JCI early table of contents for Aug. 15, 2013
2013-08-15
(Press-News.org) Biomarkers predict time to ovarian cancer recurrence
Ovarian cancer often remains undetected until it is at an advanced stage. Despite positive responses to initial treatment, many patients are at risk of tumor recurrence. A multitude of genetic markers have been implicated in ovarian cancer prognosis. However, the genetic testing required is not practical or affordable in a clinical setting. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Roel Verchaak and colleagues at the MD Anderson Cancer Center identify protein biomarkers that are predictive for time of ovarian cancer recurrence and develop a PRotein-driven index of OVARian cancer (PROVAR). Using PROVAR, the authors were able to discriminate between patients with high and low risk of cancer recurrence, as well as short-term and long-term survival prognosis. In combination with genetic diagnosis, analysis of protein biomarkers may be useful in predicting outcome and determining a treatment plan for ovarian cancer patients.
TITLE: Predicting Time to Ovarian Carcinoma Recurrence Using Protein Markers
AUTHOR CONTACT: Roel G.W. Verhaak
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 7135632293; E-mail: RVerhaak@mdanderson.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68509?key=d03afe0843e018bcf8a0
A molecule involved in development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by poor airflow due to the breakdown of lung tissue, mucus accumulation and airway dysfunction. Development of COPD is most commonly associated with smoking tobacco, however, it also occurs after acute respiratory infections such as influenza. It is unclear how prior lung disease leads to COPD. In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Michael Holtzman and colleagues at the Washington University School of Medicine report that expression of an inflammatory molecule, interleukin-33 (IL-33), is increased in the airways of both a mouse model of viral-induced COPD and humans with COPD. Increased IL-33 was associated with an increase in mucus production, and expression of other COPD-implicated genes. The authors found in their mouse model that expression of the gene encoding IL-33 was localized to a population of lungs cells that were induced in the airway after viral infection. These results lay the groundwork for potential therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing COPD after acute lung infection.
TITLE: Long-term IL-33-producing epithelial progenitor cells in chronic obstructive lung disease
AUTHOR CONTACT: Michael Holtzman
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314-362-8970; Fax: 314-362-9002; E-mail: holtzmanm@wustl.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65570?key=ae7cd696212eb8d494a6
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
TITLE: Intestinal Epithelial Vitamin D Receptor Signaling Inhibits Experimental Colitis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Yan Chun Li
The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 773-702-2477; Fax: 773-702-2281; E-mail: cyan@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65842?key=2b9d5961301e6f81b988
TITLE: Fanconi anemia signaling network regulates the spindle assembly checkpoint
AUTHOR CONTACT: D. Wade Clapp
Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: 317-278-9290; Fax: 317-274-8679; E-mail: dclapp@iupui.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67364?key=6dc2a2297a9ddb1dd3b7
TITLE: Schnurri-3 regulates ERK downstream of WNT signaling in osteoblasts
AUTHOR CONTACT: Jae-Hyuck Shim
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
Phone: 212-746-2078; Fax: 212-746-9215; E-mail: jas2060@med.cornell.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69443?key=820d4b38e367f804b885
TITLE: Differentiation and functional regulation of human fetal NK cells
AUTHOR CONTACT: Jakob Michaelsson
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, UNK, SWE
Phone: +46 763142535; E-mail: jakob.michaelsson@ki.se
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68989?key=e247bd20642c062caca9
TITLE: Anti-EGFL7 antibodies enhance stress-induced endothelial cell death and anti-VEGF efficacy
AUTHOR CONTACT: Leisa Johnson
Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone: 650-467-7381; Fax: 650-225-6412; E-mail: leisaj@gene.com
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67892?key=e94d797612ede6a94c5c
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2013-08-15
LA JOLLA, CA – August 15, 2013 – Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered the molecular mechanism by which the deadly Ebola virus assembles, providing potential new drug targets. Surprisingly, the study showed that the same molecule that assembles and releases new viruses also rearranges itself into different shapes, with each shape controlling a different step of the virus's life cycle.
"Like a 'Transformer', this protein of the Ebola virus adopts different shapes for different functions," said Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., professor in the ...
