Body

Researchers from the U.K. suggest that using organs from donors after circulatory death (DCD) who also suffered a previous cardiac arrest out of the hospital environment could expand the pool of available livers for transplant.

Australian researchers have found that zinc can 'starve' one of the world's most deadly bacteria by preventing its uptake of an essential metal.

The finding, by infectious disease researchers at the University of Adelaide and The University of Queensland, opens the way for further work to design antibacterial agents in the fight against Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Australian scientists have described an exquisitely balanced interplay of four molecules that trigger and govern antibody production in immune cells. As well as being an important basic science discovery, it helps explain why people with mutations in any one of the associated genes cannot fight infection effectively, and develop rare and crippling immunodeficiency disorders.

While the principle of immune memory has been known for decades, the exact molecular mechanisms underpinning it have remained a mystery. Australian scientists have now unraveled part of that mystery, identifying the role of a gene called STAT3, which acts as a kind of roundabout, directing chemical messenger molecules to various destinations.

An infection, or a vaccination, 'primes' the immune system, so that when you next encounter the same invader, your body 'remembers' it and quickly makes large amounts of exactly the right antibodies to quash the infection.

Researchers who sought to determine why breast cancers are more deadly in young women found that only a minority of young women experience long delays between the time they detect a breast abnormality and the time they receive a diagnosis, but delays in seeking care are more common in women with fewer financial resources. The findings are published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Researchers have found significant and equivalent reductions in depressive symptoms for both older and younger veterans undergoing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression (CBT-D), according to an article published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences on November 11.

Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2013 – New data suggest that the transcription factor FOXO3 may protect against alcohol-induced liver injury. Researchers determined that alcohol given to mice deficient in FOXO3 caused severe liver injury resembling human alcoholic hepatitis. Further they found that although hepatitis C virus (HCV) and alcohol independently activated FOXO3, in combination they suppressed FOXO3, reduced expression of cytoprotective genes, and worsened liver injury. The results are published in The American Journal of Pathology.

Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2013 – Multiple pregnancies are a major public health concern in the United States and the rest of the world due to the significantly higher health risks for both mothers and infants, as well as the impact on healthcare costs. Investigators analyzed and compared the cost of multiple versus single-birth pregnancies and found that pregnancies with delivery of twins cost about five times more than singletons, and pregnancies with delivery of triplets or more cost nearly 20 times as much. They call for strategies to reduce this burden.

Banning the practice of throwing unmarketable or over-quota fish back into the sea is just one of the measures needed to deliver sustainable fisheries according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Research carried out by UEA with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and published today in the journal Fisheries Research reveals that a ban will only help future fish stocks if it is accompanied by other measures to reduce total fishing mortality.

ST. LOUIS – A team of scientists that includes Saint Louis University researchers has identified a new way to intervene in the molecular and cellular cascade that causes fibrosis – a condition where the body's natural process of forming scars for wound healing goes into overdrive and causes diseases. The findings, published Nov. 10 in the advance online issue of Nature Medicine, demonstrate a potential novel therapeutic approach to treat fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and liver fibrosis.

November 10, 2013, Shenzhen, China - Coding variants in immune disease-related genes play only a small part in the overall genetic risk for psoriasis, according to a new study led by Anhui Medical University and BGI. This conclusion is strongly supported by their investigation on the contribution of functional coding variants to psoriasis in 21,309 Chinese individuals. In such a large-scale investigation, researchers only discovered two independent low-frequency variants with moderate effect on disease risk. The latest study was published online in Nature Genetics.

Patients with damaged organs could be helped by new treatments after scientists have discovered how tissues scar.

Researchers say that the finding could pave the way for new drugs and eventually reduce the number of patients on organ transplant waiting lists.

Fibrotic diseases occur in many tissues within the body – including the liver, lung or kidneys – and have a range of causes including viruses or toxins. Experts say that the main source of scar tissue is found in specialised cells called Myofibroblasts.

For the first time, scientists have used new technology which analyses the whole genome to find the cause of a genetic disease in what was previously referred to as "junk DNA". Pancreatic agenesis results in babies being born without a pancreas, leaving them with a lifetime of diabetes and problems digesting food.

A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shines a new light on molecular tools our cells use to govern regulated gene expression. The study was published on line in advance of print November 10 in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

Atlanta, GA (November 9, 2013)—Two new studies highlight the potential negative effects that soft drinks and sugar can have on kidney health. Results of these studies will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.