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

Role of amyloid beta as sensors and protectors in Alzheimer's and other diseases explored

Data supports links between AD and diabetes, according to new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

2012-03-27
(Press-News.org) Amsterdam, NL -- Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with the disease, and another American develops it every 69 seconds.

Unfortunately, many Alzheimer's disease drugs targeting the misfolding of the amyloid beta protein have failed clinical trials, leading some to question the validity of the amyloid hypothesis.

In upcoming issues of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Dr. Ian Murray of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine provides a new way of looking at amyloid – not only in Alzheimer's, but also in other amyloid diseases – with a hypotheses paper and separate supporting data paper.

Murray, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics in the college, is one of four authors on a hypotheses paper supporting Amyloids as Sensors and Protectors (ASAP). This hypothesis incorporates both the emerging idea that amyloid is protective and the pathological amyloid hypothesis.

Amyloid senses cellular environmental stress, such as elevation of reactive metabolites and oxidative products or metals, and then misfolds. This misfolding initiates a protective cellular response in the short term. Long-term or chronic stress such as metabolic dysfunction (diabetes) would lead to the pathological consequences of amyloid misfolding (as diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer's).

This interesting ASAP hypothesis is supported by existing publications in the Alzheimer's disease field, as well as from several other amyloid diseases. It also explains several disparate findings in the field and suggests further experiments to test the hypothesis.

In the supporting data paper, Dr. Murray and four other authors mechanistically linked diabetes and Alzheimer's. They demonstrated the first part of the ASAP hypothesis – amyloid can detect metabolic dysfunction. Reactive metabolites, elevated during metabolic dysfunction such as diabetes, chemically modify and misfold the amyloid protein in the test tube. These metabolites play a role in chemical glycation reactions to eventually form advanced glycation end products.

Dr. Murray demonstrates, similar to previous reports, that such modifications localize to the misfolded amyloid in Alzheimer's disease.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Big sagebrush may need to count on its soil seed bank for survival

Big sagebrush may need to count on its soil seed bank for survival
2012-03-27
Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a key foundational species in an ecosystem that is threatened by invasion of cheatgrass and the subsequent increase in fire frequency. Critical to the conservation, reestablishment, and restoration of the sagebrush steppe ecosystem (which comprises 63 million hectares of the Great Basin of North America) is understanding the dynamics of A. tridentata seeds—how long do they remain viable and are they able to persist in the seed bank for any length of time? Previously it was thought that A. tridentata seeds did not persist in the ...

Panic Room Steals Show at SICUR Madrid

2012-03-27
Continuing to ride the wave of success, the Panic Room Company has just returned from Madrid's eminent security show SICUR 2012 (Salón Internacional de la Seguridad) where its innovative product gained centre of attention and screen time on several of Spain's most-viewed TV channels. Ignacio Sanchez-Teran, Director of SIMEC, the Panic Room Company's Spanish dealer and stand-holder in Madrid, said, "This Spanish debut for the Panic Room has been nothing short of a triumph. We attracted significant media interest and featured in nationwide news reports on the likes ...

Scientists find new way to measure economic impact of forest fires

2012-03-27
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A team of scientists from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station and the University of Córdoba in Spain recently developed a new methodology that measures the economic impact of forest fires on timber resources. When evaluating and planning fire management program activities, it is important to know the value of the forest ecosystems protected. However, determining the true volume or economic value of the resources lost during a fire can be difficult. For example, when a fire burns through a timber stand, the market value lost ...

Lifetime Barbie Collection to be Sold Online by Caring Transitions of North Central Ohio

2012-03-27
Caring Transitions of North Central Ohio, a company specializing in estate sales, downsizing and senior moves today announced the sale of a vast Barbie collection on the company's exclusive online auction Web site, http://www.ctonlineauctions.com/ncentraloh. The auction, starting at 9 a.m. EST today, Sunday, March 25th, features more than 400 lots of Barbie dolls, clothing ensembles, accessories, furniture, vehicles, novelties, convention items and other Barbie collectibles. This extensive collection has been fueled by a local collector's passion for Barbie and it has ...

Test for single genetic fault can help tailor cancer treatment for children

2012-03-27
This press release is available in French and German. A study led by Dr Janet Shipley from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London in collaboration with Dr Mauro Delorenzi from the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics in Lausanne has shown that a simple genetic test could help predict the aggressiveness of rhabdomyosarcoma tumours in children. The test, which should be introduced into clinical practice, would lead to changes in treatment for many patients, allowing some children to escape potentially long-term side-effects whilst giving others the intense ...

