Mitochondria News and Research

RSS

Long-term physical activity improves cardiovascular health by targeting heart cells' powerhouses

Whether lifting weights in a gym or just walking around the block, exercise has many benefits, such as helping people lose weight and build stronger muscles. Some studies suggest that it may reduce the risk of developing cancer and other diseases.

13 Feb 2014

Study offers new avenue to pursue in quest for desperately needed treatments for ALS

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led a study showing that mutations in a gene responsible for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disrupt the RNA transport system in nerve cells.

6 Feb 2014

New super-resolution microscopy method could spot dozens of distinct types of biomolecules

A new microscopy method could enable scientists to generate snapshots of dozens of different biomolecules at once in a single human cell, a team from the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University reported Sunday in Nature Methods.

4 Feb 2014

Vitamin C and E supplements blunt endurance training

Vitamin C and E supplements may blunt the improvement of muscular endurance - by disrupting cellular adaptions in exercised muscles - suggests a new study published today [3 February] in The Journal of Physiology.

3 Feb 2014

Parkin and PINK1 function in vesicular trafficking pathway regulates mitochon-drial quality control

Scientists from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in Canada have discovered that two genes linked to hereditary Parkinson's disease are involved in the early-stage quality control of mitochondria.

22 Jan 2014

Longer reads: Connecting with patients; obesity origins; children with chronic disease

I'd never [before] been encouraged to sit at a patient's bedside -; to stop hurrying for even a moment. Our medical teachers put a premium on accuracy and efficiency, which became conflated with speed.

17 Jan 2014

New dye more effective in detecting, measuring cardiolipin in cell membranes

A team that includes Dartmouth College researchers has discovered a new way to detect cardiolipin, a key indicator of heart diseases and some genetic disorders.

16 Jan 2014

Study shows direct link between metabolism in brain cells and ability to signal information

A new study by scientists at McGill University and the University of Zurich shows a direct link between metabolism in brain cells and their ability to signal information. The research may explain why the seizures of many epilepsy patients can be controlled by a specially formulated diet.

16 Jan 2014

Study compares relative rate of molecular evolution between humans and chimps with their lice

A new study compares the relative rate of molecular evolution between humans and chimps with that of their lice. The researchers wanted to know whether evolution marches on at a steady pace in all creatures or if subtle changes in genes - substitutions of individual letters of the genetic code - occur more rapidly in some groups than in others.

8 Jan 2014

Cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin is mediated through mitochondrial iron accumulation

Doxorubicin is a widely used as a component of chemotherapy regimes; however, the use of doxorubicin is associated with severe cardiotoxicity. It is unclear exactly how doxorubicin promotes cardiotoxicity, but it has been proposed that doxorubicin-associated cardiomyopathy develops as the result of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and iron accumulation.

2 Jan 2014

MitoQ antioxidant reverses MS-like disease in animal

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that an antioxidant designed more than a dozen years ago to fight damage within human cells significantly helps symptoms in mice that have a multiple sclerosis-like disease.

27 Dec 2013

Researchers discover new way to make chemotherapy treatment effective for pancreatic cancer patients

Scientists from The University of Manchester - part of Manchester Cancer Research Centre believe they have discovered a new way to make chemotherapy treatment more effective for pancreatic cancer patients.

From The University of Manchester 21 Dec 2013

New RUB project to unravel role of enzyme Parkin in promoting neuronal survival

Cell biologists at the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum have launched a new project to unravel the role of the enzyme Parkin in promoting neuronal survival. The team of Prof Dr Konstanze F. Winklhofer from the Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, is looking for new therapeutic options to treat Parkinson's disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation finances this research project with 125,000 US Dollars.

18 Dec 2013

New gene mutation helps doctors give more accurate diagnosis of mitochondrial myopathy

A new gene mutation which will help doctors give a more accurate diagnosis of a particular type of brain and muscle disease in children has been discovered for the first time by University of Leeds experts.

17 Dec 2013

Two existing drugs show promise as potential treatments for cervical cancer

Two existing drugs - one the active ingredient in an anti-fungal medication and the other now used to control iron levels in the blood - both show promise as potential treatments for cervical cancer, according to newly published research by scientists at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

17 Dec 2013

Spaceflights cause cellular-level damage and may lead to long-term vision problems

Those who travel to space are rewarded with a beautiful sight - planet Earth. But the effects of space travel on the human sense of sight aren't so beautiful. More than 30 percent of astronauts who returned from two-week space shuttle missions and 60 percent who spent six months aboard the International Space Station were diagnosed with eye problems. Two recent investigations examined mechanisms that may explain eye changes in spaceflight, help find ways to minimize this health risk to astronauts and eventually prevent and treat eye diseases on Earth.

13 Dec 2013

Mitochondrial enzyme SIRT5 regulates proteins involved in metabolism

The Sirtuin family of protein deacylases has received considerable attention in recent years due to its links to longevity, diabetes, cancer, and metabolic regulation.

12 Dec 2013

Shifts in zinc's location could be exploited for early diagnosis of prostate cancer

Zinc, an essential nutrient, is found in every tissue in the body. The vast majority of the metal ion is tightly bound to proteins, helping them to perform biological reactions. Tiny amounts of zinc, however, are only loosely bound, or "mobile," and thought to be critical for proper function in organs such as the brain, pancreas, and prostate gland. Yet the exact roles the ion plays in biological systems are unknown.

9 Dec 2013

Scientists recommend testing for Pearson syndrome in patients with congenital anemia

Some babies diagnosed with and treated for a bone marrow failure disorder, called Diamond Blackfan Anemia, may actually be affected by a very rare anemia syndrome that has a different disease course and treatment, say scientists from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

8 Dec 2013

BIDMC study shows carbon monoxide may have a role to play in treating cancer

In recent years, research has suggested that carbon monoxide, the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems, can be used to treat certain inflammatory medical conditions. Now a study led by a research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) shows for the first time that carbon monoxide may also have a role to play in treating cancer.

4 Dec 2013