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

New blood marker can identify Parkinsonian diseases

2023-09-19
(Press-News.org)

Researchers at Lund University are publishing their findings in the prestigious journal Nature Aging.

The marker in question is called DOPA decarboxylase (DCC). In the current study, DCC was found to be elevated in individuals with Parkinson's disease as well as in people with other diseases that result in dopamine deficiency in the brain. However, the marker was normal in other brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The researchers even noticed that DCC was elevated in individuals with Parkinson's many years before they developed any symptoms.

”We have used advanced techniques that allow us to measure thousands of proteins simultaneously in a small amount of sample. We conducted this in 428 individuals to identify biomarkers that can indicate whether a patient with motor disturbances or cognitive difficulties has damage to the dopamine system in the brain. We found that if a patient has a disorder in the dopamine system, the levels of the biomarker DDC increase, regardless of where they are in the course of the disease. An important discovery is that this biomarker can be measured in blood, where it is significantly increased, especially in Parkinson's disease," says Oskar Hansson, a professor of neurology at Lund University and a consultant at Skåne University Hospital.

The researchers' findings were verified in an additional group of 152 individuals. Furthermore, they demonstrated that the new biomarker is also significantly increased in blood by analyzing blood plasma samples from 174 individuals. Damage to the dopamine system in the brain can also be detected through PET camera examinations. However, this is a very costly and complicated method that is only available at specialized memory clinics.

”Since the symptoms of various neurodegenerative brain diseases resemble each other, there is a significant risk of misdiagnosis and thus improper treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to find safer diagnostic tools and methods, and we are focusing on that in our research. Moreover, I believe that in the future, different brain diseases will be treated even before the symptoms become apparent, and blood markers will be essential in identifying the right individuals in a simple and cost-effective manner."

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

MSU researchers receive 12 million- grant for drone biometric recognition system

2023-09-19
Images EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University researchers received a $12 million, four-year federal grant from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, or IARPA, under its Biometric Recognition and Identification at Altitude and Range, or BRIAR, program. The IARPA BRIAR program is a 48-month effort to deliver end-to-end software systems capable of detecting individuals at severe imaging conditions, extracting biometric signatures from the whole-body (such as an individual’s gait and/or body shape) and face, and fusing biometric information for robust multi-modal matching. The MSU project ...

Weight loss? ‘Nuting’ to worry about with almonds

Weight loss? ‘Nuting’ to worry about with almonds
2023-09-19
When it comes to weight loss, nuts can get a bad rap – while they’re high in protein, they’re also high in fats, and this often deters those looking to shed a few kilos. But new research from the University of South Australia shows that you can eat almonds and lose weight too.   In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that including almonds in an energy restricted diet not only helped people to lose weight, but also improved their cardiometabolic health.   Examining the effects of energy restricted diets supplemented with Californian almonds or with carbohydrate- rich snacks, researchers found that both diets ...

Patients visiting emergency departments because of alcohol abuse are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following decades

Patients visiting emergency departments because of alcohol abuse are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following decades
2023-09-19
Barcelona, Spain: People who come to emergency departments with alcohol-related diseases or conditions are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following 20 years, than people who come to emergency departments for other reasons, according to new research. For many, this means they may die in their 40s or 50s.   Professor Drew Richardson told the European Emergency Medicine Congress that he and his colleagues had followed 194 patients who had alcohol-related diagnoses when they arrived in the emergency department of The Canberra Hospital ...

Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering participates in AI briefing at the UN

2023-09-18
PITTSBURGH—Today, William Sanders, dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, participated in a briefing at the United Nations. He was joined by Carnegie Mellon University Africa student Choukouriyah Arinloye. The event, “Artificial Intelligence for Accelerating Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: Addressing Society’s Greatest Challenges,” was held as part of the 78th United Nations General Assembly and was hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The event ...

Sylvester study shows that new protocols enable many patients to safely return home just one day after lung cancer surgery

Sylvester study shows that new protocols enable many patients to safely return home just one day after lung cancer surgery
2023-09-18
MIAMI, FLORIDA (Sept. 18, 2023) – Thoracic surgeons and researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine found that increasing numbers of patients undergoing cancer-removal lung surgery by “anatomic lung resections” – lobectomies or segmentectomies – are able to go home safely and without complications one day after the operation, thanks to growing rates of robot-assisted surgeries and improvements in patient-centered care protocols. However, the research team found, patients of lower socioeconomic status were considerably ...

