http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Today, during the 81st American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting, researchers announced new findings regarding the development of methods to turn human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into microglia, which could be used for not only research but potentially in treatments for various diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-microglia-derived-patient-specific-human-induced-pluripotent.html Medical research Thu, 02 May 2013 07:30:02 EST news286697361 A gas associated with the smell of rotten eggs has proven to effectively reduce joint swelling, in research which could lead to advances in the treatment of arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-foul-smelling-gas-health-benefits-joint.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:51:29 EST news286458682 Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive degenerative disease affecting a person's ability to coordinate and control their muscle movement. What starts out as a tremor in a finger will eventually lead to difficulty in writing and speaking, and ultimately the inability to walk without assistance. Since the 1950s research has shown that people with Parkinson's have decreased levels of the chemical dopamine in their brains, which is involved in sending messages to the part of the brain that controls coordination and movement. Subsequent research has found that dopamine-generating cells, known as dopaminergic neurons, are also absent in a specific area of the brain in those with PD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-inflammatory-stimulus-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:23:18 EST news285931393 A new study will help determine if an antibiotic is a partial antidote for the poisonous effect blood has on the brain following a hemorrhagic stroke, researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-antibiotic-hemorrhagic.html Cardiology Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:20:28 EST news284034018 Mice with different naturally occurring stomach bacteria have distinct susceptibilities to disease caused by Helicobacter pylori, the well-known cause of ulcers in humans, according to a study published online ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity. This is the first study to document (in mice) that the presence of certain bacteria in the stomach microbiota can prevent pathology from H. pylori. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-stomach-microbiota-modulate-resistance-pylori-driven.html Immunology Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:34:40 EST news283433672 For the past few decades, health officials have been reporting increases in the incidence of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Now researchers at Yale School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute have identified a prime suspect in the mystery—dietary salt. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-excess-dietary-salt-autoimmune-trigger.html Medical research Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:00:13 EST news281796136 Malaria in pregnancy causes a range of adverse effects, including abortions, stillbirths, premature delivery and low infant birth weight. Many of these effects are thought to derive from a placental inflammatory response resulting from interaction of infected red blood cells with the placental tissue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-placental-blood-malaria-pregnancy.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:02 EST news278869785 Researchers at the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (PARCC) have shown how adhesion of Neisseria (N.) meningitidis to human microvessels in a humanized mouse model leads to the characteristic cutaneous lesions of meningococcal sepsis. This work, published on January 24 in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens, is an important demonstration of the direct role of adhesion, specifically Type IV pili mediated adhesion, plays in the development of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-pathogenic-bacteria-adhering-human-vascular.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:00:11 EST news278265511 Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a novel target for the treatment of food allergies. Erwin Gelfand, MD, and his colleagues report in the October 2012 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that levels of the enzyme Pim 1 kinase rise in the small intestines of peanut-allergic mice. Inhibiting activity of Pim 1 markedly reduced the allergic response to peanuts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-food-allergy-treatment.html Immunology Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:39:50 EST news270995977 (Medical Xpress)—An international study led by a researcher from The University of Western Australia for the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) has produced exciting results that may lead to new drugs to treat obesity and reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-discovery-drugs-curb-obesity-diabetes.html Immunology Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:22:14 EST news269158927 A simple new test, in which the patient swallows a string, can monitor treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis as effectively as an invasive, expensive and uncomfortable procedure that risks complications, particularly in children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-simple-ease-esophagitis.html Inflammatory disorders Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:02:41 EST news268498953 (Medical Xpress)—Michigan State University researchers have unlocked secrets in bone marrow that could lead to improved treatments for colitis and Crohn's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-bone-marrow-secrets-colitis-crohn.html Medical research Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:37:01 EST news267723389 (HealthDay)—For children with metastatic MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma (NBL-NA) diagnosed at age 18 months or older, increased expression of tumor-associated inflammatory genes seems to correlate with poor prognosis, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-gene-score-ids-prognosis-metastatic.html Cancer Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:50:02 EST news265483865 The largest study of patients with severe asthma to date, published in the Lancet special issue on respiratory medicine, shows that those treated with the monoclonal antibody mepolizumab experienced an almost 50 percent reduction in severe exacerbations, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations compared with patients given placebo. