http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Ottawa scientists have discovered a trigger that turns muscle stem cells into brown fat, a form of good fat that could play a critical role in the fight against obesity. The findings from Dr. Michael Rudnicki's lab, based at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, were published today in the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-fat-stem-cell-discovery-potential.html Medical research Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:00:01 EST news279282444 For Ottawa scientist and neonatologist Dr. Bernard Thébaud, even a major paper that answers five significant questions still doesn't seem quite enough in his determined path to get his laboratory breakthrough into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Dr. Thébaud's proposed therapy would use stem cells from umbilical cords to treat a disease previously thought to be untreatable—bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-big-lung-disease-tiniest-patients.html Medical research Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:20:01 EST news273780321 Scientists have discovered that injecting a novel human protein into muscle affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy significantly increases its size and strength, findings that could lead to a therapy akin to the use of insulin by diabetics. These results were published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Dr. Julia von Maltzahn and Dr. Michael Rudnicki, the Ottawa scientist who discovered muscle stem cells in adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-protein-muscular-dystrophy-treatment.html Medical research Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:15:24 EST news273226514 An Ottawa scientist has discovered a critical reason why women experience fertility problems as they get older. The breakthrough by Dr. Johné Liu, a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and professor at the University of Ottawa, also points to a simple solution that could increase the viability of egg cells for women in their late 30s and older—putrescine water. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-putrescine-fountain-youth-eggs.html Medical research Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:15:52 EST news273158143 Researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have found a protein in the blood of pregnant women that can predict if they are likely to have a fetus that doesn't grow properly, and thus has a high risk of stillbirth and long-term health complications. The research, led by Dr. Andrée Gruslin, could lead to a widely available blood test and could help develop ways for improving the outcomes of women and their children who face this risk — estimated to be as many as one of every 20 pregnancies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-blood-pregnant-women-dangerously-small.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:13:16 EST news259495985 Getting a flu shot during pregnancy provides unanticipated benefits to the baby, according to the authors of a large population-based study examining the issue. Specifically, the study showed that H1N1 vaccination during the pandemic was associated with a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and extremely small babies at birth. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-flu-shot-pregnancy-unexpected-benefits.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 22 May 2012 09:53:10 EST news256899177 Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 per cent larger than normal. The research, led by Dr. David Picketts and published in the prestigious journal Developmental Cell, could lead to new approaches to stimulate brain regeneration and may provide important insight into developmental disorders such as autism and Rett syndrome. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-mice-big-brains-insight-brain.html Genetics Tue, 15 May 2012 10:15:16 EST news256295665