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

Gene that regulates immune system linked to preeclampsia

2011-02-15
(Press-News.org) Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that the placentas of women who suffer preeclampsia during pregnancy have an overabundance of a gene associated with the regulation of the body's immune system. Their discovery may lead to improved screening and prenatal care for these patients and their babies.

Preeclampsia occurs in up to 10 percent of all pregnancies, and is responsible for about 15 percent of pre-term births. The disorder is usually marked by a rapid rise in blood pressure that can lead to stroke, seizures or organ failures in the mother. Researchers have recently begun looking at preeclampsia as an autoimmune disorder, in which the mother's body treats the placenta like an invader, but they weren't sure of the genetic mechanisms involved.

Dr. Jorge Piedrahita, professor of genomics, along with colleagues from NC State and the Duke University School of Medicine, examined the genetic makeup of placentas from women with preeclampsia and compared the results to those from normal pregnancies. Their results are published in the February issue of the journal Placenta.

"When we looked at the preeclampsic placentas, we found that several genes associated with a particular autoimmune pathway were 'upregulated' – basically, that there were more of them in placentas of preeclampsic women than in normal placentas," Piedrahita says. "More specifically, we found the upregulation of a particular enzyme involved in sialic acid modification called SIAE. Sialic acid coats every cell in our body, making it possible for our immune system to distinguish 'self' from 'not-self.' If this process is disrupted, the body can end up attacking itself."

The researchers were excited by this finding because SIAE has recently been linked to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes.

"Prior to this research, we knew that there was an autoimmune cascade effect with preeclampsia, but we didn't know where it originated," Piedrahita adds. "Now we know that disregulation of SIAE helps start the cascade. We've been able to fill in the blanks, and hopefully pregnant women and their babies will benefit as a result."

### The research was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research are part of NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study shows year-end test scores significantly improved in schools using Web-based tutor

Study shows year-end test scores significantly improved in schools using Web-based tutor
2011-02-15
WORCESTER, Mass. – Year-end test scores of Massachusetts middle school students whose teachers used a Web-based tutoring platform called ASSISTments as a central part of their mathematics instruction were significantly better than those of students whose teachers did not use the platform, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Educational Computing Research. Conducted by Neil T. Heffernan, PhD, of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and Kenneth R. Koedinger, PhD, and Elizabeth A. McLaughlin, both of Carnegie Mellon University, the study examined data ...

Worldwide sulfur emissions rose between 2000-2005, after decade of decline

Worldwide sulfur emissions rose between 2000-2005, after decade of decline
2011-02-15
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A new analysis of sulfur emissions appearing in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics shows that after declining for a decade, worldwide emissions rose again in 2000 due largely to international shipping and a growing Chinese economy. An accurate read on sulfur emissions will help researchers predict future changes in climate and determine present day effects on the atmosphere, health and the environment. "Sulfur dioxide is an important component of the atmosphere. It changes the radiative balance of the earth by influencing the amount of ...

Early signs of heart disease in preadolescent children with type 1 diabetes

2011-02-15
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes. Patients with type 1diabetes have a 200 percent to 400 percent greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease than those without diabetes. Medical College of Wisconsin researchers at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin discovered the early signs of cardiovascular disease are likely to manifest before the onset of puberty in many children with diabetes. Those findings are published in the February 2, 2011 online version of Diabetes Care and will be in the March 2011 issue of Diabetes Care. Led ...

Stanford researchers develop new wireless technology for faster, more efficient networks

Stanford researchers develop new wireless technology for faster, more efficient networks
2011-02-15
VIDEO: A new technology that allows wireless signals to be sent and received simultaneously on a single channel has been developed by Stanford researchers. Their research could help build faster, more... Click here for more information. "Wireless communication is a one-way street. Over." Radio traffic can flow in only one direction at a time on a specific frequency, hence the frequent use of "over" by pilots and air traffic controllers, walkie-talkie users and emergency ...

New lignin 'lite' switchgrass boosts biofuel yield by more than one-third

2011-02-15
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 14, 2011 -- Bioethanol from new lines of native perennial prairie grass could become less costly because of plant engineering by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and fermentation research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers describe their transgenic version of switchgrass as one that produces about one-third more ethanol by fermentation than conventional switchgrass. This improved plant feedstock will be able to generate more biofuel per acre, benefiting not ...

