Body

LEXINGTON, Ky (Sept. 4, 2014) -- A team of investigators at the University of Kentucky has made a thought-provoking discovery about a type of cholesterol previously believed to be a "bad guy" in the development of heart disease and other conditions.

Jason Meyer, a University of Kentucky MD-PhD candidate, worked with Deneys van der Westhuyzen, Ph.D., a Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, to study the role oxidized LDL plays in the development of plaque inside artery walls.

Scientists have discovered and described a new supermassive dinosaur species with the most complete skeleton ever found of its type. At 85 feet long and weighing about 65 tons in life, Dreadnoughtus schrani is the largest land animal for which a body mass can be accurately calculated.

The Ebola crisis in west Africa could have been averted if governments and health agencies had acted on the recommendations of a 2011 World Health Organisation (WHO) Commission on global health emergencies, according to a new Comment, published in The Lancet.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Five studies from the 2014 Breast Cancer Symposium were highlighted today in an embargoed presscast for reporters. Presentations focused on new studies exploring preventive mastectomy, compliance with recommended screening mammography, and risk of recurrence after pre-surgery therapy for breast cancer. The Symposium will take place September 4-6, 2014, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, CA.

Five major studies were highlighted in today's presscast:

The way in which some cells alter their behaviour at the onset of osteoarthritis has been identified for the first time by researchers at the University of Liverpool.

The study was funded by medical research charity Arthritis Research UK.

The trigger for arthritis is still to be fully defined, but it is known that injuries, obesity or old age can all increase the risk for arthritis, and lead to cells in the affected joint altering their behaviour.

It is one of the highest-profile cases of scientific fraud in memory: In 2005, South Korean researcher Woo-Suk Hwang and colleagues made international news by claiming that they had produced embryonic stem cells from a cloned human embryo using nuclear transfer. But within a year, the work had been debunked, soon followed by findings of fraud. South Korea put a moratorium on stem-cell research funding. Some scientists abandoned or reduced their work in the field.

Current evidence shows that apolipoprotein E (APOE), apolipoprotein CI (APOC1) and low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) variations are related to late-onset Alzheimer's disease. However, it remains unclear if genetic polymorphisms in these genes are associated with cognitive decline in late-onset Alzheimer's disease patients.

Cystic fibrosis (mucoviscidosis) is due to a mutation of an ion channel which leads to highly viscous mucus and to dysfunction of the lung and the gastrointestinal organs. Since these patients frequently suffer from chronic infections, Dr. Thomas Hofer and Professor Dr. Loems Ziegler-Heitbrock from the Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC) at Helmholtz Zentrum München - together with colleagues at the Klinikum der Universität München and the University of Leicester, UK - investigated, whether these patients might have an additional immune defect.

When factoring in what is now known about breast cancer biology and heterogeneity, breast conserving therapy (BCT) may offer a greater survival benefit over mastectomy to women with early stage, hormone-receptor positive disease, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The study findings defy the conventional belief that the two treatment interventions offer equal survival, and show the need to revisit some standards of breast cancer practice in the modern era.

Despite its acceptance as standard of care for early stage breast cancer almost 25 years ago, barriers still exist that preclude patients from receiving breast conserving therapy (BCT), with some still opting for a mastectomy, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

RESTON, VA – In a paper published today in the journal PLOS One, investigators with the American Institute of Biological Sciences report findings from an analysis of the research output from a series of biomedical research grants funded after undergoing a scientific peer review process. The results, reported in 'The Validation of Peer Review Through Research Impact Measures and the Implications for Funding Strategies,' offer insights for future research on peer review and potential models for increasing research productivity.

PHILADELPHIA (September 4, 2014) – Scientists have discovered and described a new supermassive dinosaur species with the most complete skeleton ever found of its type. At 85 feet (26 m) long and weighing about 65 tons (59,300 kg) in life, Dreadnoughtus schrani is the largest land animal for which a body mass can be accurately calculated. Its skeleton is exceptionally complete, with over 70 percent of the bones, excluding the head, represented.

New research shows that liver injury caused by herbals and dietary supplements increased from 7% to 20% in a U.S. study group over a ten-year period. According to the study published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, liver injury caused by non-bodybuilding supplements is most severe, occurring more often in middle-aged women and more frequently resulting in death or the need for transplantation than liver injury from bodybuilding supplements or conventional medications."

RNA-sequencing allows measuring the gene expression of humans or other organisms. The method has recently become very popular in bioscience and medical research, and it is being adopted to clinical applications. Compared to previous methods, RNA-sequencing enables the study of alternative gene isoforms or transcripts, which are formed for example through the process of alternative splicing.

Reducing sedentary activity appears to lengthen telomeres, which sit on the end of chromosomes, the DNA storage units in each cell, the findings show.

Telomeres are important because they stop chromosomes from 'fraying' or clumping together and 'scrambling' the genetic codes they contain, performing a role similar to the plastic tips on the end of shoelaces, to which they have been likened.

Longevity and a healthy lifestyle have been linked to telomere length, but whether physical activity can make any difference, is not clear.