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

News on drug-induced skin swelling

Bonn researchers identify novel risk locus in the genome for ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema

2024-01-31
(Press-News.org) Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors - ACE inhibitors for short - are effective antihypertensive drugs. They block the formation of the hormone angiotensin II, which plays a central role in the development of high blood pressure. On the other hand, these drugs increase the concentration of the vasoactive signaling substance bradykinin. Among other things, this can lead to acute swelling of the skin or mucous membranes. In general, such swellings are not life-threatening. However, if they affect the tongue, throat or larynx, angioedema can be life-threatening for the patient due to the potential risk of suffocation. Research to date suggests that susceptibility to such drug-induced angioedema is influenced by hereditary as well as lifestyle and environmental factors. "However, the understanding of the underlying biological processes, i.e. the pathophysiology, and thus the individual risk assessment is still limited. The identification of the responsible genes will provide completely new insights here," says Prof. Markus Nöthen, Director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the UKB and member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) "Life & Health" at the University of Bonn, describing the motivation to take a closer look at the occurrence of ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema.

 

Which biological processes play a role in ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema?

 

Based on data from eight European study collectives, the team from Bonn, together with cooperation partners, conducted the first GWAS with more than 1,000 patients with ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema. They identified a total of three loci in the genome that are associated with the risk of ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema. "While two of the loci have already been described in previous studies, our study was the first to demonstrate a significant association for a new locus on chromosome 20," explains corresponding author Prof. Andreas Forstner from the Institute of Human Genetics at the UKB and the University of Bonn and at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1) at the Research Center Jülich. "Through further bioinformatic analyses, we were able to identify several candidate genes at the three risk loci indicating that genetic changes in the bradykinin, coagulation and fibrinolysis signaling play a role in the development of this type of angioedema," adds first author Carina Mathey, doctoral student at the Institute of Human Genetics at the UKB and the University of Bonn.

 

The current study provides a starting point for further studies with new insights into the genetic basis and potential biological mechanisms underlying ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema. "The identification of further risk loci through a continuous expansion of the GWAS study collectives in combination with functional analyses and the evaluation of lifestyle and environmental factors will make an important contribution to the development of new approaches for prevention, diagnostics and therapy in the long term," says Prof. Bernhardt Sachs from the BfArM.

 

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Innovation on the design, construction, and experiments of OMEGA-based SSPS prototype: The Sun-Chasing Project

Innovation on the design, construction, and experiments of OMEGA-based SSPS prototype: The Sun-Chasing Project
2024-01-31
Space solar power satellite (SSPS) is a tremendous energy system that collects and converts solar power to electric power in space, and then transmits the electric power to earth, spacecraft, or moving targets via microwave. It is regarded as one of the most potential ways to solve the problem of energy crisis. In 2022, a team of researchers from Xidian University in China has completed a full-link and full-system ground demonstration and verification system for an SSPS, named the Sun-Chasing Project. Their study, recently published in Engineering, introduces the design concept of OMEGA 2.0 SSPS, the related key technologies, and the development of ground demonstration ...

SCAI publishes expert consensus statement on management of calcified coronary lesions requiring intervention

2024-01-31
WASHINGTON—Coronary artery calcification is increasing in prevalence, leading to greater risks both during procedures such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and adverse events in the short and long term. Along with these challenges, treatment options are expanding, increasingly including calcium modification prior to stent implantation. A newly published SCAI Expert Consensus Statement on the Management of Calcified Coronary Lesions outlines methods for interventional cardiologists to identify various types of calcified coronary lesions ...

Firing nerve fibers in the brain are supplied with energy on demand

Firing nerve fibers in the brain are supplied with energy on demand
2024-01-31
Brain function depends on the swift movement of electrical signals along axons, the long extensions of nerve cells that connect billions of brain cells. The nerve fibers are insulated by a fatty layer called myelin, which is produced by specialized cells called oligodendrocytes. These cells wrap around and insulate nerve fibers ensuring the rapid and efficient transmission of signals that is essential for brain function. Oligodendrocytes sense and respond to the electrical signals Now, a team of neuroscientists led by Aiman Saab at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University ...