Drivers engaging in a secondary task may pay more attention to the road

2011-02-15
Although many human factors/ergonomics studies conducted over the past few years indicate that drivers who talk on the phone fail to attend to the road and increase the likelihood of an accident, the monotony of driving may also pose an accident risk. New research by HF/E researchers at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, published in Human Factors, suggests that drivers who lose focus on the road because of boredom may actually increase their attention by engaging in a secondary task, particularly during the last leg of their journey. In a driving simulator, 45 ...

Guitar heroes: When the magic transfers from rock stars to instruments

2011-02-15
Budding guitarists seek the magical powers of rock hero instruments, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Like people from the Middle Ages who sought saints' relics, modern consumers like the budding rock guitarist desire fetishes (objects perceived as magical and possessing extraordinary power)" write authors Karen V. Fernandez (University of Aukland, New Zealand) and John L. Lastovicka (Arizona State University). "We live in a world where anybody with a modest amount of money can buy a close copy or a replica of a desired object," the authors ...

Ancient Mesoamerican sculpture uncovered in southern Mexico

2011-02-15
MADISON — With one arm raised and a determined scowl, the figure looks ready to march right off his carved tablet and into the history books. If only we knew who he was - corn god? Tribal chief? Sacred priest? "It's beautiful and was obviously very important," says University of Wisconsin-Madison archaeologist John Hodgson of the newly discovered stone monument. "But we will probably never know who he was or what the sculpture means in its entirety." The man is the central figure on a stone monument discovered in 2009 at a site called Ojo de Agua in far southern Mexico ...

Not actually bad at math or auto repair? Women fear being stereotyped by male service providers

2011-02-15
Women prefer female service providers in situations where they might fall prey to stereotypes about their math and science abilities, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "One of the most widely held stereotypes in North America is that women's competence and aptitude in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) domains is less than men's," write authors Kyoungmi Lee (Yonsei University, Korea), Hakkyun Kim (Concordia University, Canada), and Kathleen Vohs (University of Minnesota). In their study, the authors demonstrate that stereotypes ...

Pay attention! Many consumers believe 36 months is longer than 3 years

2011-02-15
Consumers often have a distorted view when they compare information that involves numbers, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "As a consumer, would your preference for a dishwasher depend on whether its warranty level is expressed in months rather than years?" write authors Mario Pandelaere (Ghent University, Belgium), Barbara Briers (Tilburg University, the Netherlands), and Christophe Lembregts (Ghent University, Belgium). To most consumers, the answer is "yes." The difference between an 84-month and a 108-month warranty looks bigger than ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Forest trees and microbes choreograph their hunt for a ‘balanced diet’ under elevated CO2

Beyond health: The political effects of infectious disease outbreaks

For tastier and hardier citrus, researchers built a tool for probing plant metabolism

Stay hydrated: New sensor knows when you need a drink

Quantum internet meets space-time in this new ingenious idea

Soil erosion in mountain environments accelerated by agro-pastoral activities for 3,800 years

Optogenetic platform illuminates new antiviral strategies

A new theory explaining oscillations in tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR)

Early antibiotics alter immune function in infants

With the second grant to therapy

Research center developing digital twins for manufacturing

Colombia’s biofortified rice has untapped potential to improve nutrition. And consumers want it

Study shows pregnancy can significantly worsen risk of serious brain injury in women with arteriovenous malformations

Mapping important infrastructure could aid emergency response after hurricanes

Nighttime pistachio snacking may reshape gut microbiome in prediabetic adults

Friendship promotes neural and behavioral similarity

Neural pathway for nicotine withdrawal symptoms

How your DNA reveals your true age with astonishing accuracy

First electronic–photonic quantum chip created in commercial foundry

High-performance scientific computing can compute molecule ground-state energy

Cryo-electron microscopy – Reaction cycle of an enzyme for CO2 fixation decoded

Feeling more extroverted? Study finds you may have learned how to handle daily stress better

Kindness counts—even to a five-day-old baby

Endocrine Society guideline calls for increased screening for common cause of high blood pressure

Macromolecular gene delivery systems: advancing non-viral therapeutics with synthetic and natural polymers

Study finds political instability, environmental conditions, and social inequality accelerate aging

New insights into malaria: Proteins in the blood can reveal the severity of the disease

Delayed hypertension diagnosis and its association with cardiovascular treatment and outcomes

GLP-1 receptor agonists in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Integrating diet and physical activity when prescribing GLP-1s—lifestyle factors remain crucial

[Press-News.org] Gene that regulates immune system linked to preeclampsia