New evidence on effects of green coffee beans in weight loss

2012-03-27
SAN DIEGO, March 27, 2012 — Scientists today reported striking new evidence that green, or unroasted, coffee beans can produce a substantial decrease in body weight in a relatively short period of time. In a study presented at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society, Joe Vinson, Ph.D., and colleagues described how a group of overweight or obese people who consumed a fraction of an ounce of ground green coffee beans each day lost about 10 percent of their body weight. "Based on our results, ...

Some flame retardants make fires more deadly

2012-03-27
SAN DIEGO, March 27, 2012 — Some of the flame retardants added to carpets, furniture upholstery, plastics, crib mattresses, car and airline seats and other products to suppress the visible flames in fires are actually increasing the danger of invisible toxic gases that are the No. 1 cause of death in fires. That was the finding of a new study presented here today at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. Anna A. Stec, Ph.D., led the research, which focused on the most widely-used category ...

Lanner Extends Footprint in China with Expansion of Partner Network

2012-03-27
Lanner, a provider of simulation software proven to maximize performance and optimize resources, today announced the expansion of its partner network in China, with two new reseller agreements focused on increasing the market share of WITNESS, Lanner's flagship simulation software. Beijing Tianyan Rongzhi, a specialist in the provision of software and training to education organizations will work with Lanner to increase adoption of WITNESS within the 65 universities already using the software, as well as new universities and teaching establishments. As part of the agreement, ...

Minority women still most underrepresented in science despite progress

2012-03-27
SAN DIEGO, March 27, 2012 — Thirty-five years after a landmark report documented minority women as the most underrepresented individuals in science, engineering, medicine and dentistry, dramatic improvements have occurred for women of color, but serious obstacles remain. That was the message from a report here at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. The presentation was part of an ACS symposium titled, "The Double Bind: Minority Women in Science and Update Thirty Five Years Later." It ...

New study looks at growth rates of lung cancers found by CT screening

2012-03-27
OAK BROOK, Ill. – Growth rates of lung cancers found by annual rounds of computed tomography (CT) screening are important for determining the usefulness and frequency of screening, as well as for determining the treatment. According to the latest report from the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) published online in the journal Radiology, lung cancers diagnosed in annual repeat rounds of CT screening are similar—both in volume doubling time and cell-type distribution— to those found in clinical practice. "There was concern that cancers diagnosed ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Standardizing frailty indexes to improve preclinical aging research

Hanbat National University researchers present new technique to boost solid oxide fuel cell performance

Even short school breaks affect student learning unevenly across socioeconomic backgrounds

When words matter: Language and culture shape early childhood outcomes

UBC enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation

Birds’ vocal warnings provide new insight into the origins of language

Breakthrough results from elephant herpesvirus trial find vaccine to be safe

Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated

New antibiotic targets IBD — and AI predicted how it would work before scientists could prove it

Glioblastomas affect much more than just the brain

Researchers uncover why mental maps fade with age

New mechanism revealed: How leukemia cells trick the immune system

Genetic map reveals influence of DNA on metabolism

Researchers use ultrasound holograms to influence brain networks

Unique videos show how trawling restrictions brings back life to the sea

Whooping cough can be fatal in young infants, experts warn

Knee-d for excellence: New regional training hub keeps surgeons sharp for ageing population

The Lancet: Billions lack access to healthy diets as food systems drive climate and health crises, but sustainable, equitable solutions are within reach, says new EAT-Lancet report

Countries with highest reported levels of hearing loss have lowest use of hearing aids

Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care

New approach to gravitational wave detection opens the Milli-Hz Frontier

Rice membrane extracts lithium from brines with greater speed, less waste

Exercise lowers disease risk. This researcher wants to understand how

Hurricane evacuation patterns differ based on where the storm hits

Stem Cell Reports welcomes new members to its Editorial Board

Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies

Mayo Clinic awarded up to $40 million by ARPA-H for pioneering air safety research

People with Down syndrome have early neuroinflammation

CNIO researchers create the “human repairome”, a catalogue of DNA “scars” that will help define personalized cancer treatments

Strengthening biosecurity screening for genes that encode proteins of concern

[Press-News.org] Role of amyloid beta as sensors and protectors in Alzheimer's and other diseases explored
Data supports links between AD and diabetes, according to new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease