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A new approach to spinal muscular atrophy?

By Guest PostMay 1, 2013Healthals drug, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anne hart, boston, brown university, caenorhabditis elegans worm, children hospital, doctors for riluzole, maria dimitriadi, model of sma, neuromuscular disease, new therapy, normal cells, protein, riluzole, sk2 channels, sk2 potassium channels, sma treatment, smn, spinal muscular atrophy, survival motor neuron, united states, worm neurons

Spinal muscular atrophy is a debilitating neuromuscular disease that in its most severe form is the leading genetic cause of infant death. By experimenting with an ALS drug in two very different animal models, researchers at Brown University and Boston Children’s Hospital have identified a new potential mechanism for developing an SMA treatment.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — There is no specific drug to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a family of motor neuron diseases that in its most severe form is the leading genetic cause of infant death in the United States and affects one in 6,000 people overall. But a new multispecies study involving a drug that treats amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has pinpointed a mechanism of SMA that drug developers might be able to exploit for a new therapy. (more…)

UCLA researchers discover sperm move along a ‘twisting ribbon’

By Guest PostApril 30, 2013Healthaydogan ozcan, chemicals, chemo attractants, chiral ribbon patterns, euan mcleod, fertilization, flagella propel, functions, holographic microscope, horse sperm cells, human, inkyum choi, jaiwen feng, kalvin huang, micro swimmers, micrometers, microscale motion, migration of cells, sperm, sperm cells, sperm head, sperm motility, sperm motion, swimming patterns, ting wei su, toxins, twisted ribbon pattern, twisting ribbon, ucla researchers

Opening the door to more sophisticated investigation of sperm locomotion and biophysics, researchers from UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have identified previously unobserved swimming patterns in human and horse sperm cells.

This research, published in Scientific Reports, a journal of the Nature Publishing Group, could lead to a deeper understanding of how sperm move on their way to fertilization or other functions and how they react when encountering various toxins or chemicals. (more…)

What a difference a 3-D makes

By Guest PostApril 28, 2013Healthfractured pelvis, multiple pelvic fractures, spinal problem

3-D CT scans give the U a leg up in spotting veterinary injuries

When Gauge fell from a rooftop a few months ago, he had two strikes against him:

• The ground was five stories down

• He was a dog, not a cat (more…)

Despite free health care, household income affects chronic disease control in kids

By Guest PostApril 28, 2013Healthblindness in adulthood, diabetes, diabetic children, health outcome, household income

Researchers at the University of Montreal have found that the glycated hemoglobin levels of children with type 1 diabetes followed at its affiliated Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital (CHU Sainte-Justine) is correlated linearly and negatively with household income. Glycated hemoglobin is the binding of sugar to blood molecules – over time, high blood sugar levels lead to high levels of glycated hemoglobin, which means that it can be used to assess whether a patient properly controls his or her blood glucose level. “Our study highlights a marked disparity between the rich and the poor in an important health outcome for children with type 1 diabetes, despite free access to health care”, explained Dr. Johnny Deladoëy, who led the study. (more…)

Psychopaths are not neurally equipped to have concern for others

By Guest PostApril 26, 2013Healthcorrectional facility, empathy deficits, individuals with psychopathy, lack of empathy, prisoners, psychopaths, repetitive crime

Prisoners who are psychopaths lack the basic neurophysiological “hardwiring” that enables them to care for others, according to a new study by neuroscientists at the University of Chicago and the University of New Mexico. (more…)

Scientists map elusive 3-D structure of telomerase enzyme, key actor in cancer, aging

By Guest PostApril 26, 2013Healthbreakthrough, cancer cells, cancer fighting drug, cancer progression, cancers, function, jiansen jiang, juli feigon, masterpiece, nobel prize, telomerase enzyme, telomerase enzyme complex, tetrahymena thermophila, three dimensional structure, uc berkeley, ucla, visual map, z hong zhou

Like finally seeing all the gears of a watch and how they work together, researchers from UCLA and UC Berkeley have, for the first time ever, solved the puzzle of how the various components of an entire telomerase enzyme complex fit together and function in a three-dimensional structure.

The creation of the first complete visual map of the telomerase enzyme, which is known to play a significant role in aging and most cancers, represents a breakthrough that could open up a host of new approaches to fighting disease, the researchers said. (more…)

Things to know – do and don’t in adolescent

By Guest PostApril 15, 2013Healthadolescent age, adolescent boy, hormonal changes, teenage girl, teenage son

The adolescent age is very much critical phase of life. Every teenage girl and boy when they enter in this age tends to behave differently, which has to be understood very well by the parents, elders and teenagers. This can help everyone including the teenager to grow in a healthy atmosphere, which can help them to imbibe positive values in their lives along with averting them to tread wrong paths. If you fail to understand people of this age, you may end up seeing your adolescent boy or girl going in a wrong direction. Hence knowing the dos and don’ts are important both for parents and teenagers as well. Let’s check out the do’s and don’ts evident in this critical phase of life. (more…)

UCLA brain-imaging tool and stroke risk test help identify cognitive decline early

By Guest PostApril 12, 2013Healthabstract reasoning, alzheimer's disease, amyloid beta plaques, brain imaging tool, chemical marker, cognitive decline, david merrill, evidence, factors, fddnp, framingham, gary small, hallmark, high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythm, neurofibrillary tau tangles, neuropsychological testing, PET, physical assessments, positron emission tomography, prabha sidarth, pushpa v rajaa, risk factor, stroke risk, stroke risk profile, symptoms of dementia, ucla, ucla brain scan, verbal reasoning

UCLA researchers have used a brain-imaging tool and stroke risk assessment to identify signs of cognitive decline early on in individuals who don’t yet show symptoms of dementia.

The connection between stroke risk and cognitive decline has been well established by previous research. Individuals with higher stroke risk, as measured by factors like high blood pressure, have traditionally performed worse on tests of memory, attention and abstract reasoning. (more…)

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