Better understanding of how this gene operates in the early stages of development may help researchers find better treatments for heart disease and cancer.  "If we can understand the mechanism, or…

Better keep that resolution to hit the gym - you don't want to end up like an astronaut.  A recent study by Joyce Keyak of UCIrvine suggests that the bones of astronauts  lose up to 30% of their hipbone strength, comparable losses caused by osteoporosis in the elderly. Studies on the weakened bones of astronauts are hardly new-- we've known that prolonged time in zero gravity effects the bones and muscles of astronauts for as long as we've been putting them in orbit.  The reason for this is that the cells responsible for bone maintenance are very sensitive to the force signal…

Stem cells are today’s panacea. They are greater than penicillin and vaccines combined, or so we hear. Research scientists have been touting the benefits and limitless medical possibilities of stem cells, and we have yet to see the real applications. After what seems like decades of waiting, embryonic stem cell research is finally ready for human testing.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance to Geron Corporation to test their drug GRNOPC1, in patients with spinal cord injury. This allows the first ever human embryonic stem cell therapy  clinical trial…

It has been difficult to prove that fast-swimming sperms have an advantage when it comes to fertilizing an egg but a research team at Uppsala University say that unfaithful females of the cichlid fish species do influence the males’ sperms - increased competition leads to both faster and larger sperms, and the research findings published in PNAS say that the much mythologized size factor does indeed count. The findings also show that the speed and the size of sperms are closely related: larger sperms are faster. These sperms swim faster thanks to the greater power of a larger flagellum, but…

Two new studies show that commonly prescribed forms of postmenopausal hormone therapy may slightly accelerate the loss of brain tissue in women 65 and older beyond what normally occurs with aging.  The studies' findings appear as companion papers in the Jan. 13 issue of Neurology. Both papers report on analyses from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, a substudy of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) landmark Women's Health Initiative (WHI) hormone therapy clinical trials. Previous studies showed that hormone therapy in the form of conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs), with…

Crucial breakthroughs in the treatment of many common diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's could be achieved by harnessing systems biology, according to scientists from across Europe.   In a Science Policy Briefing released today by the European Science Foundation, they provide a detailed strategy for the application of systems biology to medical research over the coming years. Systems biology is a rapidly advancing field that combines empirical, mathematical and computational techniques to gain understanding of complex biological and physiological phenomena. For example, dozens, or…

Recent research by Tel Aviv University finds that young blood does a body good when it comes to fighting cancer. The TAU researchers, led by Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu from the Department of Psychology's Neuroimmunology Research Unit, discovered that a transfusion of "young" blood –– blood which has been stored for less than 9 days –– increased the odds of survival in animals challenged with two types of cancer. This finding, reported in the journal Anesthesiology, may solve an age-old mystery as to why some blood transfusions during cancer-related surgeries may lead to an increased recurrence…

Despite the regular onslaught of mixed messages from those in scientific research land, I still take a multivitamin most days. (Thanks, Mom, for starting me off young with those delicious Flinstone Kids niblets of nutrition.) Placebo effect? I don't know. I do know that I feel better when I remember to take my multivitamin, iron and vitamin D supplements, and the occasional fish oil horse pill. But will it help me in the long run with any aspect of my health? Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory): If you're eating all the vegetables you're buying, you don't need those supplements. What you're…

Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells.  Neural and behavioral birth defects, such as learning disabilities, are particularly difficult to treat, compared to defects with known cause factors such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, because the prenatal teratogen – the substances that cause the abnormalities -- act diffusely in the fetal brain, resulting in multiple defects.  Prof. Joseph Yanai and his associates at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical…