Muscle Wasting News and Research

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Cirrhosis patients with low musle mass more apt to die

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta reviewed the medical records of more than 100 patients who had a liver scarring condition and discovered those who were losing muscle were more apt to die while waiting for a liver transplant. These cirrhosis patients were placed at a lower spot on the transplant list because they had a higher functioning liver and were seemingly less sick than others with the same condition, based on scoring systems physicians commonly use today.

8 Feb 2012

Defects in mitochondria lead to devastating neurodegenerative disease

A devastating neurodegenerative disease that first appears in toddlers just as they are beginning to walk has been traced to defects in mitochondria, the 'batteries' or energy-producing power plants of cells. This finding by a team of researchers, led by investigators from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro- at McGill University, was published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

18 Jan 2012

Researchers discover one of vitamin E's normal body functions

It's rubbed on the skin to reduce signs of aging and consumed by athletes to improve endurance but scientists now have the first evidence of one of vitamin E's normal body functions.

21 Dec 2011

Critical breakthrough in development of treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Academics from Royal Holloway, University of London and a team lead by scientists at the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH), have made an important breakthrough in the development of a treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) which in the future could help the likes of the Lloyd family who were featured on last night's X-Factor show.

29 Nov 2011

Researchers identify EGFR protein as therapeutic target for Cushing disease

Cushing disease is a hormone disorder that causes a diverse array of symptoms, including fat accumulation, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, muscle wasting, and ultimately death. It is caused by a tumor in the anterior pituitary gland that results in the secretion of excess amounts of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Treatment options are essentially limited to surgical resection. However, tumors commonly recur, meaning that new treatment options are needed.

22 Nov 2011

Scientists discover definitive role for brain in regulating loss of muscle mass

Patients with cancer, heart disease and other chronic illness struggle not only with complications inherent to their disease, they also experience an involuntary loss of weight and muscle mass triggered by the body's natural response to infection and inflammation. Increasing nutrition intake does not mitigate the process and there is no treatment.

16 Nov 2011

Health supplement hope for child muscle disease

A health supplement used by bodybuilders could be the key to treating a life-threatening muscular dystrophy affecting hundreds of Australian children, new research shows.

14 Nov 2011

Mouse anti-aging study generates expert commentary

Age related changes like wrinkles, muscle wasting and cataracts could be delayed in mice, say researchers in the US. They achieved the feat by removing old cells that had stopped dividing. These accumulate naturally with age. The scientists believe their findings could eventually “really have an impact” in the care of the elderly. Experts said the results were “fascinating”, but should be taken with a bit of caution.

6 Nov 2011

GTx third quarter net loss increases to $9.3 million

GTx, Inc. today reported financial results for the third quarter of 2011. The net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2011 was $9.3 million compared with a net loss of $8.6 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, reflecting increased research and development costs in connection with the Company's Ostarine™ and Capesaris™ clinical development programs.

4 Nov 2011

Homobrassinolide may increase appetite, muscle mass and physical performance

New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that rats fed homobrassinolide, found in the mustard plant, produced an anabolic effect, and increased appetite and muscle mass, as well as the number and size of muscle fibers.

30 Sep 2011

Study: Underweight COPD patients more likely to face death

Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at a higher risk of death if they are underweight.

27 Sep 2011

GTx reports revenue of $1.6 million for second quarter 2011

GTx, Inc. today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2011. The net loss for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 was $10.7 million compared with a net loss of $12.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

9 Aug 2011

Study sheds new light on how surgery impacts chronic kidney disease, bone health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on how surgery impacts both chronic kidney disease and bone health, particularly in women.

5 Aug 2011

Symposium papers highlight role of oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease

Recent years have seen major advances in understanding of the health effects of oxidative stress—including its potential to cause injury to the cardiovascular system. A series of expert updates on the role of oxidative stress in heart failure, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases appears in a special symposium in the August issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

26 Jul 2011

Promising drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severely debilitating and lethal condition that affects 1 in 3,000. Females and males are affected, though females are rarely affected and are more often carriers. It is caused due to a defective gene that normally codes for the protein dystrophin, which helps provide a protective membrane around muscle fibers. Without this skin, muscle fibers become damaged and eventually die.

25 Jul 2011

Scientists directly link lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia

Scientists from Graz, Austria, have now directly linked lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia. Science reports via its online channel Science Express that mice deficient in the lipid degrading enzyme Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL) are fully protected against cancer-associated cachexia.

22 Jul 2011

Researchers discover crucial role of miR-206 in skeletal muscle development

Research led by the University of East Anglia has discovered the crucial role of a molecule in skeletal muscle development.

5 Jul 2011

Apple peel reduces muscle atrophy and promotes muscle growth in mice

For Popeye, spinach was the key to extra muscle. For the mice in a new University of Iowa study, it was apples, or more precisely a waxy substance called ursolic acid that's found in apple peel.

8 Jun 2011

GTx to initiate two Ostarine Phase III trial for treatment of muscle wasting in patients with NSCLC

Following the conclusion of a series of meetings with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), GTx, Inc. announced today the clinical trial design for the two Phase III Ostarine registration studies for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

6 Jun 2011

New understanding of muscle growth and repair

Revealing another part of the story of muscle development, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown how the cytoskeleton from one muscle cell builds finger-like projections that invade into another muscle cell’s territory, eventually forcing the cells to combine.

5 Jun 2011