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

OHSU research suggests compound administered during some bone marrow transplants elevates risks

G-CSF, a compound used to stimulate stem cell growth prior to transplantation, may also activate a virus that places recipients at increased risk of infection

2010-09-22
(Press-News.org) PORTLAND, Ore - Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute may spur debate about the risks associated with administering a specific compound in some forms of bone-marrow transplantation. The research is published in the current edition of Cell Host and Microbe.

The VGTI research team, led by institute director Jay Nelson, Ph.D., studies human cytomegalovirus, a virus that may infect up to 80 percent of the American population. The exact percentage of infected citizens is unknown due to the fact that the virus causes minor symptoms or no symptoms at all in most healthy people. However, the virus can pose a significant risk in people whose immune system has been compromised, such as those infected with HIV, or patients who have had their immune systems suppressed through chemotherapy or with anti-rejection medications during transplantation.

During this specific research project, Nelson, along with M. Shane Smith, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Nelson's lab and other colleagues focused on the impact of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, or G-CSF, on the virus. G-CSF is a hormone frequently administered to bone marrow transplant donors to stimulate stem cell growth and localization of blood prior to harvesting blood-borne stem cells.

While G-CSF-induced stem cell localization to the blood does provide a more comfortable means of stem cell donation compared to the previous method of harvesting cells directly from the bone marrow, previous studies have suggested that bone marrow transplantation performed with blood-borne stem cells places recipients at double the risk for HCMV and chronic graft-versus host disease.

The VGTI research team uncovered the mechanism behind this associated risk. Using a mouse model of the disease, the scientists determined that G-CSF causes HCMV, which is in a dormant or latent state in the bone marrow, to reactivate in stem cells, thereby placing stem cell recipients at elevated risk for HCMV transmission and disease.

"Because bone marrow recipients' immune systems are so significantly compromised, this risk is very significant," said Nelson. "We believe this research will generate discussion about the proper applications for G-CSF – which continues to provide benefits – but the risk associated must also be factored into patient care."

INFORMATION:

The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

About VGTI

Located on the West Campus of OHSU, the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute was established in March 2001. The overall mission of the VGTI is to respond to the increasingly serious infectious disease threats facing the people of Oregon, the United States and the world as a whole, including AIDS, chronic viral infection-associated diseases, newly emerging viral diseases, and infectious diseases of the elderly. Vaccine development and the development of novel immune and gene therapeutic approaches to these diseases are the major priorities of the faculty.

About OHSU

Oregon Health & Science University is the state's only health and research university, and only academic health center. As Portland's largest employer and the fourth largest in Oregon (excluding government), OHSU's size contributes to its ability to provide many services and community support activities not found anywhere else in the state. It serves more than 184,000 patients, and is a conduit for learning for more than 3,900 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to each county in the state.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Targeted therapy triggers complex mechanism of resistance

2010-09-22
Washington, DC – In order for targeted therapies against cancer to be effective, scientists need to understand upfront what related proteins in a signaling "network" makes a cancer cell resistant to a drug and selectively target them as well, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center. In the September 21 issue of Science Signaling, the investigators discuss how cancer cells activate a network of pro-growth proteins that can bypass a molecule being therapeutically targeted. The researchers specifically found that many ...

The Joy of sets: For ants and trees, multiple partners are a boon

2010-09-22
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In the complex world of ant-plant partnerships, serial monogamy can help trees maximize their evolutionary fitness, a new University of Florida study shows. Trees that sequentially partner with multi-species sets of ants produce more offspring than trees that maintain a lifelong association with any single ant — even when those sets include ant species that appear to harm the tree, said Todd Palmer, a UF biology professor. The study has broad implications because many of the world's ecosystems rely on cooperative partnerships between species, Palmer ...

Avoid swimming in interplanetary lakes

2010-09-22
Titan, one of Saturn's moons, is the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere ― ten times denser than the atmosphere of Earth. Five years ago, the Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn, a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA, sent a probe through Titan's atmosphere, revealing that Titan is home to a landscape that includes hills, valleys and most notably lakes. A researcher involved with the mission, Prof. Akiva Bar-Nun of Tel Aviv University's Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, has now determined the composition of these lakes. ...

