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

McGill researchers crack degeneration process that leads to Alzheimer's

New study points to possible new therapeutic approaches in treatment

2012-03-12
(Press-News.org) A research group led by Dr. A. Claudio Cuello of McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, has uncovered a critical process in understanding the degeneration of brain cells sensitive to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that this discovery could help develop alternative AD therapies.

A breakdown in communication between the brain's neurons is thought to contribute to the memory loss and cognitive failure seen in people with AD. The likely suspect is NGF (Nerve Growth Factor), a molecule responsible for generating signals that maintain healthy cholinergic neurons – a subset of brain cells that are particularly sensitive to AD – throughout a person's lifetime. Oddly, scientists had never been able to find anything wrong with this molecule to explain the degeneration of cholinergic neurons in patients with AD.

This new study, however, has elucidated the process by which NGF is released in the brain, matures to an active form and is ultimately degraded. The researchers were also able to determine how this process is altered in AD. The group demonstrated that treatment of healthy adult rats with a drug that blocks the maturation of active NGF leads to AD-like losses of cholinergic functional units, which result in cognitive impairments. By contrast, when treated with a drug to prevent degradation of active NGF, the numbers of cholinergic contacts increased significantly.

"Part of the difficulty in understanding this pathway has been due to the technical challenges associated with differentiating the active and inactive forms of NGF," explained Dr. Simon Allard, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at McGill. "Our proposed manipulations are different from existing therapies as they aim to protect neurons from degeneration."

The authors suggest that these findings may lead to pharmacological treatments that could delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease. "This discovery should help design alternative therapies," said Dr. Cuello, a Charles E. Frosst / Merck Chair.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The dance of the chaperones

The dance of the chaperones
2012-03-12
Proteins are the molecular building blocks and machinery of cells and involved in practically all biological processes. To fulfil their tasks, they need to be folded into a complicated three-dimensional structure. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now analysed one of the key players of this folding process: the molecular chaperone DnaK. "The understanding of these mechanisms is of great interest in the light of the many diseases in which folding goes awry, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's," says Ulrich ...

Ultrafast sonograms shed new light on rapid phase transitions

Ultrafast sonograms shed new light on rapid phase transitions
2012-03-12
An international team of physicists has developed a method for taking ultrafast 'sonograms' that can track the structural changes that take place within solid materials in trillionth-of-a-second intervals as they go through an important physical process called a phase transition. Common phase transitions include the melting of candle wax before it burns and dissolving sugar in water. They are purely structural changes that produce dramatic changes in a material's physical properties and they play a critical role both in nature and in industrial processes ranging from ...

Double Text Wedding Signs and Family Name Signs Now Featured by Arttowngifts.com

2012-03-12
Arttowngifts.com, a popular online retailer of whimsical signs and personalized gifts announced the addition of wedding name signs to its line of custom wood signs. These personalized signs, which feature the couple's names and wedding date, often feature popular romantic quotes and sayings. These handcrafted custom wedding signs are as unique and charming as the newlyweds they represent. Made from recycled wood and hand painted by the artist, these custom wood signs contain two layers of vinyl lettering, allowing the customer to include their family's last name overlaid ...

Vaccination may be key for true elimination of HIV-1

2012-03-12
In what may prove to be a major step forward for the treatment of HIV-1 infection, scientists have discovered an effective way to eliminate a notoriously persistent form of the virus that does not respond to current therapies. The research, published online by Cell Press on March 8th from the journal Immunity, describes a vaccination strategy that may be essential for successful eradication efforts and should therefore be considered for future clinical trials. Current antiretroviral therapies suppress the ability of HIV-1 to copy itself, but they cannot completely eliminate ...

Could a NOSH-aspirin-a-day keep cancer away?

2012-03-12
The humble aspirin may soon have a new role. Scientists from The City College of New York have developed a new aspirin compound that has great promise to be, not only an extremely potent cancer-fighter, but even safer than the classic medicine cabinet staple. The new designer aspirin curbed the growth of 11 different types of human cancer cells in culture without harming normal cells, reported a team from the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education of The City College of New York in a paper published this month in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. The cancers ...

The work-life integration overload: Thousands of researchers weigh in on outmoded work environments

2012-03-12
NEW YORK – Attracting workers into science and technology fields could be hampered by work-life integration issues according to a new international survey. Drawing data from 4,225 publishing scientists and researchers worldwide, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) finds that lack of flexibility in the workplace, dissatisfaction with career development opportunities and low salaries are driving both men and women to re-consider their profession. More than half (54%) of all scientists and researchers said that work demands conflict with their personal lives at ...

Do you hear what I hear?

Do you hear what I hear?
2012-03-12
PASADENA, Calif.—In both animals and humans, vocal signals used for communication contain a wide array of different sounds that are determined by the vibrational frequencies of vocal cords. For example, the pitch of someone's voice, and how it changes as they are speaking, depends on a complex series of varying frequencies. Knowing how the brain sorts out these different frequencies—which are called frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps—is believed to be essential to understanding many hearing-related behaviors, like speech. Now, a pair of biologists at the California Institute ...

Dr Jill, Former Health Care Professional, Promoted

Dr Jill, Former Health Care Professional, Promoted
2012-03-12
Dr Jill, formerly a health care professional, joined ProU this fall to learn skills and to grow her online business, working from home. Things are going well and she has moved up within ProU. In February 2012, Dr Jill has advanced twice. Dr Jill upgraded to Master Affiliate and is now eligible and looking forward to attending and learning even more at the next ProU Master Marketing Event. Dr Jill also upgraded to Ascent Level of ProU program. At this new, higher level she is eligible to attend the BREAKTHROUGH Mastery Workshop and have access to the recorded 12 month BREAKTHROUGH ...

Gravitational lens reveals details of distant, ancient galaxy

Gravitational lens reveals details of distant, ancient galaxy
2012-03-12
Thanks to the presence of a natural "zoom lens" in space, University of Chicago scientists working with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a uniquely close-up look at the brightest gravitationally magnified galaxy yet discovered. The imagery offers a visually striking example of gravitational lensing, in which one massive object's gravitational field can magnify and distort the light coming from another object behind it. Such optical tricks stem from Einstein's theory of general relativity, which describes how gravity can warp space and time, including bending ...

Minority administrators, school personnel key to engaging immigrant parents

2012-03-12
Minority principals and other administrative personnel at elementary and high schools play a key role in implementing policies and practices aimed at engaging immigrant parents of students, according to new research from Rice University, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Vanderbilt University. The researchers examined how schools in districts with immigrant populations are addressing low levels of parent involvement in their children's education and providing opportunities for engagement and support. The study, which will be published in the March edition of ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] McGill researchers crack degeneration process that leads to Alzheimer's
New study points to possible new therapeutic approaches in treatment