http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns this premise on its head. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-contradict-dominant-theory-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:01:54 EST news239025687 The outer layer of the skin, called the epidermis, forms a critical physical and immunological wall that serves as the body's first line of defense against potentially harmful microorganisms. Most of the epidermis consists of cells called keratinocytes that build a mechanical barrier but also perform immune functions. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the October issue of the journal Immunity provides evidence that stopping of a type of regulated cell death called "necroptosis" in keratinocytes is critical for the prevention of skin inflammation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-cell-death-skin-inflammation.html Medical research Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:14:31 EST news237730462 (Medical Xpress) -- An international team of scientists, including researchers from Karolinska Institutet, have identified several rare gene variants that predispose to IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). The study provides new insights into disease pathogenesis, and suggests next-generation sequencing may speed hoped-for personalized treatment of common complex disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-rare-gene-variants-linked-inflammatory.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:26:51 EST news237461097 In a paper published in the October 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, a team of researchers at Columbia University Medical Center led by Stephen Tsang, MD, Ph.D have achieved temporary functional preservation of photoreceptors in a mouse model for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) using novel bipartite gene therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cell-specific-mechanism-based-gene-therapy-approach.html Medical research Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:48:17 EST news236616485 Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a new drug target that may treat and/or prevent heart failure. The team evaluated failing human and pig hearts and discovered that SUMO1, a so-called "chaperone" protein that regulates the activity of key transporter genes, was decreased in failing hearts. When the researchers injected SUMO1 into these hearts via gene therapy, cardiac function was significantly improved. This research indicates that SUMO1 may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. The data are published online in Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-heart-failure.html Cardiology Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:00:10 EST news234618984 Recently, interest in the fat around the heart -so called pericardial fat- is rapidly growing. Even a thin person can have pericardial fat. Several studies suggest that pericardial fat induces inflammation of the artery wall by secretion of pro-inflammatory proteins and plays a role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. However, there is no information regarding the impact of pericardial fat on coronary arterial remodeling and plaque vulnerability- related with acute coronary syndrome. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-fat-heart-boosts-heart-attack.html Cardiology Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:50:12 EST news233837387 High blood pressure could be caused by a common virus, according to a study carried out by a team of Chinese doctors which could lead to better treatment for millions of people around the world. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-virus-high-blood-pressure-chinese.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:50:31 EST news232602618 Are you genetically predisposed to tuberculosis? Scientists may now be able to answer this question and doctors may be able to adjust their therapeutic approach based on what they learn. That's because new research presented in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that two frequent mutations in an immune system gene called TLR1 are responsible for cellular changes that ultimately make us less likely to resist the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-discovery-customized-tuberculosis-therapies-based.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:50:23 EST news231416433 The Lancet, a leading global medical journal, published an editorial comment today that emphasizes the critical role of expanding access to HIV treatment under a "Treatment as Prevention" strategy to stop the HIV pandemic. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-treatment-hiv-aids.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:40:01 EST news229874977 Parkinson disease (PD) is a devastating incurable disease in which degeneration of dopamine neurons in the brainstem leads to tremors and problems with movement and coordination. An increasing proportion of patients appear to be genetically predisposed to disease. Now, two independent research groups have identified a mutation associated with an inherited form of PD. The papers, published by Cell Press in the July 9 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, provide new insight into the pathogenesis of late-onset PD and present compelling evidence that implicates a novel protein-recycling pathway in neurodegeneration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-mutation-protein-sorting-gene-linked-parkinson.html Genetics Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:44:14 EST news229868305 After more than 100 years following its pathologic description, the cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unknown. To test the validity of present and future proposals related to the probable cause of AD, three postulates, or necessary conditions, are recommended by Jack de la Torre, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, in an article published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-postulates-alzheimer-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:46:37 EST news227781980 (Medical Xpress) -- Yale University researchers have identified four unique host defense proteins among thousands that seem to play a crucial role in mobilizing the immune system's response to bacterial infections, they report in the May 6 issue of the journal Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-key-weapons-immune-arsenal.html Medical research Fri, 06 May 2011 08:10:01 EST news223887891 Almost 3.3 billion people, half of the world's population, risk being infected with malaria. Despite having effective means against malaria, the WHO reports 250 million cases of malaria each year and more than 700,000 related deaths. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have now discovered that EPO, the doping drug known from professional cycling, can significantly reduce cerebral malaria related deaths. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-epo-doping-combat-cerebral-malaria.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:21:14 EST news222600064