The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. The disease leads to diabetes, hearing and vision loss, nerve cell damage that causes motor difficulties, and early death. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research report that they have identified a mechanism related to mutations in the WFS1 gene that affects insulin-secreting beta cells. The finding will aid in the understanding ...

HOUSTON – A new study published online in Nature Medicine, led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, describes the discovery of a novel drug combination aimed at a subset of melanoma patients who currently have no effective therapeutic options. Melanoma patients have different responses to therapy, depending on what genes are mutated in their tumors. About half of melanomas have a mutation in the BRAF gene; while a quarter have a mutation in the NRAS gene. New BRAF inhibitor drugs are effective against BRAF-mutant melanoma, but no comparable ...

A PhD student at the University of Copenhagen has drawn on nature's own pharmacy to help improve the treatment of snakebites in Africa. Marianne Molander from the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences has been working within a Danish team that has examined various plants native to the African continent in a bid to find locally available herbal antidotes. "Snake venom antidotes are expensive, it's often a long way to the nearest doctor and it can be difficult to store the medicine properly in the warm climate. As a result many local people ...

Herpes zoster, or shingles, does not increase the risk of cancer in the general population, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Although herpes zoster is more common in patients with cancer than in those without, it is unknown whether the risk of cancer is increased for people with herpes zoster. Several studies have indicated an association although most were conducted in western countries. A large study of 35 871 patients in Taiwan with newly diagnosed herpes zoster found no increased risk of cancer in patients with herpes zoster. "We ...

Adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise, states a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Although calorie restriction and increased physical activity are recommended for weight loss, there is significant evidence that inadequate sleep is contributing to obesity. Lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones. "The solution [to weight loss] is not as simple as 'eat less, move more, sleep more,'" write Drs. Jean-Phillippe ...

Canada needs a comprehensive approach to reduce elder abuse that includes financial supports and programs for seniors and their caregivers, argues an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). In Canada, an estimated 4% of seniors — 200 000 to 500 000 people — experience some form of abuse or neglect. "The broader solution lies in a more comprehensive approach that requires the support of government and the Canadian health care system," writes Barbara Sibbald, deputy editor, CMAJ with Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, associate professor, Geriatric Medicine Section, ...

A non-invasive method to track Huntington's disease progression Huntington's disease is a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding huntingtin. Expresion of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein is correlated with the onset and progression of the disease and new therapies are being developed to reduce the expression of mHTT. In order to evaluate these new therapies, researchers need to be able to quantify the amount of mHTT in a particular patient; however, non-invasive quantification of mHTT isn't currently possible. In this issue ...

Huntington's disease is a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding huntingtin. Expresion of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein is correlated with the onset and progression of the disease and new therapies are being developed to reduce the expression of mHTT. In order to evaluate these new therapies, researchers need to be able to quantify the amount of mHTT in a particular patient; however, non-invasive quantification of mHTT isn't currently possible. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Sarah ...

ATLANTA –September 17, 2012– A new report from American Cancer Society researchers finds that despite declining death rates, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the U.S. In 2009, the most recent year for which actual data are available, 29,935 people of Hispanic origin in the U.S. died of cancer, compared to 29,611 deaths from heart disease. Among non-Hispanic whites and African Americans, heart disease remains the number one cause of death. The figures come from Cancer Statistics for Hispanics/Latinos 2012-2014, appearing ...

HEIDELBERG, 17 September 2012 – A natural product secreted by a soil bacterium shows promise as a new drug to treat tuberculosis report scientists in a new study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine. A team of scientists working in Switzerland has shown how pyridomycin, a natural antibiotic produced by the bacterium Dactylosporangium fulvum, works. This promising drug candidate is active against many of the drug-resistant types of the tuberculosis bacterium that no longer respond to treatment with the front-line drug isoniazid. "Nature and evolution have equipped some ...

The NAVVIS positioning system is primarily based on visual information. The TUM researchers had to develop a special location recognition system for this project. They started by taking photos of a building, simultaneously mapping prominent features like stairs and signs. A smartphone app then lets users view the map images to find their current location. All they have to do is take a photo of their surroundings. The program then compares the photo with the images stored in its database and works out the user's exact position (down to the nearest meter) and the direction ...

Lugano, Switzerland, 14 September 2012 -- Ahead of the top 48 abstracts (LBA and PR suffix) that will be released during the ESMO 2012 Congress, over 1,600 abstracts will be published online on Monday, 17 September 2012 at 9:00 (CEST) to anticipate the flavor of an ESMO Congress that once again "will be presenting emerging strategies set to combat cancer, signposting future directions in patient treatment and care, boldly addressing the many new challenges that lie ahead." (Josep Tabernero, ESMO 2012 Scientific Chair) http://www.esmo.org/events/vienna-2012-congress/program.html --> ...

When new cell phones or tablets enter the marketplace, yesterday's hot technology can quickly become obsolete - for some consumers. For others, the device still has value as an affordable alternative, or even as spare parts. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), ecoATM of San Diego, Calif., has developed a unique, automated system that lets consumers trade in those devices for reimbursement or recycling. Using sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) developed through two NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, ecoATM kiosks can ...