Canopy gaps help eastern hemlock outlast invasive insect

2023-09-18
A new study finds that creating physical gaps in the forest canopy give eastern hemlocks more access to resources and help those trees withstand infestation by an invasive insect. The approach adds another tool to the toolkit that foresters can use to protect these trees. Eastern hemlocks are an ecologically important tree species found from eastern Canada to the Great Lakes states and south along the entire Appalachian mountain range. The hemlock woolly adelgid – an invasive insect that was introduced to North America 70 years ago and has spread along the East Coast – can kill a hemlock tree in as little as four years. “An ...

Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, policies contributed to decline in preventive healthcare visits among children of immigrants 

2023-09-18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, September 18, 2023                           Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## Trump's Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Policies Contributed to Decline in Preventive Healthcare Visits among Children of Immigrants  A new study shows that well-child visits for children with immigrant mothers ...

Samsung Austin Semiconductor invests $1M in UIUC to bolster semiconductor ecosystem in the US

2023-09-18
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois/Austin, Texas—[Sept. 18]—Samsung Austin Semiconductor is partnering with The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to continue building the talent pipeline needed to support the growing semiconductor ecosystem throughout the United States. Samsung Austin Semiconductor is announcing a $1 million contribution per year to Grainger Engineering as part of its 5-star workforce development plan to provide support to engineering students who are interested ...

UT Dallas to lead $30 million battery initiative

UT Dallas to lead $30 million battery initiative
2023-09-18
As announced by the Department of Defense today, The University of Texas at Dallas will receive $30 million over three years from the DOD to develop and commercialize new battery technologies and manufacturing processes, enhance the domestic availability of critical raw materials, and train high-quality workers for jobs in an expanding battery energy storage workforce. The award, which creates a prototype Energy Storage Systems Campus, is the largest allocation from a federal agency that the University has received to date. The Energy Storage Systems Campus will leverage and stimulate over $200 million in private capital. Dr. Kyeongjae ...

ACP issues updated Rapid, Living Practice Points on treating COVID-19 patients in outpatient settings

2023-09-18
Below please find a summary of a new article that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summary is not intended to substitute for the full article as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. ---------------------------- ACP issues updated Rapid, Living Practice Points on treating COVID-19 patients in outpatient settings Article: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-1636  Evidence ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

DGIST restores the performance of quantum dot solar cells as if “flattening crumpled paper!”

Hoarding disorder: ‘sensory CBT’ treatment strategy shows promise

Water fluoridation less effective now than in past

Toddlers get nearly half their calories from ultra-processed foods

Detroit researchers to examine links between bacterial infections, environmental pollution and preterm birth

In lab tests, dietary zinc inhibits AMR gene transmission

Two UMD Astronomy space probes advance to next round of $1 billion NASA mission selection

New MSU research sheds light on impact and bias of voter purging in Michigan

Funding to create world's first ovarian cancer prevention vaccine

Scientists develop novel method for strengthening PVC products

Houston Methodist part of national consortium to develop vaccine against herpesviruses

UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry earns first NIH grant under new center for pain therapeutics and addiction research

Do MPH programs prepare graduates for employment in today's market? Mostly yes, but who is hiring may be surprising

New article provides orientation to using implementation science in policing

Three beer-related discoveries to celebrate Oktoberfest

AAAS launches user research project to inform the new AAAS.org

In odd galaxy, NASA's Webb finds potential missing link to first stars

Adding beans and pulses can lead to improved shortfall nutrient intakes and a higher diet quality in American adults

What happens in the brain when a person with schizophrenia “hears voices”?

Ant agriculture began 66 million years ago in the aftermath of the asteroid that doomed the dinosaurs

A new era of solar observation

The true global impact of species-loss caused by humans is far greater than expected – new study reveals

Smartphone-assisted “scavenger hunt” identifies people at risk for dementia

Green subsidies may have hidden costs, experts warn

Small brains can accomplish big things, according to new theoretical research

UTA professor honored for science education leadership

Decline of mpox antibody responses after modified vaccinia Ankara–Bavarian Nordic vaccination

Wider use of convalescent plasma might have saved thousands more lives during pandemic

Strong coupling between Andreev qubits mediated by a microwave resonator

UNF biological sciences professor receives NIH grant to study muscle atrophy

[Press-News.org] New blood marker can identify Parkinsonian diseases