Body

A widely and safely used plant extract acts as a novel anti-inflammatory agent that may one day be used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, as well as other inflammatory conditions. There is an urgent need for new therapies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as COPD, otitis media (ear infection), and atherosclerosis (chronic inflammation in the walls of arteries), because the most effective and commonly used agents – steroids – often cause serious side effects, such as liver damage, which prevent long-term use.

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Mon., May 3, 2010) -- The generation of transgenic plants can be a lengthy and difficult process. Transient expression assays have been developed as faster and more convenient alternatives for investigating gene function. These assays often take advantage of the ability of Agrobacterium to transfer foreign DNA into plant cells with intact cell walls. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is, however, inefficient and shows great variability.

Lung researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a possible protein trigger responsible for sarcoidosis, a potentially fatal inflammatory disease marked by tiny clumps of inflammatory cells that each year leave deep, grainy scars on the lungs, lymph nodes, skin and almost all major organs in hundreds of thousands of Americans.

The disorder, whose cause has been a persistent mystery for nearly a century, strikes mostly young adults and disproportionately affects African Americans.

A new blood test could increase the success of a popular lung cancer drug called erlotinib by allowing doctors select which patients will react positively to the drug.

Currently, patients with non-small cell lung cancer receive erlotinib after chemotherapy and other drugs have failed. But erlotinib will only shrink the tumour about 10 per cent of the time.

Adaptive image filters can lower the patient radiation associated with chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans while significantly improving image quality, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

UCSF researchers have created the first transgenic mouse to display the earliest signs of Parkinson's disease using the genetic mutation that is known to accompany human forms of the disease.

The mouse model, which expresses the same mutant proteins as human Parkinson's patients, also displays early signs of constipation and other gastrointestinal problems that are a common harbinger of the disease in humans.

A North Carolina State University researcher has discovered that bacteria transmitted by fleas–and potentially ticks–can be passed to human babies by the mother, causing chronic infections and raising the possibility of bacterially induced birth defects.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (May 3, 2010) – Researchers have confirmed a suspected link between pancreatic cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, while other science shows that intra-abdominal fat serves as a predictor of survival in pancreatic cancer patients, and new technology shows promising results for improvements in complicated surgery for pancreatic pseudocysts. These are among the studies being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW®) 2010.

One in two women in the United States will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime (1). However, according to a review article published in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS), only a few of these women will be tested and treated for osteoporosis, which if identified and treated, could dramatically decrease their risk of future fractures.

A team of international researchers has identified 20 genes associated with osteoporosis and bone weakness, including 13 genes never previously associated with the disease. Osteoporosis is a highly heritable trait, but this marks the largest international effort to conclusively identify genes linked to the often-devastating bone disorder.

Ku70, a component of the DNA repair complex, is shown to be a new critical player in the DNA damage-linked pathologies of Huntington's disease (HD), according to a study in the May 3 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).

Increases in opioid prescriptions, leading to increased misuse, serious injuries, and overdose deaths have spurred Canadian colleges of physicians and surgeons to create a new guideline for opioid use with chronic non-cancer pain, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj100187.pdf.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Obesity, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes, now appears to be associated with another health problem, but one that affects men only -- low testosterone levels.

Results of a study published online ahead of print in the journal Diabetes Care, conducted by University at Buffalo endocrinologists, showed that 40 percent of obese participants involved in the Hypogonadism in Males (HIM) study had lower-than-normal testosterone readings.

Disabled children are at great risk of developing obesity. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Thomas Reinehr and his colleagues from Witten/Herdecke University describe possible ways to prevent or treat this problem (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107(15): 268-75).

NEW ORLEANS, LA (May 3, 2010) – High protein intake may be associated with increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease, while fatty acids found in olive, peanut and grapeseed oils may protect against the development of ulcerative colitis, according to new data being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW®) 2010. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.