Body

The recent discovery of a protein fragment capable of causing diabetes in mice has spurred researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Denver to propose a new hypothesis about the cause of diabetes and autoimmunity in general. In the April 23, 2010, issue of Immunity, Drs. Brian Stadinski, John Kappler and George Eisenbarth propose that the unusual and rare presentation of protein fragments (peptides) to the immune system allows autoreactive T cells to escape the thymus and trigger autoimmune disease.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study shows that a family of molecules called microRNA work together in single, well-connected networks to control many important functions in healthy cells, but that in cancer cells the networks are rewired and fragmented.

NEW ORLEANS -- A shorter daily shift schedule for endoscopists, the physicians who perform colonoscopies, avoids a decrease in the polyp detection rate as the day progresses, research from Mayo Clinic indicates. The findings, which have implications for endoscopist scheduling, were presented by Mayo Clinic investigators today at Digestive Disease Week 2010, (http://www.ddw.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=679) the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Anaheim, Calif. (April 30, 2010) – Measures of reproductive and thyroid hormone levels remained within normal limits in healthy adult Japanese men who took either of two doses of a supplement of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, a novel soy germ-based ingredient under development for the management of prostate health, according to a new placebo-controlled study. In addition, measures of the men's prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were within normal limits. These peer-reviewed safety data were presented at the Experimental Biology (EB) 2010 annual meeting.

DETROIT – Quality-of-life measures used routinely to assess treatment outcomes for patients with pancreatic disease may be used to predict both malignancy and survival for those patients, according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital.

Researchers found that pre-treatment quality-of-life scores could predict malignancy in patients with pancreatic lesions and survival in those who are found to have malignancies.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- For patients in need of a liver transplant, their choice of a transplant center can make a noteworthy difference in their outcomes, according to a Mayo Clinic study presented at the American Transplant Congress under way May 1-5 in San Diego.

SAN DIEGO—Two-year results from phase III clinical trials show the experimental immunosuppressive drug belatacept can better preserve kidney function in kidney transplant recipients while preventing graft rejection when compared with the standard immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine.

May 3, 2010 – Genes interact in complex networks that govern cellular processes, much like people connect a social network through relationships. Researchers are now discovering how biological networks change and are rewired in cancer. In a study published today in Genome Research (www.genome.org), scientists have analyzed the genetic networks of microRNAs in tumors, shedding light on how interactions go awry in disease.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (May 2, 2010) – Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which may soon be the leading indication for liver transplant, is found to be significantly associated with worse transplant outcomes. In addition, a new tool for diagnosing NAFLD represents an alternative to liver biopsy, which is more expensive and prone to complications, and ultrasound and alfafeprotein blood test screening are an effective alternative to CT scan and MRI for patients with cirrhosis at high risk for hepatocellular cancer.

LA JOLLA, CA – April 28, 2010 –In findings that could one day lead to new therapies, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have described some striking differences between the biochemistry of stem cells versus mature cells.

The study, led by Scripps Research Associate Professor Sheng Ding and Senior Director of the Scripps Research Center for Mass Spectrometry Gary Siuzdak, was published in an advance, online edition of the prestigious journal Nature Chemical Biology on May 2, 2010.

STANFORD, Calif. - Life is almost unbearably complex. Humans and mice, frogs and flies toggle genes on and off in dizzying combinations and sequences during their relentless march from embryo to death. Now scientists seeking to understand the machinations of the proteins behind the genomic wizard's screen have a powerful new tool at their disposal, courtesy of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

PITTSBURGH, May 2 – Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine went on a molecular fishing trip and netted a catch of new mediators that not only can explain how omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, but also hint at novel treatments for a host of diseases linked to inflammatory processes. Their findings were published today in the online version of Nature Chemical Biology.

Scientists have discovered three genes linked to the development of Paget's disease, a painful bone condition that affects up to one million people in the UK.

The international team of scientists, led by the University of Edinburgh, believes the genes are involved in regulating the rate at which bone is repaired, providing an explanation of why the disease might occur.

Researchers from the University of Leeds, UK, the Charité University Medical School and the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Germany, have discovered a new driving force behind cancer growth.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (May 2, 2010) – Pay-for-performance reimbursement models may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients, measuring a patient's waist circumference may be more effective in predicting surgical outcomes than the more traditional body mass index measure, and childhood obesity doubles the risk of developing colon cancer, according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW®) 2010.