2013-08-15
Research led by scientists from the University of California, San Diego has decoded the genetic basis of chronic mountain sickness (CMS) or Monge's disease. Their study provides important information that validates the genetic basis of adaptation to high altitudes, and provides potential targets for CMS treatment. It will be published online August 15 in advance of print in the September 5 issue of American Journal of Human Genetics.
More than 140 million people have permanently settled on high-altitude regions, on continents ranging from African and Asia to South America. ...
2013-08-15
Researchers at King's College London have for the first time highlighted the natural regenerative capacity of a group of stem cells that reside in the heart. This new study shows that these cells are responsible for repairing and regenerating muscle tissue damaged by a heart attack which leads to heart failure.
The study, published today in the journal Cell, shows that if the stem cells are eliminated, the heart is unable to repair after damage. If the cardiac stem cells are replaced the heart repairs itself, leading to complete cellular, anatomical and functional heart ...
2013-08-15
Observed in the wild, tucked away in museum collections, and even exhibited in zoos around the world;there is one mysterious creature that has been a victim of mistaken identity for more than 100 years. A team of Smithsonian scientists, however, uncovered overlooked museum specimens of this remarkable animal, which took them on a journey from museum cabinets in Chicago to cloud forests in South America to genetics labs in Washington, D.C. The result: the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina);the first carnivore species to be discovered in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years. The ...
2013-08-15
Observed in the wild, tucked away in museum collections, and even exhibited in zoos around the world--there is one mysterious creature that has been a victim of mistaken identity for more than 100 years. A team of Smithsonian scientists, however, uncovered overlooked museum specimens of this remarkable animal, which took them on a journey from museum cabinets in Chicago to cloud forests in South America to genetics labs in Washington, D.C. The result: the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina)--the first carnivore species to be discovered in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years. ...
2013-08-15
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (August 15, 2013) – By studying the planarian flatworm, a master of regenerating missing tissue and repairing wounds, Whitehead Institute Member Peter Reddien and his lab have identified an unexpected source of position instruction: the muscle cells in the planarian body wall.
"I was completely surprised. We had no idea it would be muscle," says Reddien, who is also an associate professor of biology at MIT. "Finding such a cellular system for positional control in an adult regenerative animal was unanticipated and is very informative for understanding ...
2013-08-15
Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have described another link in the chain of events that connect acute viral infections to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Their discovery points to a new therapeutic target for COPD, an extremely common disease of the lower airways that is seen in chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
COPD affects about 12 million people in the United States, where it is the third leading cause of death. Worldwide, it is the fifth leading cause of death. It is characterized by inflammation ...
2013-08-15
The Hubble Sequence classifies galaxies according to their morphology and star-forming activity, organising them into a cosmic zoo of spiral, elliptical, and irregular shapes with whirling arms, fuzzy haloes and bright central bulges. Two main types of galaxy are identified in this sequence: elliptical and spiral, with a third type, lenticular, settling somewhere between the two.
This accurately describes what we see in the region of space around us, but how does galaxy morphology change as we look further back in time, to when the Universe was very young?
"This is ...
2013-08-15
All organs in our body rely on stem cells in order to maintain their function. The skin is our largest organ and forms a shield against the environment. New research results from BRIC, University of Copenhagen and Cambridge University, challenge current stem cell models and explains how the skin is maintained throughout life. The results have just been published in the recognized journal Cell Stem Cell.
New knowledge challenge stem cell models
The skin consists of many different cell types, including hair cells, fat- and sweat glands. It protects us against microbial ...
2013-08-15
PHILADELPHIA – Cancer metastasis requires tumor cells to acquire properties that allow them to escape from the primary tumor site, travel to a distant place in the body, and form secondary tumors. But first, an advance team of molecules produced by the primary tumor sets off a series of events that create a network of nurturing blood vessels for arriving primary tumor cells to set up shop.
In lung cancer, the formation of that niche likely involves immune cells and moderate levels of VEGF and other molecules that promote the formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis. ...
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[Press-News.org] JCI early table of contents for Aug. 15, 2013
