http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A life-threatening condition that often requires transplantation and accounts for half of all acute liver failures, autoimmune hepatitis is often precipitated by certain anesthetics and antibiotics. Researchers say these drugs contain tiny molecules called haptens that ever so slightly change normal liver proteins, causing the body to mistake its own liver cells for foreign invaders and to attack them. The phenomenon disproportionately occurs in women, even when they take the same drugs at the same doses as men. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-estrogen-fuels-autoimmune-liver.html Medical research Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:48:32 EST news286548506 The mammalian placenta is more than just a filter through which nutrition and oxygen are passed from a mother to her unborn child. According to a new study by a research group from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, if a mother is exposed to stress during pregnancy, her placenta translates that experience to her fetus by altering levels of a protein that affects the developing brains of male and female offspring differently. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mammalian-placenta-exposure-stress-impacts.html Medical research Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:00:01 EST news281615205 Female mice exposed to Bisphenol A through their mother's diet during gestation and lactation were found to be hyperactive, exhibit spontaneous activity and had leaner body mass than those not exposed to the chemical, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have discovered. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-female-mice-exposed-bpa-mothers.html Medical research Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:02:22 EST news278254919 Early life exposure to normal bacteria of the GI tract (gut microbes) protects against autoimmune disease in mice, according to research published on-line in the January 17 edition of Science. The study may also have uncovered reasons why females are at greater risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus compared to males. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-gi-tract-bacteria-autoimmune-disease.html Immunology Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:00:20 EST news277652965 A study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers finds that a starvation hormone markedly extends life span in mice without the need for calorie restriction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-starvation-hormone-markedly-mouse-life.html Medical research Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:14:34 EST news269612062 A study by researchers from Emory University and Indiana University found that the beneficial effects daily exercise can have on the regeneration of nerves also require androgens such as testosterone in both males and females. It is the first report of both androgen-dependence of exercise on nerve regeneration and of an androgenic effect of exercise in females. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-role-androgens-testosterone-nerve.html Neuroscience Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:00:03 EST news269499339 Everyone knows that what mom eats when pregnant makes a huge difference in the health of her child. Now, new research in mice suggests that what she ate before pregnancy might be important too. According to a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal, what a group of female mice ate—before pregnancy—chemically altered their DNA and these changes were passed to her offspring. These DNA alterations, called "epigenetic" changes, drastically affected the pups' metabolism of many essential fatty acids. These results could have a profound impact on future research for diabetes, obesity, cancer, and immune disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-mother-nutritionbefore-pregnancymay-function-children.html Genetics Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:24:54 EST news267366163 Striking new evidence suggesting that diet and related factors early in life can boost the risk for breast cancer—totally independent of the body's production of the hormone estrogen—has been uncovered by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-breast-cancer-linked-early-life-diet.html Cancer Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:00:04 EST news267097777 A study in mice conducted by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) suggests that a woman's risk of anxiety and dysfunctional social behavior may depend on the experiences of her parents, particularly fathers, when they were young. The study, published online in Biological Psychiatry, suggests that stress caused by chronic social instability during youth contributes to epigenetic changes in sperm cells that can lead to psychiatric disorders in female offspring across multiple generations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-male-mice-exposed-chronic-social.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:12:50 EST news264852763 Pregnant mice exposed to high levels of air pollution gave birth to offspring with a significantly higher rate of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood than those that were not exposed to air pollution. This effect seemed especially prevalent in male mice, which were heavier regardless of diet. These findings, published online in the FASEB Journal, suggests a link between diesel exhaust exposure in utero and bulging waistlines in adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-utero-exposure-diesel-exhaust-factor.html Overweight and Obesity Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:46:24 EST news261920770 Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many common plastic household items, can cause numerous genes in the uterus to respond differently to estrogen in adulthood, according to a study using a mouse model. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-bpa-exposure-pregnant-mice-gene.html Health Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:00:08 EST news259925034 Exposure to low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation had immediate and long-lasting, trans-generational effects on the brain and social behaviors in mice, according to a recent study accepted for publication in the journal Endocrinology, a publication of The Endocrine Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-bpa-exposure-effects.html Health Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:07 EST news258913862 Estrogen causes wounds in women to heal slower than in men - who have lower levels of estrogen - says a new study published in the April 2012 issue of the FASEB Journal. In the report, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, provide the first evidence that mild injury response in the eye is fundamentally different in males and females because of estrogen. This discovery provides new clues for successfully treating a wide range of inflammatory diseases such as dry eye disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and scleroderma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-estrogen-responsible-wound-women.html Medical research Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:40:02 EST news252577281 For the first time, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have isolated egg-producing stem cells from the ovaries of reproductive age women and shown these cells can produce what appear to be normal egg cells or oocytes. In the March issue of Nature Medicine, the team from the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at MGH reports the latest follow-up study to their now-landmark 2004 Nature paper that first suggested female mammals continue producing egg cells into adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-scientists-isolate-egg-producing-stem-cells.html Medical research Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:00:11 EST news249480547 (Medical Xpress) -- Mothers who are treated for malaria may pass on lower levels of natural immunity to their young, animal studies show. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-malaria-immunity-spotlight.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:19:43 EST news249203977 A combination of drugs that target estrogen production significantly reduced the number of tobacco carcinogen-induced lung tumors in mice, according to results from a preclinical study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-estrogen-targeting-drug-combo-lung-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:56:06 EST news245346950 Using a mouse model, Heidelberg University Hospital researchers have for the first time successfully treated a severe congenital disorder in which sugar metabolism is disturbed. The team headed by Prof. Christian Korner, group leader at the Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, demonstrated that if female mice are given mannose with their drinking water prior to mating and during pregnancy, their offspring will develop normally even if they carry the genetic mutation for the congenital disorder. The team's outstanding work will contribute to better understanding of the molecular processes of this metabolic disease, along with the key stages in embryonic development, and may offer a therapeutic approach for the first time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-severe-congenital-disorder-successfully-mouse.html Genetics Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:31:21 EST news243768665 Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered the therapeutic benefit of fetal stem cells in helping the maternal heart recover after heart attack or other injury. The research, which marks a significant advancement in cardiac regenerative medicine, was presented today at the American Heart Association's (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2011 in Orlando, Florida, and is also published in the current issue of Circulation Research, a journal of the AHA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-fetal-stem-cells-placenta-maternal.html Cardiology Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:14:45 EST news240513126 In a new study, scientists report that they substantially curbed weight gain, improved metabolism, and improved the efficacy of insulin in mice by engineering them to express a specific human enzyme in their fat tissue. Although the obesity prevention came at the significant cost of widespread inflammation, the research offers new clues about the connections among obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and inflammation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-enzyme-boosts-metabolism-weight-gain.html Medical research Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:30:41 EST news240496234 A recent UT Southwestern Medical Center study found that estrogen regulates energy expenditure, appetite and body weight, while insufficient estrogen receptors in specific parts of the brain may lead to obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-estrogen-brain-weight.html Medical research Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:50:01 EST news238296281 Female mammals are better prepared to fight infections and their bodies suffer less collateral damage when an infection does hit, according to a new study part-funded by the Wellcome Trust. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-men-women-infection-differently.html Medical research Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:35:56 EST news235809299 Could engineered fatty particles help prevent AIDS? Liposomes block HIV infection in early tests; could be a cost-effective preventive for developing countries http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-fatty-particles-aids.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:48:44 EST news235669669 UCLA researchers demonstrated that loss of a key protein that regulates estrogen and immune activity in the body could lead to aspects of metabolic syndrome, a combination of conditions that can cause Type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and cancer. Called estrogen receptor alpha, this protein is critical in regulating immune system activity such as helping cells suppress inflammation and gobble-up debris. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-loss-key-estrogen-metabolic-syndrome.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:32:23 EST news234538333 Sons of male mice exposed to prenatal stress are more sensitive to stress as adults, according to a study in the August 17 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. These findings suggest experiences in the womb can lead to individual differences in stress response that may be passed across generations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-effects-prenatal-stress-mice.html Neuroscience Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:49:21 EST news232800548 (Medical Xpress) -- A strategy that has been shown to reduce age-related health problems in several animal studies may also combat a major cause of age-associated infertility and birth defects. Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have shown that restricting the caloric intake of adult female mice prevents a spectrum of abnormalities, such as extra or missing copies of chromosomes, that arise more frequently in egg cells of aging female mammals. Their report appears in this week's online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-strategy-infertility-birth-defects.html Medical research Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:10:18 EST news229255793 Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a type of cell that may contribute to autoimmune disease. The findings also suggest why diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis strike women more frequently than men. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-women-autoimmune-diseases.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:38:37 EST news228987497 A variation in a gene involved in regulating cholesterol in the bloodstream also appears to affect progesterone production in women, making it a likely culprit in a substantial number of cases of their infertility, a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-gene-variation-linked-infertility-women.html Medical research Mon, 16 May 2011 10:47:19 EST news224761631