http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Zebrafish with very weak muscles helped scientists decode the elusive genetic mutation responsible for Native American myopathy, a rare, hereditary muscle disease that afflicts Native Americans in North Carolina. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-zebrafish-mutant-gene-rare-muscle.html Medical research Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:40:07 EST news289582799 Jacob Rutt is a bright 11-year-old who likes to draw detailed maps in his spare time. But the budding geographer has a hard time with physical skills most children take for granted—running and climbing trees are beyond him, and even walking can be difficult. He was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy known as Duchenne when he was two years old. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-experimental-gene-therapy-treatment-duchenne.html Genetics Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:49:32 EST news279478154 People tend to lose muscle mass as they age; researchers are investigating ways to delay or counteract age-related muscle loss. A study conducted by the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster University suggests that current guidelines for meat consumption are based on the protein needed to prevent deficiency without consideration for preservation of muscle mass, particularly for older individuals who are looking to maintain their muscle as they age. This research was published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-beef-middle-aged-men-muscle-mass.html Health Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:45:32 EST news279197115 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified proteins that allow muscle cells in mice to form from the fusion of the early stage cells that give rise to the muscle cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-uncovers-early-stages-muscle-formation.html Medical research Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:50:03 EST news276935407 New research from scientists at McMaster University reveals exercise-related testosterone and growth hormone do not play an influential role in building muscle after weightlifting, despite conventional wisdom suggesting otherwise. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-debunks-bodybuilding-myth-growth-promoting-hormones.html Medical research Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:59:02 EST news258890328 Nutritional supplements are often associated with athletes and body builders, but a University of Kansas professor is conducting a research project to determine whether they are in fact, effective and if they might be able to help older individuals with muscle loss. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-professor-supplements-muscles.html Other Thu, 24 May 2012 06:44:29 EST news257060660 Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered why diabetic-like symptoms develop in some patients given rapamycin, an immune-suppressant drug that also has shown anti-cancer activity and may even slow ageing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-reveals-cancer-drug-diabetic-like-state.html Medical research Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:06 EST news252671150 The same mechanism that stabilises the DNA in the cell nucleus is also important for the structure and function of vertebrate muscle cells. This has been established by RUB-researchers led by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Linke (Institute of Physiology) in cooperation with American and German colleagues. An enzyme attaches a methyl group to the protein Hsp90, which then forms a complex with the muscle protein titin. When the researchers disrupted this protein network through genetic manipulation in zebrafish the muscle structure partly disintegrated. The scientists have thus shown that methylation also plays a significant role outside the nucleus. They published their results in Genes and Development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-protein-networks-stabilize-muscle-fibers.html Genetics Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:55:02 EST news246545676 How sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, can alleviate heart problems is reported by Bochum's researchers in cooperation with colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota) in the journal Circulation. They studied dogs with diastolic heart failure, a condition in which the heart chamber does not sufficiently fill with blood. The scientists showed that sildenafil makes stiffened cardiac walls more elastic again. The drug activates an enzyme that causes the giant protein titin in the myocardial cells to relax. "We have developed a therapy in an animal model that, for the first time, also raises hopes for the successful treatment of patients" says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Linke of the RUB Institute of Physiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-viagra-heart-failure-mechanism.html Cardiology Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:03:30 EST news243857003 Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered two proteins that are essential for the fusion of muscle cells to build muscle fibres. Their discovery might help us better understand and treat illnesses such as muscle-wasting disorders and diseases of bone over-growth, in which cellular fusion is an important feature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-jamb-jamc-essential-proteins-fusion.html Medical research Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:00:11 EST news243005647 Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that it is safe to cut and paste together different viruses in an effort to create the ultimate vehicle for gene therapy. In a phase I clinical trial, the investigators found no side effects from using a "chimeric" virus to deliver replacement genes for an essential muscle protein in patients with muscular dystrophy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-clinical-trial-muscular-dystrophy-safety.html Medical research Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:23:08 EST news241878178 New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that rats fed homobrassinolide, found in the mustard plant, produced an anabolic effect, and increased appetite and muscle mass, as well as the number and size of muscle fibers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-weights-mustard-muscles.html Medical research Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:00:01 EST news236511133 Physical activity requires strong, healthy muscles. Fortunately, when people exercise on a regular basis, their muscles experience a continuous cycle of muscle breakdown (during exercise) and compensatory remodeling and growth (especially with weightlifting). Athletes have long experimented with methods to augment these physiologic responses to enhance muscle growth. One such ergogenic aid that has gained recent popularity is the use of high-quality, high-protein beverages during and after exercise, with dairy-based drinks enriched with whey proteins often taking front stage. Many studies have documented a beneficial effect of their consumption. Of particular interest is the effect of the essential amino acid leucine contained in these products. Two papers, published in the September 2011 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, report the results of 2 independent studies conducted to understand better how amino acids influence protein synthesis in recreational athletes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-muscle-building-effect-protein-beverages-athletes.html Other Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:38:21 EST news232893488 A molecular technique originally developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has taken one step closer to becoming a treatment for the devastating genetic disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-clinical-trial-molecular-therapy-muscular.html Medical research Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:17:51 EST news230811461 (Medical Xpress) -- Excessive noise is not the only thing that causes damage to hearing. In many cases, genetic factors are responsible for the loss of hearing at a young age. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin together with colleagues from Nijmegen have discovered a previously unknown genetic cause of progressive hearing impairment: the disease is caused by mutations of the SMPX (small muscle protein) gene, which is located on the X chromosome. It was not previously known that this gene, which is active in the skeletal muscle and heart, also plays a role in hearing. The discovery will make it easier to diagnose progressive hearing impairment and may also provide a starting point for the development of new treatment methods. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-mutated-muscle-protein-deafness.html Genetics Mon, 30 May 2011 10:27:41 EST news225969946 A new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal shows that what someone drinks after exercise plays a critical role in maximizing the effects of exercise. Specifically, the report shows that protein drinks after aerobic activity increases the training effect after six weeks, when compared to carbohydrate drinks. Additionally, this study suggests that this effect can be seen using as little as 20 grams of protein. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-protein-aging-muscles.html Health Wed, 25 May 2011 16:15:59 EST news225558943