Engineering viruses to kill deadly pathogens

Engineering viruses to kill deadly pathogens
2024-01-31
Northwestern University researchers have successfully coaxed a deadly pathogen to destroy itself from the inside out. In the new study, researchers modified DNA from a bacteriophage or “phage,” a type of virus that infects and replicates inside of bacteria. Then, the research team put the DNA inside Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a deadly bacterium that is also highly resistant to antibiotics. Once inside the bacterium, the DNA bypassed the pathogen’s defense mechanisms ...

NIH study shows higher mortality rates for patients on respiratory support in rural intermediate care units

2024-01-31
NIH study shows higher mortality rates for patients on respiratory support in rural intermediate care units Findings highlight the importance of providing ICU-level care to rural patients with respiratory failure A new National Institutes of Health-supported study finds that patients receiving ventilator life support in the intermediate care units – a potentially less costly alternative for people not sick enough for the intensive care units (ICUs) but too ill for the general ward – of rural hospitals had significantly higher death rates than patients in the same type of ...

Perspective paper explores the debate over sentient machines

2024-01-31
A researcher from the New Jersey Institute of Technology has published a perspective paper that examines sentience and its application to artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Sentience describes the ability to sense and feel, drawing its meaning from the Latin word sentire which means “to feel.” The paper addresses a set of ideological commitments at stake in debates over sentient machines. The author proposes that artificial sentience is both necessary and impossible.   The perspective paper is published in the Journal of Social Computing on December 31, 2023.   “I argue ...

New AI technique significantly boosts Medicare fraud detection

New AI technique significantly boosts Medicare fraud detection
2024-01-31
Medicare is sporadically compromised by fraudulent insurance claims. These illicit activities often go undetected, allowing full-time criminals and unscrupulous health providers to exploit weaknesses in the system. Last year, the estimated annual fraud topped $100 billion according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, but it is likely much higher. Traditionally, to detect Medicare fraud, a limited number of auditors, or investigators, are responsible for manually inspecting thousands of claims, but only have enough time to look for very specific patterns indicating suspicious behaviors. Moreover, there are not enough ...

Fungal-rich soil may improve green roofs

Fungal-rich soil may improve green roofs
2024-01-31
Green roofs have become increasingly popular thanks to their benefits related to climate adaptation, mitigation, and urban biodiversity management. These vegetated surfaces on the rooftops of buildings absorb excess storm water, reduce energy use by insulating buildings, and cool neighborhoods, tempering urban heat islands, while also creating urban habitats for plants, pollinators, and wildlife. But, in the U.S., green roofs are typically planted with non-native plants in sterile soils, and their effectiveness declines over time. A Dartmouth-led research team set out to determine ...

Autoimmune disease and pregnancy

Autoimmune disease and pregnancy
2024-01-31
SEATTLE – For many aspiring mothers with autoimmune disease, pregnancy can be daunting and full of unknowns. In some cases, those suffering from specific autoimmune conditions have chosen to forego pregnancy altogether due to concerns about their disease treatments and adverse pregnancy outcomes. In a just-published study in the journal Lancet eClinical Health, researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Providence showed nuanced pregnancy outcomes for pregnant individuals with autoimmune disease. The ...

Looking for love? Try finding purpose as well

2024-01-31
The world of online dating can be overwhelming with the dizzying array of options for attracting a partner but new research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that those looking for love may have more success if they also seek a sense of purpose in life. Researcher Isabella D’Ottone, in the lab of Patrick Hill, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, published a study about how that sense of purpose can affect how others may rate dating app profiles. Those whose profiles show a sense of purpose were rated higher on various scales for attractiveness compared ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

Adults with autism show similar brain mapping of body parts as typically developing adults

Uncovering behavioral clues to childhood maltreatment

Premenstrual symptoms linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Newly discovered remains of ancient river landscapes control ice flow in East Antarctica

Newly discovered interstellar object 'may be oldest comet ever seen'

Animal-inspired AI robot learns to navigate unfamiliar terrain

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

[Press-News.org] News on drug-induced skin swelling
Bonn researchers identify novel risk locus in the genome for ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema