PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Adenosine therapy reduces seizures and progression of epilepsy

2013-07-25
(Press-News.org) Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures that present in many different ways. In some cases epileptic patients exhibit a progressive increase in both frequency and severity of seizures. Epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation have recently been implied as an underlying cause of several neurologic disorders, including epilepsy. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Detlev Boison and colleagues at Legacy Research show an increase of DNA methylation in the hippocampi of epileptic animals. They found that increased methyation corresponded with a decrease of adenosine (ADO), which is a known anticonvulsant. The authors used bioengineered implants to transiently deliver ADO to the brains of epileptic rats. Targeted ADO delivery to the brain reversed DNA hypermethylation and resulted in a decrease in seizures and prevented epilepsy progression. These data indicate that therapies aimed at reducing DNA methylation in the brain have potential for the treatment and prevention of epilepsy.

INFORMATION:

TITLE: Epigenetic changes induced by adenosine augmentation therapy prevent epileptogenesis

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Detlev Boison
Legacy Research, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 413-1754; Fax: (503) 413-5465; E-mail: dboison@downeurobiology.org

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65636?key=b830cd2835e7b6acdd11

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NIH study uncovers a starring role for supporting cells in the inner ear

2013-07-25
Researchers have found in mice that supporting cells in the inner ear, once thought to serve only a structural role, can actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells, the functional cells that turn vibrations into the electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound. The study in the July 25, 2013 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals the rescuing act that supporting cells and a chemical they produce called heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) appear to play in protecting damaged hair cells from death. Finding a way to jumpstart this process ...

Managing waters shared across national boundaries: Treasury of papers helps capture 20 years of lessons

2013-07-25
Contact: Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-538-8712 United Nations University Managing waters shared across national boundaries: Treasury of papers helps capture 20 years of lessons Sharing Nile's vital flow through 11 nations, water in Arab region, spread of 'world's worst weed,' changes in Atlantic fisheries, among topics in special collection of articles capturing decades of lessons in trans-boundary water management The science-based management and governance of shared transboundary water systems is the focus of a wide-ranging collection of articles now published ...

Secret of plant geometry revealed

2013-07-25
Researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered how plants set the angles of their branches. While the other principle features governing the architecture of plants such as the control of the number of branches and positioning around the main shoot are now well understood, scientists have long puzzled over how plants set and maintain the angle of their lateral branches relative to gravity. The mechanism is fundamental to understanding the shape of the plants around us: explaining how, for instance, a young Lombardy poplar sends its branches up close to the vertical ...

Bad sleep around full moon is no longer a myth

2013-07-25
Many people complain about poor sleep around full moon. Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland now report evidence that lunar cycles and human sleep behavior are in fact connected. The results have been published in the journal «Current Biology». The research group around Prof. Christian Cajochen of the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel analyzed the sleep of over 30 volunteers in two age groups in the lab. While they were sleeping, the scientists monitored their brain patterns, eye movements and measured their hormone secretions. The findings ...

Silky brain implants may help stop spread of epilepsy

2013-07-25
Silk has walked straight off the runway and into the lab. According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, silk implants placed in the brain of laboratory animals and designed to release a specific chemical, adenosine, may help stop the progression of epilepsy. The research was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), which are part of the National Institutes of Health. The epilepsies are a group of neurological disorders associated ...

Honey bee gene targeting offers system to understand food-related behavior

2013-07-25
VIDEO: This video demonstrates novel techniques of RNA interference (RNAi) which downregulate two genes simultaneously in honey bees using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) injections. It also presents a protocol of proboscis extension... Click here for more information. On July 25th JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments will publish a new technique that will help scientists better understand the genes that govern food-related behavior in honey bees. The impact of this study ...

NIH researchers discover how brain cells change their tune

2013-07-25
VIDEO: Here is a video of mitochondrial power plants (red) passing by synaptic boutons (green) as they move through a nerve cell axon. The Sheng lab showed that their movement helps... Click here for more information. Brain cells talk to each other in a variety of tones. Sometimes they speak loudly but other times struggle to be heard. For many years scientists have asked why and how brain cells change tones so frequently. Today National Institutes of Health researchers ...

Study shows supplement with omega fatty acids promising for 30 million dry eye sufferers

2013-07-25
HOUSTON, TX.—July 25, 2013—Study* findings published online, ahead of print, in Cornea show that daily dietary supplementation with a unique combination of omega fatty acids (GLA, EPA and DHA) for six months is effective in improving ocular irritation symptoms and halting the progression of inflammation that characterizes moderate to severe dry eye. The multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted at Baylor College of Medicine and Virginia Eye Consultants evaluated 38 post-menopausal women with tear dysfunction in both eyes. Participants ...

Deciphering the air-sea communication

2013-07-25
25 July 2013 / Kiel / Moscow. Why does hurricane activity vary from decade to decade? Or rainfall in the Sahel region? And why are the trans-Atlantic changes frequently in sync? A German-Russian research team has investigated the role of heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere in long-term climate variability in the Atlantic. The scientists analyzed meteorological measurements and sea surface temperatures over the past 130 years. It was found that the ocean significantly affects long term climate fluctuations, while the seemingly chaotic atmosphere is mainly responsible ...

What if quantum physics worked on a macroscopic level?

2013-07-25
Quantum physics concerns a world of infinitely small things. But for years, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have been attempting to observe the properties of quantum physics on a larger scale, even macroscopic. In January 2011, they managed to entangle crystals, therefore surpassing the atomic dimension. Now, Professor Nicolas Gisin's team has successfully entangled two optic fibers, populated by 500 photons. Unlike previous experiments which were carried out with the fiber optics of one photon, this new feat (which has been published in ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reevaluating nonoperative management for pediatric uncomplicated acute appendicitis

Metabolically active visceral fat linked to aggressive endometrial cancer, new study reveals

Scientists glimpse how enzymes “dance” while they work, and why that’s important

California partnership aided COVID-19 response and health equity, report finds

University of Oklahoma secures $19.9 million for revolutionary radar technology

Study finds restoring order to dividing cancer cells may prevent metastasis

High-accuracy tumor detection with label-free microscopy and neural networks

Wayne State research reveals fetuses exposed to Zika virus have long-term immune challenges

Researchers deconstruct chikungunya outbreaks to improve prediction and vaccine development

Study finds one-year change on CT scans linked to future outcomes in fibrotic lung disease

Discovery of a novel intracellular trafficking pathway in plant cells

New tool helps forecast volcano slope collapses and tsunamis

Molecular coating cleans up noisy quantum light

From Parkinson's to rare diseases, discovered a key switch for cellular health

Tiny sugars in the brain disrupt emotional circuits, fueling depression

Mini-organs reveal how the cervix defends itself

Africa, climate, and food: How to feed a continent without increasing its carbon footprint

Researchers demonstrates substrate design principles for scalable superconducting quantum materials

How better software choices could cut US health care costs

Concussion history in NCAA athletes yields mixed health outcomes

Counting plastic reveals hidden waste and sparks action

Warming oceans may pose a serious threat to American lobsters

Deaths from drug-induced unintentional injury rise across the US

In car crashes with pedestrians, age and zip code may predict extent of traumatic injuries

AI optimizes evacuation, diagnosis, and treatment of wounded soldiers in Ukraine

Mastectomy linked to worsened sexual health, body image after surgery

Drop in credit score after cancer diagnosis linked to increased mortality, study shows

Use of weight loss drugs before bariatric surgery has soared in recent years, study finds

EMS call times in rural areas take at least 20 minutes longer than national average

Rectal bleeding in young adults linked to 8.5 times higher risk of colorectal cancer

[Press-News.org] Adenosine therapy reduces seizures and progression of epilepsy