http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Scientists have identified a gene that keeps our nerve fibers from clogging up. Researchers in Ken Miller's laboratory at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) found that the unc-16 gene of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a gatekeeper that restricts flow of cellular organelles from the cell body to the axon, a long, narrow extension that neurons use for signaling. Organelles clogging the axon could interfere with neuronal signaling or cause the axon to degenerate, leading to neurodegenerative disorders. This research, published in the May 2013 Genetics Society of America's journal Genetics, adds an unexpected twist to our understanding of trafficking within neurons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-tiny-worm-giant-mystery-neurons.html Genetics Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:10:01 EST news286481185 (Medical Xpress)—When minor wounds heal, the fine nerve endings that sense touch, or control sweating, are usually able to regrow. Like many processes in the body, the ability to regenerate new tissues changes throughout the lifecycle, typically diminishing with age. To investigate the molecular details of regeneration, the nervous system of the worm, C. Elegans, is ideal because its entire blueprint—the connectome—is available. The close-knit cadre of researchers who study C. elegans are the true veterinarians of neuroscience in that they command nearly every tool in the field to study this microcosm of biology. Publishing today in Science, a group of these researchers has uncovered a genetic circuit that regulates the regrowth of axons after they are experimentally cut with a laser. While the integrity of these mechanisms insures stability in the adult nervous system, manipulation of them could allow insults to the system to be restored to normal function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-clock-regeneration-neurons.html Neuroscience Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:43:33 EST news285597798 Sometimes you just can't resist a tiny piece of chocolate cake. Even the most health-conscious eaters find themselves indulging in junk foods from time to time. New research by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) raises the striking possibility that even small amounts of these occasional indulgences may produce significant changes in gene expression that could negatively impact physiology and health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-scientists-dietary-gene-physiology.html Medical research Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:42:41 EST news283693354 A widely prescribed type 2 diabetes drug slows down the ageing process by mimicking the effects of dieting, according to a study published today using worms to investigate how the drug works. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-reveals-diabetes-drug-ageing-worms.html Medical research Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:41:48 EST news283693300 (Medical Xpress)—As obesity rates continue to rise, experts are searching for answers in the clinic and at the lab bench to determine the types and amounts of food that people should eat. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-worm-clues-obesity.html Medical research Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:35:08 EST news279527698 Caenorhabditis elegans, with just 302 neurons, has long been considered an ideal model system for the study of the nervous system. New research, however, is suggesting that the worms' "simple" nervous system may be much more complex than originally thought. In a new study of worm locomotion, researchers show that a single type of motor neuron harbors an entire sensorimotor loop. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cell-sensory-motor-output-worm.html Neuroscience Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:00:28 EST news272714199 As part of their ongoing research investigating the biology of aging, the greatest risk factor for type 2 diabetes and other serious diseases, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified a new factor—microRNA processing in fat tissue—which plays a major role in aging and stress resistance. This finding may lead to the development of treatments that increase stress resistance and longevity and improve metabolism. The findings appear in the September 5 online edition of Cell Metabolism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-scientists-molecular-fat-cells-stress.html Medical research Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:18:45 EST news267891514 Certain genes and proteins that promote growth and development of embryos also play a surprising role in sending chemical signals that help adults learn, remember, forget and perhaps become addicted, University of Utah biologists have discovered. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-genes-proteins-important-embryos-adult.html Medical research Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:00:10 EST news252239655 There is no longer any doubt that dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan. Many studies have shown that limiting nutrient intake extends lifespan in yeast, worms, flies and as well as postponing age-related diseases in mice. However, scientists are still puzzling over the exact mechanism of DR, convinced its secrets are the key to new therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and even cancer. Research involving the nematode C. elegans at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging sheds new light on a possible mechanism of DR – revealing that a group of lipid signaling molecules called N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) informs the animal of limited or ample nutrients and helps regulate the worm's aging response to changes in its diet. Some of these worm (NAE's) are similar to endocannabinoids in humans, where they regulate many different physiological processes including nutrient intake and energy balance. Thus the link between endocannabinoids, DR and aging could be conserved among species. The study appears in the May 12th edition of Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-endocannabinoid-dietary-restriction-lifespan-extension.html Medical research Wed, 11 May 2011 13:00:16 EST news224337390 Sleeping worms have much to teach people, a notion famously applied by the children's show "Sesame Street," in which Oscar the Grouch often reads bedtime stories to his pet worm Slimy. Based on research with their own worms, a team of neurobiologists at Brown University and several other institutions has now found that "Notch," a fundamental signaling pathway found in all animals, is directly involved in sleep in the nematode C. elegans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-buenos-notch-es-universal-pathway.html Medical research Thu, 05 May 2011 12:54:26 EST news223818750