(Press-News.org) Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a complication of sickle cell disease that is characterized by sudden pain and difficulty breathing. Sickle cell disease can also cause red blood cells to suddenly breakdown and release their contents, which may trigger the onset of ACS. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Solomon Fiifi Ofori-Acquah and colleagues at Emory University asked if hemin, a product released by red blood cells during lysis, triggers ACS in a mouse model of sickle cell disease. They found that hemin injection caused labored breathing, acute lung injury and rapid death in sickle mice, but not in control mice. They determined that hemin acts through the immune receptor TLR4, since blocking or deleting this receptor prevented symptoms of hemin injection in sickle mice. Hemopexin, a protein that sequesters hemin was an effective treatment against hemin-induced lung injury both before and after symptom onset. These data suggest that therapies aimed at targeting hemin and/or blocking TLR4 signaling may be valuable approaches for treatment or prevention of acute chest syndrome.###
TITLE:
Extracellular hemin crisis triggers acute chest syndrome in sickle mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Solomon Ofori-Acquah
Emory Univeristy School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone: 4047272293; Fax: ; E-mail: soforia@emory.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64578?key=3765dd65ee3f475d9df3 END
Hemin and sickle cell disease-associated acute chest syndrome development
2013-10-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
A link between type 2 diabetes and mitochondrial function
2013-10-01
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that is characterized by resistance to or insufficient production of insulin, a hormone that controls sugar movement into cells. In certain tissues, insulin resistance has been associated with dysfunction of mitochondria, which supply most of the cell's chemical energy. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, C. Ronald Kahn and colleagues at Harvard Medical School evaluated mitochondrial involvement in insulin resistance. They found that heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), which is involved in mitochondrial protein import ...
Scientists who share data publicly receive more citations
2013-10-01
A new study finds that papers with data shared in public gene expression archives received increased numbers of citations for at least five years. The large size of the study allowed the researchers to exclude confounding factors that have plagued prior studies of the effect and to spot a trend of increasing dataset reuse over time. The findings will be important in persuading scientists that they can benefit directly from publicly sharing their data.
The study, which adds to growing evidence for an open data citation benefit across different scientific fields, is entitled ...
Report: Breast cancer incidence rates converging among white and African-American women
2013-10-01
ATLANTA -- Breast cancer incidence rates increased slightly among African American women from 2006 to 2010, bringing those rates closer to the historically higher rates among white women, according to a new analysis by American Cancer Society researchers. The explanation behind the rise is unclear.
The finding is published in Breast Cancer Statistics, 2013 published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The report and its consumer version, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2013-2014, are published biennially and provide ...
Statin medications may prevent dementia and memory loss with longer use
2013-10-01
A review of dozens of studies on the use of statin medications to prevent heart attacks shows that the commonly prescribed drugs pose no threat to short-term memory, and that they may even protect against dementia when taken for more than one year. The Johns Hopkins researchers who conducted the systematic review say the results should offer more clarity and reassurance to patients and the doctors who prescribe the statin medications.
The question of whether statins can cause cognition problems has become a hot topic among cardiologists and their patients following changes ...
Blood-pressure drug may help improve cancer treatment
2013-10-01
Use of existing, well-established hypertension drugs could improve the outcome of cancer chemotherapy by opening up collapsed blood vessels in solid tumors. In their report in the online journal Nature Communications, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describe how the angiotensin inhibitor losartan improved the delivery of chemotherapy drugs and oxygen throughout tumors by increasing blood flow in mouse models of breast and pancreatic cancer. A clinical trial based on the findings of this study is now underway.
"Angiotensin inhibitors are safe blood ...
Caribou may be indirectly affected by sea-ice loss in the Arctic
2013-10-01
Melting sea ice in the Arctic may be leading, indirectly, to fewer caribou calf births and higher calf mortality in Greenland, according to scientists at Penn State University. Eric Post, a Penn State University professor of biology, and Jeffrey Kerby, a Penn State graduate student, have linked the melting of Arctic sea ice with changes in the timing of plant growth on land, which in turn is associated with lower production of calves by caribou in the area. The results of the study will be published in the journal Nature Communications on 1 October 2013. Five photos of ...
Despite growth reports, Africa mired in poverty
2013-10-01
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Despite continued reports of economic growth in Africa, much of the continent remains wracked by poverty, with roughly one in five citizens saying they frequently lack food, clean water and medical care, according to the largest survey of African citizens.
This suggests the growth is not trickling down to the poorest citizens or that actual growth rates are inflated, said Carolyn Logan, assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University and deputy director of the survey, called the Afrobarometer.
"The survey results show there ...
The phytonutrients in oats and their role in human health: A review of the evidence
2013-10-01
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, October 1, 2013 – Oats may deserve the well-earned status of "super grain", according to research presented at the American Association of Cereal Chemists International annual meeting, being held this week in Albuquerque, NM. World-renowned grain researchers presented compelling data to support the important role that oats can play in improving diet quality and supporting human health.
As a part of the Quaker Oats Center of Excellence's aim to elevate the relevance and benefits of oats through science, agriculture and innovation, YiFang Chu, ...
Vandetanib: IQWiG assessed data subsequently submitted by the manufacturer
2013-10-01
Vandetanib (trade name: Caprelsa) has been approved in Germany since February 2012 for the treatment of adult patients who have a particular form of aggressive thyroid cancer. On the inclusion of additional study data subsequently provided by the drug manufacturer in the commenting procedure, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) came to a different conclusion in an addendum: According to the findings, there is a hint of a minor added benefit in people aged under 65 years, but a hint of greater harm (lesser benefit) in older patients in ...
Fertility problems? Joining the 'breakfast club' can help
2013-10-01
Jerusalem, Oct. 1, 2013 -- A new study by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University reveals that eating a good breakfast can have a positive impact on women with problems of infertility.
In recent years, nutritional research has found that our weight is affected not only by the level of calorie intake, but also by the question of when to consume large amounts of calories.
Now, research, conducted by Prof. Oren Froy, director of the Nutrigenomics and Functional Foods Research Center at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food ...