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Scientists discover underlying mechanisms of nerve damage

Recent research by Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., of the MDI Biological Laboratory identifying the underlying mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, has raised the prospect that drug therapies can be developed for the treatment of this condition, which causes pain, numbness and/or tingling in the hands and feet. The research was published March 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Apr 2016

Removal of Dnmt1 enzyme during OPC differentiation could lead to neurological symptoms

The removal of the enzyme Dnmt1 during oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) differentiation in the central nervous system resulted in inefficient myelin formation and neurological deterioration, including loss of control of bodily movements, in mice, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the medical journal Cell Reports. The results could lead to a new understanding of multiple sclerosis and other myelin disorders in humans.

16 Apr 2016

UNIGE researchers identify PIGG gene that plays crucial role in recessive disease

The objective of genetic medicine is to analyze all the genes that make up the human genome, in order to identify as many genetic diseases as possible. Indeed, each gene variation has the potential to trigger specific defects.

15 Apr 2016

Novel biochemical method can extend lifetime of implantable medical devices

Blood-contacting implantable medical devices, such as stents, heart valves, ventricular assist devices, and extracorporeal support systems, as well as vascular grafts and access catheters, are used worldwide to improve patients' lives. However, these devices are prone to failure due to the body's responses at the blood-material interface; clots can form and inflammatory reactions can prevent the device from performing as indicated. Currently, when this occurs, the only solution is to replace the device.

13 Apr 2016

Daily dose of coffee could help reverse non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Adding coffee to the diet of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) could help reverse the condition, according to a new study conducted in mice presented at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.

13 Apr 2016

Scientists use FAN1 knockout mice to refine detailed mechanisms involved in damaged DNA repair

Like jewels in a vault, our precious genetic material is stored in the nucleus of a cell--sequestered away from potentially damaging cellular components and toxins so that no harm can come to it. Yet over the course of a life moving through this world, our DNA does get damaged, and our cells have a host of complicated repair mechanisms to deal with such injuries.

13 Apr 2016

Researchers reach milestone in developing non-hormonal approach to male contraception

Researchers studying strategies to develop a non-hormonal approach to male contraception have reached an important milestone in their work, discovering a way to produce a key enzyme found only in sperm in sufficient quantities that they can begin designing drugs to stop the sperm from swimming to the egg.

13 Apr 2016

Traditional Chinese medicinal plant produces compounds that may help to kill human cancers

New research led by Professor Cathie Martin of the John Innes Centre has revealed how a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine produces compounds which may help to treat cancer and liver diseases.

11 Apr 2016

Researchers find evidence that protein involved in regulating inflammation has anti-septic effects

Sepsis represents a serious complication of infection and is one of the leading causes of death and critical illness worldwide due in part to the lack of effective therapies. A report in the American Journal of Pathology provides evidence from both mouse and human studies that SHARPIN, a protein involved in regulating inflammation, has anti-septic effects. These findings may spur development of novel sepsis treatments.

11 Apr 2016

Novel nanoparticle drug delivery system for enhanced tumor penetration of cancer drugs

For more than a decade, biomedical researchers have been looking for better ways to deliver cancer-killing medication directly to tumors in the body. Tiny capsules, called nanoparticles, are now being used to transport chemotherapy medicine through the bloodstream, to the doorstep of cancerous tumors.

11 Apr 2016

Added benefit of crizotinib drug for first-line treatment of advanced bronchial carcinoma not proven

The drug crizotinib (trade name: Xalkori) has been available since 2012 for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (bronchial carcinoma) who have a high activity of the enzyme anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and have already received another treatment. In November 2015, the approval was extended to first-line treatment.

11 Apr 2016

Magnetically controlled enzyme solutions can be used for targeted treatment of cancer, thrombosis

Researchers from ITMO University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje have fabricated a new magnetically controlled material composed of enzymes entrapped directly within magnetite particles.

7 Apr 2016

Infant daughters may show early signs of PCOS from mothers

The infant daughters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) show a higher level of an enzyme that activates testosterone and may be an early sign of developing the complex genetic disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

7 Apr 2016

Metabolic pathway activates cell signaling protein to promote breast cancer metastasis

A metabolic pathway that is up-regulated in certain breast cancers promotes the disease's progression by activating a cell signaling protein called Arf6, according to a paper published in the Journal of Cell Biology.

7 Apr 2016

Bacteria uses sensitive, nano-sized pump to transport magnesium

Researchers at UiO and NCMM have discovered that the system used by bacteria to transport magnesium is so sensitive that it can detect a pinch of magnesium salt in a swimming pool.

7 Apr 2016

Scientists find new way to inhibit growth of tuberculosis-causing bacterium

Scientists at the The University of Queensland and the University of California San Francisco have found a new way to inhibit the growth of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB).

6 Apr 2016

Blocking of LIPG activity could arrest breast cancer growth

In an article published in Nature Communications, the researchers report that breast cancer cells need to take up lipids from the extracellular environment in order to continue proliferating.

6 Apr 2016

Study demonstrates therapeutic potential of SOD-mimetic compound M40403 against Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease is a debilitating and incurable neurodegenerative disorder, affecting approximately 1-2% of people over sixty-five years old. Oxidative damage is considered to play a central role in the progression of Parkinson disease and strong evidence links chronic exposure to the pesticide paraquat with the incidence of the disease, most probably through the generation of oxidative damage.

6 Apr 2016

Study explores two new antibodies believed to cause myasthenia gravis

A study of patients from across the nation with myasthenia gravis is helping determine the incidence of two new antibodies believed to cause the disease, and whether these patients need different treatment strategies.

6 Apr 2016

Losmapimod drug fails to meet primary endpoint in clinical trial

Patients taking losmapimod, an anti-inflammatory drug currently being developed, for 12 weeks following a heart attack did not show improvements in the trial's primary endpoint, the rate of cardiovascular death, subsequent heart attack or urgent coronary revascularization, which includes placement of a stent or coronary artery bypass surgery, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

5 Apr 2016

Enzyme News and Research

Scientists discover underlying mechanisms of nerve damage

Removal of Dnmt1 enzyme during OPC differentiation could lead to neurological symptoms

UNIGE researchers identify PIGG gene that plays crucial role in recessive disease

Novel biochemical method can extend lifetime of implantable medical devices

Daily dose of coffee could help reverse non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Scientists use FAN1 knockout mice to refine detailed mechanisms involved in damaged DNA repair

Researchers reach milestone in developing non-hormonal approach to male contraception

Traditional Chinese medicinal plant produces compounds that may help to kill human cancers

Researchers find evidence that protein involved in regulating inflammation has anti-septic effects

Novel nanoparticle drug delivery system for enhanced tumor penetration of cancer drugs

Added benefit of crizotinib drug for first-line treatment of advanced bronchial carcinoma not proven

Magnetically controlled enzyme solutions can be used for targeted treatment of cancer, thrombosis

Infant daughters may show early signs of PCOS from mothers

Metabolic pathway activates cell signaling protein to promote breast cancer metastasis

Bacteria uses sensitive, nano-sized pump to transport magnesium

Scientists find new way to inhibit growth of tuberculosis-causing bacterium

Blocking of LIPG activity could arrest breast cancer growth

Study demonstrates therapeutic potential of SOD-mimetic compound M40403 against Parkinson disease

Study explores two new antibodies believed to cause myasthenia gravis

Losmapimod drug fails to meet primary endpoint in clinical trial

Biochemical Assays for Efficient Hit Prioritization After Screening eBook

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