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

Malaria drug combo could help prevent pregnancy complications in lupus patients

2014-01-23
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
Malaria drug combo could help prevent pregnancy complications in lupus patients An anti-malaria drug combination might be useful in helping to prevent pregnancy complications in women with lupus and the related disorder antiphospholipid syndrome, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found in a new study published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology.

Circulating antibodies called antiphospholipid antibodies are normally produced by the body to recognize and attack bacteria and other microbe. In those with lupus and/or antiphospholipid syndrome, however, these antibodies recognize and attack the body's own proteins, putting women at high risk for recurrent pregnancy loss and late gestational complications, such as preeclampsia.

Patients with lupus or antiphospholipid syndrome are often treated with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. While the drug can be safely continued during pregnancy, it was unknown whether it might be beneficial in preventing pregnancy complications in women with lupus and/or antiphospholipid syndrome.

In this new study, senior author Vikki M. Abrahams, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale, and first author and Yale medical student Caroline Albert explored whether the drug could treat obstetrical antiphospholipid syndrome.

Abrahams and Albert used a lab-based system to measure the detrimental effects of antiphospholipid antibodies on human placental trophoblast cell function.

"We found that hydroxychloroquine partially reversed some, but not all, of the detrimental effects of antiphospholipid antibodies on human placental cell function," said Abrahams. "So perhaps some form of combination therapy that includes hydroxychloroquine may be beneficial to pregnant patients with lupus and/or antiphospholipid syndrome."

INFORMATION:

Other authors on the study include William J. Schlesinger, Chez A. Viall, Melissa J. Mulla, Jan J. Brosens, and Lawrence W. Chamley.

The study was funded by grants from the Lupus Foundation of America and the March of Dimes. Caroline Albert was supported by the 2012 Lupus Foundation of America Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship.

Citation: American Journal of Reproductive Immunology (Jan. 2014)

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scripps Florida scientists offer new insight into neuron changes brought about by aging

2014-01-23
JUPITER, FL, January 22, 2013 – How aging affects communication between neurons is not well understood, a gap that makes it more difficult to treat a range of disorders, ...

Image or reality? Leaf research needs photos and lab analysis

2014-01-23
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Every picture tells a story, but the story digital photos tell about how forests respond to climate change could be incomplete, according to new research. Scientists ...

Study finds paid search ads don't always pay off

2014-01-23
Watch Prof. Tadelis talk about his research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rneZwbvvmcg&feature=youtu.be UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY'S HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS - Businesses ...

World's dangerous neighborhoods produce aggressive children

2014-01-23
World's dangerous neighborhoods produce aggressive children DURHAM, N.C. -- Children around the world who grow up in dangerous neighborhoods exhibit more aggressive behavior, says a new Duke University-led study that is the first to examine the topic across a wide range ...

New drug shows promise in treating indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas

2014-01-23
New drug shows promise in treating indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas Idelalisib could be on the market later this year, pending FDA approval SEATTLE – Slow-growing, or indolent, non-Hodgkin lymphomas are difficult to treat, with most patients relapsing ...

Athletes' performance declines following contract years, MU researchers show

2014-01-23
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Professional athletes in the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball can reap very large financial rewards, especially if their performance peaks during their "contract year," or the last season before an athlete signs a new contract or becomes a free agent.

Nighttime smartphone use zaps workers' energy

2014-01-23
Nighttime smartphone use zaps workers' energy EAST LANSING, Mich. — Using a smartphone to cram in more work at night results in less work the next day, indicates new research co-authored by a Michigan State University business scholar. In a pair of studies surveying ...

Study shows 1 in 5 women with ovarian cancer has inherited predisposition

2014-01-23
Study shows 1 in 5 women with ovarian cancer has inherited predisposition A new study conservatively estimates that one in five women with ovarian cancer has inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of the disease, according to ...

Study says sharks/rays globally overfished

2014-01-23
Study says sharks/rays globally overfished One quarter of the world's cartilaginous fish, namely sharks and rays, face extinction within the next few decades, according to the first study to systematically and globally assess their fate. The International ...

Increase in hemlock forest offsetting effect of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid for now

2014-01-23
Increase in hemlock forest offsetting effect of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid for now NEWTOWN SQUARE, Penn., Jan. 22, 2014 – Despite the accumulating destruction of a non-native invasive insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid, hemlock ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New drug-eluting balloon may be as safe and effective as conventional metal stents for repeat percutaneous coronary interventions

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of automated external defibrillators in private homes

University of Phoenix College of Social and Behavioral Sciences leadership publishes white paper on trauma-informed education

Microbial iron mining: turning polluted soils into self-cleaning reactors

Molecular snapshots reveal how the body knows it’s too hot

Analysis finds alarming rise in severe diverticulitis among younger Americans

Mitochondria and lysosomes reprogram immune cells that dampen inflammation

Cockroach infestation linked to home allergen, endotoxin levels

New biochar-powered microbial systems offer sustainable solution for toxic pollutants

Identifying the best high-biomass sorghum hybrids based on biomass yield potential and feedstock quality affected by nitrogen fertility management under various environments

How HIV’s shape-shifting protein reveals clues for smarter drug design

Study identifies viral combinations that heighten risk of severe respiratory illnesses in infants

Aboveground rather than belowground productivity drives variability in miscanthus × giganteus net primary productivity

Making yeast more efficient 'cell factories' for producing valuable plant compounds

Aging in plain sight: What new research says the eyes reveal about aging and cardiovascular risk

Child welfare system involvement may improve diagnosis of developmental delays

Heavier electric trucks could strain New York City’s roads and bridges, study warns

From womb to world: scientists reveal how maternal stress programs infant development

Bezos Earth Fund grants $2M to UC Davis and American Heart Association to advance AI-designed foods

Data Protection is transforming humanitarian action in the digital age, new book shows

AI unlocks the microscopic world to transform future manufacturing

Virtual reality helps people understand and care about distant communities

Optica Publishing Group announces subscribe to open pilot for the Journal of the Optical Society of America B (JOSA B)

UNF partners with Korey Stringer Institute and Perry Weather to open heat exercise laboratory on campus

DNA from Napoleon’s 1812 army identifies the pathogens likely responsible for the army’s demise during their retreat from Russia

Study suggests two unsuspected pathogens struck Napoleon's army during the retreat from Russia in 1812

The 25-year incidence and progression of hearing loss in the Framingham offspring study

AI-driven nanomedicine breakthrough paves way for personalized breast cancer therapy

Fight or flight—and grow a new limb

Augmenting electroencephalogram transformer for steady-state visually evoked potential-based brain–computer interfaces

[Press-News.org] Malaria drug combo could help prevent pregnancy complications in lupus patients