Universal, primordial magnetic fields discovered in deep space by UCLA, Caltech physicists

2010-09-22
Scientists from the California Institute of Technology and UCLA have discovered evidence of "universal ubiquitous magnetic fields" that have permeated deep space between galaxies since the time of the Big Bang. Caltech physicist Shin'ichiro Ando and Alexander Kusenko, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, report the discovery in a paper to be published in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters; the research is currently available online. Ando and Kusenko studied images of the most powerful objects in the universe — supermassive black holes that ...

Spare the rod, spoil the child?

2010-09-22
Grabbing a child firmly by the arm, yelling and repeatedly punishing him or her may not be without long-terms risks, according to researchers from the Université de Montréal. They are studying how this harsh parenting can impair the emotional development of a child, possibly leading to anxiety disorders such as social phobia, separation anxiety and panic attacks. "Several studies have shown that coercive parenting practices are linked to anxiety," says Françoise Maheu a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Psychiatry and lead investigator of the study. ...

'Synthetic lethality' strategy improves molecularly targeted cancer therapy

2010-09-22
PHILADELPHIA (September 21, 2010)—Molecularly targeted therapies can reduce tumors rapidly. However, not all tumors respond to the drugs, and even those that do often develop resistance over time. Looking for a way to combat the problem of resistance, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center hypothesized that hitting already weakened cancer cells with a second targeted agent could kill them—but only if it was the right second agent. One well-validated molecular target for anti-cancer drugs is the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. Using a novel screening approach, ...

Results of the placement of multiple endoscopic stents for postoperative biliary strictures remains excellent after long-term follow-up

2010-09-22
OAK BROOK, Ill. – September 21, 2010 – Researchers from Italy have reported results from more than 10 years of follow-up showing that the placement of multiple endoscopic stents for the treatment of postoperative biliary strictures remains excellent with a low rate of stricture recurrence after this lengthy period of time. When strictures do recur, they can be safely and successfully retreated endoscopically. The study appears in the September issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal ...

Queen's University researchers locate impulse control center in brain

2010-09-22
Impulsive behaviour can be improved with training and the improvement is marked by specific brain changes, according to a new Queen's University study. A research team led by neuroscience PhD student Scott Hayton has pinpointed the area of the brain that controls impulsive behavior and the mechanisms that affect how impulsive behavior is learned. The findings could have a significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of several disorders and addictions, including ADHD and alcoholism. "In the classroom, kids often blurt out answers before they raise their hand. ...

GOES-11 catches quick birth of Tropical Storm Georgette already moving into Baja California

GOES-11 catches quick birth of Tropical Storm Georgette already moving into Baja California
2010-09-22
Tropical Storm Georgette formed pretty quickly and the GOES-11 satellite captured her clouds extending over extreme southern Baja California and western Mexico today. Georgette formed just south of Cabo San Lucas this morning and is headed for a Baja landfall. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite or GOES-11 is stationary in its position in space, watching over the weather in the western U.S. GOES-11 captured an infrared image of Tropical Storm Georgette's rounded cloud cover stretching north into Baja California, Mexico at 13:15 UTC 9:15 a.m. EDT today, ...

NASA infrared imagery sees tropical depression 14 becomes 12th tropical storm: Lisa

NASA infrared imagery sees tropical depression 14 becomes 12th tropical storm: Lisa
2010-09-22
This Atlantic hurricane season has now spawned 14 tropical depressions and 12 of them have strengthened into tropical storms. The latest is now called Tropical Storm Lisa and is in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Lisa when she was still a low pressure area, but showed a center of circulation and banding of thunderstorms circling it, indicating the storm was getting organized. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured "Lisa" when she was still a low pressure area yesterday, Sept. 20 at ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

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

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

[Press-News.org] OHSU research suggests compound administered during some bone marrow transplants elevates risks
G-CSF, a compound used to stimulate stem cell growth prior to transplantation, may also activate a virus that places recipients at increased risk of infection