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

Breakthrough model holds promise for treating Graves' disease

Animal model first to simulate eye complications of thyroid disorder

2013-09-03
(Press-News.org) Chevy Chase, MD—Researchers have developed the first animal model simulating the eye complications associated with the thyroid condition Graves' disease, a breakthrough that could pave the way for better treatments, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to produce antibodies that attack the thyroid gland. The condition causes the thyroid gland to become overactive and produce too much thyroid hormone. If left untreated, it can lead to heart failure or osteoporosis.

Graves' disease is most common in women. About 1 percent of Caucasian women have autoimmune thyroid disease where the thyroid is either over- or underactive. Among those who have Graves' disease, more than half develop eye complications, according to the study's lead author, J. Paul Banga, PhD, of King's College London School of Medicine in the United Kingdom. These complications include Graves' orbitopathy, where swelling of tissue behind the eyes causes them to bulge outward. The condition can cause pain and lead to blindness.

"Current treatment options for eye complications associated with Graves' disease are limited," Banga said. "Better treatments are needed for Graves' orbitopathy to reduce the risks of permanent disfigurement and social stigma. Having an animal model to test preventative treatments could lead to important advances that will ultimately benefit people with Graves' disease."

The condition is currently treated with steroids, which can cause undesirable side effects such as weight gain and osteoporosis.

Although researchers have developed animal models of Graves' disease in the past, these models were challenging to replicate and none were able to simulate the eye problems seen in people with Graves' disease.

To develop the new model, researchers injected mice with small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules called plasmids. Over the course of three months, scientists used electronic pulses to ensure the DNA molecules were absorbed into the cells of each mouse. Mice that underwent this procedure developed eye problems like those seen in human patients who have Graves' disease, while the control group of mice did not develop these complications.

"The new animal model opens the door for scientists to conduct needed mechanistic studies and identify preventative therapies to minimize this painful and debilitating condition," Banga said.

### Other researchers working on the study include: S. Moshkelgosha of King's College London School of Medicine; P-W. So and N. Deasy of King's College London; and S. Diaz-Cano of King's College Hospital NHS Trust in London.

The article, "Retrobulbar Inflammation, Adipogenesis and Acute Orbital Congestion in a Preclinical Female Mouse Model of Graves' Orbitopathy Induced by Thyrotropin Receptor Plasmid-in Vivo Electroporation," will be published in the September issue of Endocrinology.

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 16,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EndoMedia.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Tissue loss triggers regeneration in planarian flatworms

2013-09-03
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (September 3, 2013) – Unlike humans, planarian flatworms have the remarkable ability to regrow any missing body part, making them an ideal model with which to study the molecular basis of regeneration. Over the years scientists have learned that planarians mount recovery responses that differ depending on the severity of the injury they suffer. For example, a worm with a cut or a puncture wound reacts at the cellular and molecular levels quite differently from one that loses its head or tail. What has remained unclear, however, is just exactly how these ...

French Tour de France cyclists live longer than their non-cyclist countrymen

2013-09-03
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – French participants in the Tour de France between 1947-2012 lived longer than their same-age French counterparts according to the results of a study marking the centenary of the race this year. "In the context of recent concerns regarding performance-enhancing techniques and the potential negative health effects of excessive high-level physical activity, data on the long-term outcomes and causes of death in elite endurance cyclists is of particular interest," said Xavier Jouven, MD, PhD, from the Sudden Death Expertise Center in Paris, France. "Although ...

Biomarker assessment in suspected ACS could be practice-changing: BIC-8 results

2013-09-03
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – An emergency department strategy that uses two biomarkers to triage patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can increase the rate of early, safe hospital discharge, according to results of the Biomarkers in Cardiology 8 (BIC-8) trial. "This biomarker strategy using a state-of-the-art quantitative troponin assay in combination with an ultrasensitive copeptin assay has the potential to change clinical practice with high patient safety," said lead investigator Martin Möckel, MD, PhD, from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in ...

Despite missing primary efficacy endpoint, ATOMIC-AHF identifies positive trends

2013-09-03
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – Omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac myosin-activator, did not achieve its primary efficacy endpoint in reducing dyspnoea (shortness of breath) in patients with acute heart failure, according to the results of the phase II ATOMIC-AHF (Acute Treatment with Omecamtiv Mecarbil to Increase Contractility in Acute Heart Failure) study. However, a cohort which received the highest dose of the drug showed greater dyspnoea relief compared with placebo, and there were also other favourable dose and concentration-related trends, noted lead investigator John ...

Hot Line IV: Late-breaking trials on heart failure and acute coronary syndrome

2013-09-03
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – The blood pressure lowering drug aliskiren did not improve coronary artery disease when given to patients who had prehypertension, results of the Aliskiren Quantitative Atherosclerosis Regression Intravascular Ultrasound Study (AQUARIUS) reveal. The findings, reported at the European Society of Cardiology Congress with simultaneous publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association, offer new insight into the value of lowering blood pressure beyond prehypertensive goals, suggested lead investigator Stephen Nicholls MBBS, PhD, Deputy ...

TAVI is safe alternative to redo cardiac surgery

2013-09-02
Use of bioprosthetic heart valves has dramatically increased (from 18% in 1991 to 59% in 2003), mainly in older patients with comorbidities. This is due to the increased risk of bleeding complications associated with lifelong use of anticoagulation for mechanical prostheses. But structural valve deterioration is one the main complications associated with bioprosthetic heart valves. In large registries including more than 300 000 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement the reoperation rate for patients receiving a bioprosthesis was 3.1% at 11-13 years of follow-up ...

Women less likely to die after TAVI than men

2013-09-02
Dr Sherif said: "Earlier studies on the impact of gender on outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have had conflicting results. A Canadian study reported in 641 consecutive patients that female sex is associated with a better long-term and short-term survival after TAVI.1 An Italian study of 305 high risk patients found no gender differences in composite safety and efficacy endpoints at 30 days and one year after TAVI."2 The current analysis examined gender differences in outcomes for 1432 consecutive patients from 27 centers who were enrolled in ...

TAVI feasible in bicuspid aortic valve

2013-09-02
Bicuspid aortic valve (BV) is the most common congenital valvular abnormality, occurring in 1-2% of the general population. Two of the aortic valvular leaflets fuse during development resulting in a valve that is bicuspid instead of the normal tricuspid configuration. BV is associated with increased mechanical stress which predisposes to calcification and development of aortic stenosis which narrows the opening of the aortic valve. Dr Bauer said: "TAVI is used to treat elderly high risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Despite previous assumptions the frequency of ...

Health of older women in developed countries continues to improve

2013-09-02
Measures taken in developed countries to reduce noncommunicable diseases – the leading causes of death globally – have improved the life expectancy of women aged 50 years and older over the last 20 to 30 years. But, according to a study that will be published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization on 2 September, the gap in life expectancy between such women in rich and poor countries is growing. The WHO study, one of a collection of articles in a special issue of the journal devoted to women's health beyond reproduction, found that the leading causes of death ...

Stomach bacteria switch off human immune defences to cause disease

2013-09-02
Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that establishes a life-long stomach infection in humans, which in some cases can lead to duodenal ulcers or stomach cancer. New research, presented at this week's Society for General Microbiology Autumn Conference, gives us a clearer understanding of how these bacteria can manipulate the human immune system to survive in the mucosal lining of the stomach. Researchers from the University of Nottingham have shown that H. pylori is able to supress the body's normal production of 'human beta defensin 1' (hβD1), an antimicrobial factor ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Breakthrough model holds promise for treating Graves' disease
Animal model first to simulate eye complications of thyroid disorder