Muscle News and Research

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Insect research yields insights for muscle control and nerve disorders in mammals

Working with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins scientists have decoded the activity of protein signals that let certain nerve cells know when and where to branch so that they reach and connect to their correct muscle targets. The proteins' mammalian counterparts are known to have signaling roles in immunity, nervous system and heart development, and tumor progression, suggesting broad implications for human disease research.

9 Jan 2013

Chronic neck pain patients show respiratory weakness

Chronic neck pain appears to be associated with impaired respiratory function due to weakness of the respiratory muscles, study findings indicate.

8 Jan 2013

Clear battle lines emerge on budget issues

After last week's agreement to avert the "fiscal cliff," President Barack Obama and congressional GOP leaders are making clear their positions on tax increases and entitlement spending reductions -- including those to Medicare.

8 Jan 2013

Merck’s resubmission of the NDA for suggammadex sodium injection accepted for review by the FDA

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the resubmission of the New Drug Application (NDA) for sugammadex sodium injection has been accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Merck expects the FDA’s review to be completed in the first half of 2013.

7 Jan 2013

Study finds a new way in which calcium signaling may be controlled

In a study published in Current Biology, scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center, Marquette University and Oberlin College discovered a new way in which calcium signaling may be controlled. Study authors say their findings define a mechanism for regulating calcium signaling that has never been recognized before and should be of great help to the thousands of scientists who study the extremely important role of calcium signaling in health and disease.

7 Jan 2013

Edison Pharmaceuticals to commence EPI-743 phase 2B Friedreich's ataxia study

Edison Pharmaceuticals today announced the initiation of a phase 2B study entitled, "Safety and Efficacy Study of EPI-743 on Visual Function in Patients with Friedreich's Ataxia."

7 Jan 2013

Researchers show that protein p62 balances metabolism in fat tissue

In many cases, obesity is caused by more than just overeating and a lack of exercise. Something in the body goes haywire, causing it to store more fat and burn less energy. But what is it? Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have a new theory-a protein called p62.

7 Jan 2013

Link between Parkinson's and benomyl

For several years, neurologists at UCLA have been building a case that a link exists between pesticides and Parkinson's disease. To date, paraquat, maneb and ziram - common chemicals sprayed in California's Central Valley and elsewhere - have been tied to increases in the disease, not only among farmworkers but in individuals who simply lived or worked near fields and likely inhaled drifting particles.

6 Jan 2013

Toxin-induced insulin resistance combated in mice

French researchers have found that a protein-bound uremic toxin, p-cresyl sulfate, contributes to the development of insulin resistance in mice, providing a new potential therapeutic target for treating chronic kidney disease, they say.

4 Jan 2013

Stanford scientists identify molecular basis for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

When a young athlete dies unexpectedly on the basketball court or the football field, it's both shocking and tragic. Now Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have, for the first time, identified the molecular basis for a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that is the most common cause for this type of sudden cardiac death.

4 Jan 2013

PSCA gene’s rs2294008 variant on T nucleotide may increase risk of bladder cancer

Patients who have inherited a specific common genetic variant develop bladder cancer tumors that strongly express a protein known as prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), which is also expressed in many pancreatic and prostate tumors, according to research at the National Institutes of Health.

4 Jan 2013

Statin therapy affects muscles’ energy production

Up to 75 per cent of patients who take statins to treat elevated cholesterol levels may suffer from muscle pain. Scientists at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen have now identified a possible mechanism underlying this unfortunate side effect.

4 Jan 2013

New rat model simulates traumatic or surgical muscle tissue loss in humans

Penetrating soft tissue injuries that may be caused by bullet wounds or motor vehicle accidents, or exposure to explosive devices in military settings, can cause muscle loss resulting in functional disability and cosmetic deformity. Efforts underway to develop tissue engineering solutions to repair and replace damaged and lost muscle will benefit greatly from the availability of robust animal models to test these innovative therapeutic strategies.

4 Jan 2013

Pfizer, Repligen sign licensing deal to advance spinal muscular atrophy program

Repligen Corporation announced today that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Pfizer Inc. to advance Repligen's spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) program, originally in-licensed from Families of SMA (FSMA).

3 Jan 2013

FDA clears Soft Tissue Regeneration’s STR GRAFT

Soft Tissue Regeneration, an early stage orthopedic device company that has developed a breakthrough tissue engineering platform used to regenerate ligaments and tendons, announced today that it has received FDA clearance to market its STR GRAFT, a biodegradable scaffold used for soft tissue augmentation and rotator cuff repair.

3 Jan 2013

Gait abnormalities found in diabetic neuropathy

Ankle muscle strength and joint mobility are the key factors influencing gait abnormalities in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Brazilian research suggests.

3 Jan 2013

Aerobic better than resistance training when it comes to weight and fat loss

A new study led by North Carolina researchers has found that when it comes to weight- and fat loss, aerobic training is better than resistance training. The study is believed to the largest randomized trial to directly compare changes in body composition induced by comparable amounts of time spent doing aerobic and resistant training, or both in combination, among previously inactive overweight or obese non-diabetic adults.

3 Jan 2013

Small numbers of ANA- and RP-negative patients with systemic sclerosis

There exists a very small subgroup of patients with systemic sclerosis who lack circulating antinuclear antibodies and who do not have Raynaud's phenomenon, research shows.

31 Dec 2012

Winter is not a good excuse to give up fitness routines

The weather outside might be frightful, but sitting by that fire might make your fitness routine frightful. Though your body may be layered under sweatshirts and coats, staying active and healthy is important no matter what the temperature is outside.

27 Dec 2012

Antibody type prognostic for myasthenia gravis patients

Patients who have myasthenia gravis are more likely to have a severe form of the disease and more difficulty achieving remission if they are seropositive for antibodies to muscle-specific kinase, report researchers.

24 Dec 2012