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Synaptic health in the brain closely linked to cognitive decline

Age-related cognitive decline and changes in the nervous system are closely linked, but up until recently, they were thought to result from the loss of neurons in areas such as the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain important in working memory.

3 Dec 2013

Three Umeå University researchers selected as Wallenberg Academy Fellows

Jonathan Klaminder, Christian Hedberg and Sjoerd Wanrooij have been selected as Wallenberg Academy Fellows at Umeå University. They are awarded grants between SEK 5 and 9 million each spread over five years from the largest single private investment in supporting young researchers in Sweden.

29 Nov 2013

Scientists use RNAi technology to reveal genes responsible for treating Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to reveal dozens of genes which may represent new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson's disease. The findings also may be relevant to several diseases caused by damage to mitochondria, the biological power plants found in cells throughout the body.

24 Nov 2013

Genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases now available from Mass. Eye and Ear

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology today announced the availability of a comprehensive genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases.

22 Nov 2013

UCP1 protein helps fight against obesity

The uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1) is found exclusively in brown adipose tissue. Until some years ago it was thought that only babies and hibernating animals had brown adipose tissue, but since then it also has been found in adults, so UCP1 could be useful in the fight against obesity.

20 Nov 2013

Cardiovascular Institute researchers to showcase 22 abstracts at upcoming AHA Scientific Sessions

Researchers from the Cardiovascular Institute at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals will present 22 abstracts, both poster and oral presentations, at the upcoming American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, to be held in Dallas November 16-20, 2013. Scientific Sessions is the foremost cardiovascular research meeting in the U.S., with more than 18,000 cardiovascular experts from more than 105 countries in attendance.

16 Nov 2013

FOXO3 transcription factor may protect against alcohol-induced liver injury

New data suggest that the transcription factor FOXO3 may protect against alcohol-induced liver injury. Researchers determined that alcohol given to mice deficient in FOXO3 caused severe liver injury resembling human alcoholic hepatitis.

11 Nov 2013

Researchers reveal that reduction in mitochondrial DNA may lead to metastasis of breast cancer cells

For years, scientists have observed that tumor cells from certain breast cancer patients with aggressive forms of the disease contained low levels of mitochondrial DNA. But, until recently, no one was able to explain how this characteristic influenced disease progression.

11 Nov 2013

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation announces recipients of NARSAD Investigator Grants

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (formerly known as NARSAD, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression), under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, President & CEO, has announced the latest recipients of its NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants.

8 Nov 2013

Researchers able to regrow bone, hair, soft tissues and cartilage in mouse model

Young animals are known to repair their tissues effortlessly, but can this capacity be recaptured in adults? A new study from researchers at the Stem Cell Program at Boston Children's Hospital suggests that it can. By reactivating a dormant gene called Lin28a, which is active in embryonic stem cells, researchers were able to regrow hair and repair cartilage, bone, skin and other soft tissues in a mouse model.

8 Nov 2013

Inhibition of heart protein reduces damage from heart attack, say researchers

The stop and start of blood flow to the heart during and after a heart attack causes severe damage to heart cells, reducing their capacity to function and potentially causing their death.

7 Nov 2013

Trophos completes efficacy study of olesoxime in patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics from discovery to clinical validation for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology, has completed its efficacy study of olesoxime in the rare neurodegenerative condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

5 Nov 2013

"Good" cholesterol improves blood glucose levels, say scientists

High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), the so-called "good" cholesterol improves blood glucose levels by enhancing skeletal muscle function and reducing adiposity, scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München report in the current issue of the renown American Heart Association Journal ‚Circulation'.

31 Oct 2013

Meclizine drug has the potential to treat certain infectious diseases and cancer

Meclizine, an over-the-counter drug used for decades to treat nausea and motion sickness, has the potential for new uses to treat certain infectious diseases and some forms of cancer, according to Dr. Vishal M. Gohil, Texas A&M AgriLife Research biochemist.

31 Oct 2013

Study: Glucose levels, vascular damage contribute to dementia

High blood-sugar levels, such as those linked with Type 2 diabetes, make beta amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's disease dramatically more toxic to cells lining blood vessels in the brain, according to a new Tulane University study published in latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

29 Oct 2013

Research findings may lead to potential treatments for inherited diseases

New research from the University of California, Davis, shows that the tiny proportion of a cell's DNA that is located outside the cell nucleus has a disproportionately large effect on a cell's metabolism.

12 Oct 2013

Suppression of mitochondria: A dominant feature of diabetic kidney disease

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified 13 metabolites - small molecules produced by cellular metabolism - that are significantly different in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease compared to healthy controls.

11 Oct 2013

NAC amino acid may offer new treatment options for psychiatric disorders

Improved understanding of the roles of inflammation and oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders has generated new leads in the search for novel therapies. One such investigative compound currently in clinical trials is an amino acid, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), which appears to reduce the core symptoms of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, autism and cravings in addictions including cocaine, cannabis abuse and cigarette smoking.

8 Oct 2013

Study identifies new potential genetic culprits in origins of congenital heart defects

Mitochondria are the power plants of cells, manufacturing chemical fuel so a cell can perform its many tasks. These cellular power plants also are well known for their role in ridding the body of old or damaged cells.

5 Oct 2013

Diet high in certain type of fat may actually increase metabolism

A diet high in a certain type of fat may actually increase metabolism, according to recent research by Texas Tech University nutrition scientists.

3 Oct 2013