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-mepolizumab-halves-exacerbations-patients-severe.html Immunology Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:30:01 EST news264345938 Most people probably know that heart disease remains the nation's No. 1 killer. But what many may be surprised to learn is that cholesterol has a major accomplice in causing dangerous arterial plaque buildup that can trigger a heart attack. The culprit? Inflammatory cells produced by the immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-vaccine-heart-disease-discovery-possibility.html Immunology Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:34:16 EST news264155644 Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered a 'constant cloud' of potent inflammatory molecules surrounding the cells responsible for diseases such as thickening of the arteries and rheumatoid arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-discovery-early-onset-inflammatory-disease.html Inflammatory disorders Wed, 04 Jul 2012 19:00:05 EST news260626920 A six-food elimination diet significantly improves symptoms in adult patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. In EoE, eosinophils and other inflammatory cells cause inflammation of the esophagus in response to an allergic stimulus. Previously thought to be a rare disease, EoE has become one of the most common causes for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), heartburn and the sensation of "food stuck in the throat" in adults. Similar to children, this study has now shown that food allergens have a causative role in the majority of adults with EoE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-food-diet-difficulty-swallowing-throat.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:40:47 EST news259411242 The HIV drugs known as CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggest in a preclinical study published in a recent issue of Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-hiv-drug-metastatic-breast-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:27:01 EST news258215206 In recent years, a growing body of evidence has linked inflammation to the development of insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, the hormone insulin is less effective in promoting glucose uptake from the bloodstream into other tissues. Obesity is a major factor that contributes to insulin resistance, which can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have shown that proinflammatory molecules found in fat tissue decreases sensitivity of tissues to insulin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-obesity-induced-insulin-sensitivity.html Overweight and Obesity Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:05:49 EST news257774686 When laboratory mice were modeled with colitis and treated with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal cells, the cells homed in on the inflamed colon and effectively ameliorated colitis, reported a study published in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (20:9), now freely available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-colitis-mice-treatment-human-umbilical.html Medical research Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:49:42 EST news254404147 Early detection and advances in the treatment for breast cancer have improved the chances of survival, however new avenues for treatment are still needed in the battle against this disease. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research demonstrates that the protein Perp, associated with desmosomes (the glue that sticks cells together), is involved in suppressing breast cancer and provides a potential new target for future treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-cellular-resists-breast-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:49:04 EST news254105322 (HealthDay) -- A series of Nd:YAG laser treatments effectively and rapidly reduces both inflammatory and noninflammatory acne vulgaris lesions, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-dual-mode-laser-therapy-effectively.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:58:55 EST news252082725 Although it's widely accepted that inflammation is a critical underlying factor in a range of diseases, including the progression of cancer, little is known about its role when normal cells become tumor cells. Now, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shed new light on exactly how the activation of a pair of inflammatory signaling pathways leads to the transformation of normal breast cells to cancer cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-scientists-uncover-inflammatory-circuit-triggers.html Cancer Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:09:33 EST news249224958 A natural enzyme derived from human blood plasma showed potential in significantly reducing the effects of graft-vs.-host disease, a common and deadly side effect of lifesaving bone marrow transplants. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-natural-enzyme-potential-approach-graft-vs-host.html Medical research Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:52:50 EST news246019962 New research highlights the possibility of reversing ageing in the central nervous system for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is published today, 06 January, in the journal Cell Stem Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-reversing-age-associated-effects-ms-patients.html Medical research Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:27:02 EST news245075204 In a paper published in the December 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, a team of scientists at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign led by Rex Gaskins, PhD have demonstrated that both microbial and host inflammatory factors modulate sulfomucin production in a human cell line, LS174T, that models intestinal goblet cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-inflammatory-cues-modulate-goblet-cell.html Inflammatory disorders Sat, 03 Dec 2011 03:10:01 EST news242103343 Hydrogen peroxide isn't just that bottled colorless liquid in the back of the medicine cabinet that's used occasionally for cleaning scraped knees and cut fingers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-hydrogen-peroxide-clues-immunity-wound.html Medical research Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:43:11 EST news241098168 (Medical Xpress) -- An immune cell involved in initiating the symptoms of an allergic skin reaction may play an equally, or perhaps more important, role in suppressing the reaction once it becomes chronic. This finding in mice could have future implications for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects an estimated 10 to 20 percent of infants and young children. The research is by investigators at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-immune-cell-dual-role-allergic.html Medical research Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:10:25 EST news238151413 A one-dose method for delivering gene therapy into an arterial wall effectively protects the artery from developing atherosclerosis despite ongoing high blood cholesterol. The promising results, published July 19 in the journal Molecular Therapy, came from research in rabbits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-gene-therapy-blood-vessel-wall.html Medical research Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:23:38 EST news230307799 The signs of atopy may be present long before symptoms begin, even in month-old babies, according to a new research study from Denmark. The study found that the level of urinary eosinophil protein-X (u-EPX), a marker of inflammatory cells, in newborn babies was linked to higher risk of allergic sensitization, nasal eosinophilia and eczema at six years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-early-biomarker-future-atopy-asymptomatic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:53:46 EST news229168400