A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells. Published today (17th) in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the findings shed light on how the protein causes damage in the brain, and could be useful for monitoring the progression of HD, or testing new drugs aimed at suppressing production of the harmful protein. HD is a fatal, incurable, genetic neurological disease that usually develops in adulthood and causes abnormal involuntary ...

[GLENVIEW, Ill., Sept. 17, 2012] – Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE: MJN) announced today results of a new study published in Pediatrics that shows Enfamil Human Milk Fortifier Acidified Liquid supports significantly higher growth in premature infants than powdered fortifiers and is well-tolerated. Enfamil Human Milk Fortifier Acidified Liquid is the first and only ultra-concentrated liquid human milk fortifier marketed in the United States that meets safety guidelines from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as ...

Sweet sorghum is primarily grown in the United States as a source of sugar for syrup and molasses. But the sturdy grass has other attributes that could make it uniquely suited to production as a bioenergy crop, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies suggest. Sorghum is an ideal candidate because of its drought tolerance, adaptability to diverse growing conditions, low nitrogen fertilizer requirements, and high biomass (plant material) content, according to molecular biologist Scott Sattler and collaborator Jeff Pedersen with USDA's Agricultural Research Service ...

Uncertainties relating to the assessment of effectiveness of emission reduction measures are considerable. In order to manage these, there is an evident need to develop uniform assessment methods for ensuring that the assumed emission reductions are also achieved in practice. Significant mitigation of climate change is widely supported globally. Achieving the mitigation targets will require considerable reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. However, widely differing views, particularly of the large economies such as the EU, the United States, ...

Co-streams from the food industry are excellent sources of proteins and healthy oils for use in foods and cosmetics. However, at the moment these side streams are mainly used as fish and animal feed, for energy, or end up as waste. Coordinated by VTT, the APROPOS (Added value from high protein and high oil containing industrial co-streams) project seeks to enrich several co-stream components at once from food quality co-streams of rapeseed/canola/mustard and fish. In particular, this project aims to promote the competitiveness of the SME sector and developing regional ...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing challenge to the health care systems and economies of developed countries with millions of patients suffering from this disease and increasing numbers of new cases diagnosed annually with the increasing ageing of populations. Early detection of prodromal AD is vital both for assessing the efficacy of potential AD therapeutic agents as well as new disease modifying therapies are most likely to be effective when initiated during the early stages of disease. The elucidation of early metabolic pathways associated with progression to Alzheimer's ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A recent study examined people's bodily responses while watching presidential campaign ads - and discovered another way that people avoid political information that challenges their beliefs. In the last days of the 2008 campaign, researchers had people watch a variety of actual ads for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his Democratic rival Barack Obama while the viewers' heart rates, skin conductance and activation of facial muscles were monitored. The results showed that partisan participants reacted strongly to ads featuring their ...

There is no scientific evidence that low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and other transmitting devices causes adverse health effects, according to a report presented by a Norwegian Expert Committee. In addition, the Committee provides advice to authorities about risk management and regulatory practice. The Committee has assessed the health hazards from low-level electromagnetic fields generated by radio transmitters. These electromagnetic fields are found around mobile phones, wireless phones and networks, mobile phone base stations, broadcasting ...

Muscles have a pool of stem cells which provides a source for muscle growth and for regeneration of injured muscles. The stem cells must reside in special niches of the muscle for efficient growth and repair. The developmental biologists Dr. Dominique Bröhl and Prof. Carmen Birchmeier of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have elucidated how these stem cells colonize these niches. At the same time, they show that the stem cells weaken when, due to a mutation, they locate outside of the muscle fibers instead of in their stem cell niches (Developmental ...

An extract from the plant Cannabis sativa (trade name Sativex®) was approved in May 2011 for patients suffering from moderate to severe spastic paralysis and muscle spasms due to multiple sclerosis (MS). In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the "Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products" (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether the new drug, which is used as a mouth spray, offers an added benefit over the optimized standard therapy. However, no such added benefit can be inferred from the dossier, ...

The earth's limited surface is expected to stretch to everything: food for soon to be nine billion people, feed for our beef cattle and fowl, fuel for our cars, forests for our paper, cotton for our clothes. What is more, the earth's forests are preferably to be left untouched to stabilise the climate. Human ecologist and economist Kenneth Hermele will shortly be defending a thesis at Lund University, Sweden, in which he demonstrates that the struggle for land is intensifying rapidly. Kenneth Hermele has conducted field studies in Brazil, where sugar cane has been cultivated ...

Is it possible to create suitable and amusing educational computer games? Can you use qualities from other types of games? And what do the children really think of these kinds of games? Wolmet Barendregt from The University of Gothenburg, conducts research on children's game playing, how we can support learning with design and include the children in the design process. And Wolmet Barendregt certainly involves the children very much in her research. During the Science Festival's school program in April this year, over a hundred preschool children attended a creative game ...