http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Declining levels of the protein BubR1 occur when both people and animals age, and contribute to cell senescence or deterioration, weight loss, muscle wasting and cataracts. Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that adult progenitor or stem cells—important for repair and regeneration of skeletal muscle and maintenance of healthy fat tissue—are subject to cellular senescence, and that clearance of these cells limits age-related deterioration of these tissues. The findings appear today online in the journal Cell Reports. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-stem-cell-senescence-aging.html Medical research Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:42:21 EST news285507734 Treatment that consisted of shock wave (procedure using high-dose ultrasound)-mediated preconditioning of the target heart tissue prior to administration of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells was associated with significant, albeit modest improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (a measure of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each contraction) after 4 months in patients with chronic postinfarction heart failure, according to a study in the April 17 issue of JAMA. The results, which require confirmation in larger trials, demonstrate the potential for this type of therapy to reduce adverse clinical events in these chronically ill patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-outcomes-heart-failure-cell-therapy.html Cardiology Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:39:51 EST news285349182 Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant. The research is led by Professor Paul Sharpe, an expert in craniofacial development and stem cell biology at King's College London and published in the Journal of Dental Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-biological-tooth-replacementa-closer.html Dentistry Sat, 09 Mar 2013 04:29:44 EST news282025776 A new approach to bladder regeneration is capitalizing on the potential of two distinct cell populations harvested from a patient's healthy bone marrow, a new study reports. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-bone-marrow-cells-bladder-regeneration.html Medical research Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:10:01 EST news280415037 Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have successfully developed a method to map the epigenome using 100 times fewer cells than was previously possible. The discovery, published in the journal Developmental Cell, means that it is now possible to study the epigenome of parts of the body with rare cell populations such as germ cells (which differentiate into the egg or sperm), and clinical biopsy samples (to advance the study, diagnosis and prevention of cancer). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-microscale-epigenomics-technology-epigenome-rare.html Genetics Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:00:02 EST news279786735 Nestled deep within the body, the epithelial lining of the respiratory system is nonetheless seriously exposed. Its direct contact with environmental air necessitates protective mechanisms that both seal off the respiratory tract from other compartments of the body and neutralize microbial invaders. This is achieved by the coordinated action of the functionally specialized various cell types that make up the lining of the airway. These respiratory cell populations include major ciliated cells, exocrine Clara cells, and neuroendocrine (NE) cells, all of which are generated by a common epithelial progenitor cell type during embryogenesis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-airways-notch-bronchial-cell-fates.html Medical research Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:31:21 EST news278062267 Think of the epigenome like a giant musical mixing board, turning up or down the expression of various genes. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal PLOS Genetics shows that in cancer, not only can genes themselves go bad, but abnormal changes in the epigenetic mixing board can unfortunately change the expression of these genes. Researchers hope to play the role of sound engineers, controlling these harmful epigenomic changes to turn down cancer itself or perhaps sensitize cancers to existing drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-epigenomic-abnormalities-patient-survival-non-hodgkins.html Genetics Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:00:01 EST news277046216 Type 1 and type 2 diabetes results when beta cells in the pancreas fail to produce enough insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. One approach to treating diabetes is to stimulate regeneration of new beta cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-potential-stem-cell-therapy-diabetes.html Medical research Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:00:13 EST news277027087 Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are the immune system's patrol. They recognize foreign threats and trigger a defensive response, while restraining immune reactions against inappropriate targets like host proteins. They achieve the former via a mechanism called cross-presentation, which displays pieces of pathogens to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs)—the immune system's 'attack dogs'—while the latter function relies on cDC interactions with regulatory T (Treg) cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cellular.html Medical research Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:00:23 EST news273488412 When you get an acute infection, such as influenza, the body generally responds with a coordinated response of immune-cell proliferation and attack that rapidly clears the pathogen. Then, their mission done, the immune system stands down, leaving a population of sentinel memory cells to rapidly redeploy the immune system in the event of reinfection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-molecular-root-exhausted-cells-chronic.html Medical research Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:54:20 EST news273423242 If you're looking to get some of the benefits of exercise without doing the work, here's some good news. A new research report published online in The FASEB Journal shows that low-intensity vibrations led to improvements in the immune function of obese mice. If the same effect can be found in people, this could have clinical benefits for obese people suffering from a wide range of immune problems related to obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-mild-vibrations-benefits-obese-people.html Overweight and Obesity Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:51:42 EST news273415890 A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is particularly devastating since the prognosis for recovery is usually poor, with the cancer most often not detected until late stages. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-pancreatic-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:03:01 EST news273412968 (Medical Xpress)—The world's first 'living football' using cells from a pig's bladder has been created by an artist working with scientists in the University's Clinical Engineering laboratories. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-pigs-cells-football.html Medical research Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:00:54 EST news266482843 The skin, which is an essential barrier that protects our body against the external environment, undergoes constant turnover throughout life to replace dead cells that are constantly sloughed off from the skin surface. During adult life, the number of cells produced must exactly compensate for the number of cells lost. Different theories have been proposed to explain how this delicate balance is achieved. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-stem-cells-responsible-tissue.html Medical research Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:41:22 EST news265963274 Cardiac injury leads to significant structural changes in the heart, including enlargement, excess formation of fibrous growth tissue, and abnormalities of the coronary vasculature. While associated factors have been targeted for therapeutic intervention, the results have been conflicting. Most studies have investigated these changes after six days of injury. However, advanced stages of remodeling have already begun by day seven following injury. New research reveals that morphological changes in response to cardiac injury occur rapidly, with implications for the development of therapeutic strategies. The results are published in the October issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-heart-remodeling-rapidly-cardiac-injury.html Cardiology Tue, 04 Sep 2012 00:00:01 EST news265893373 Some of the body's own genetic material, known as small interfering RNA (siRNA), can be packaged then unleashed as a precise and persistent technology to guide cell behavior, researchers at Case Western Reserve University report in the current issue of the journal, Acta Biomaterialia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-precise-persistent-cell-sabotage-sirna.html Medical research Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:46:35 EST news265279567 In the July 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe how human epidermal progenitor cells and stem cells control transcription factors to avoid premature differentiation, preserving their ability to produce new skin cells throughout life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-key-proteins-self-renewing-skin.html Medical research Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:38:48 EST news260714319 Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain's stem cells. The discovery offers new insights into normal and abnormal neurologic development and could eventually lead to regenerative therapies for neurologic disease and injury. The findings, from a collaborative effort of the laboratories of Drs. Anna Lasorella and Antonio Iavarone, were published in the online edition of Nature Cell Biology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-housekeeping-mechanism-brain-stem-cells.html Neuroscience Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:10:01 EST news254301984 A new discovery published online in The FASEB Journal may lead to a new tool to help physicians assess breast cancer risk as well as diagnose the disease. In the report, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, explain how proteins, called "obscurins," once believed to only be in muscle cells, act as "tumor suppressor genes" in the breast. When their expression is lost, or their genes mutated in epithelial cells of the breast, cancer develops. It promises to tell physicians how breast cancer develops and/or how likely it is. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-obscurins-breast-tissue-physicians-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:36:57 EST news251559405 Since cancer cells grow indefinitely, it is commonly believed that senescence could act as a barrier against tumor growth and potentially be used as a way to treat cancer. A collaboration between a cancer biologist from the University of Milano, Italy, and two physicists, from the National Research Council of Italy and from Cornell University, has shown that cell senescence occurs spontaneously in melanoma cells, but does not stop their growth, which is sustained by a small population of cancer stem cells. The results, published in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology on January 19 explain why it is difficult to treat cancer cells by inducing senescence alone. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-cell-senescence-tumor-growth.html Cancer Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:27:56 EST news246216467 Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), reports a research team from the University of South Florida's Department of Psychiatry and the Silver Child Development Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-autism-linked-abnormal-immune-characteristics.html Immunology Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:16:17 EST news244822569 Bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMDCs) have been recognized as a source for transplantation because they can contribute to different cell populations in a variety of organs under both normal and pathological conditions. Many BMDC studies have been aimed at repairing damaged brain tissue or helping to restore lost neural function, with much research focused on BMDC transplants to the cerebellum at the back of the brain. In a recent study, a research team from Spain has found that BMDCs, can contribute to a variety of neural cell types in other areas of the brain as well, including the olfactory bulb, because of a mechanism of "plasticity". http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-bone-marrow-derived-cells-differentiate-brain.html Medical research Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:06:43 EST news243533185 Viewing two-dimensional images of the environment, as they occur in computer games, leads to sustained changes in the strength of nerve cell connections in the brain. In Cerebral Cortex, Prof. Dr. Denise Manahan-Vaughan and Anne Kemp of the RUB Department for Neurophysiology report about these findings. When the researchers presented rats with new spatial environments on a computer screen, they observed long-lasting changes in the communication between nerve cells in a brain structure which is important for long-term memory (hippocampus). Thus, the researchers showed for the first time that active exploration of the environment is not necessary to obtain this effect. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-two-dimensional-viewing-images-long-term-nerve.html Neuroscience Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:05:17 EST news236250291 Sophisticated genetic tools and techniques for achieving targeted gene delivery and high gene expression levels in bone marrow will drive the successful application of gene therapy to treat a broad range of diseases. Examples of these cutting-edge methods are presented in a series of five provocative articles in the latest issue of Human Gene Therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-stem-cell-based-gene-therapy.html Genetics Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:40:40 EST news228397227