Laboratory | Page 101 of 116

Diabetes :: Enzyme may hold key to new treatment of diabetic kidney disease

Northwestern University researchers have found an enzyme, called “ACE2,” may hold the potential to treat diabetic kidney disease, the most common form of kidney disease.The researchers have found low levels of the ACE2 enzyme in kidneys of diabetic mice. When ACE2 was further decreased with an inhibitor drug, kidney disease worsened. Studies are now needed using compounds that increase the level of ACE2 in the kidneys of diabetic mice to see if it reverses or prevents kidney disease.

Psychology :: Spillover effect – Why we end up spending more when we think we’re saving

Ever go to a store intending to buy one item, only to leave with a cartful? Or walked out of a store after feeling you had been overcharged for something you needed? A groundbreaking new paper in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research is the first to comprehensively outline “spillover effect” ? that is, the tendency for consumers to spend more on a shopping trip when something they were planning to buy is deeply discounted. Similarly, an unanticipated price increase, or a decrease in quality, on a planned purchase causes overall spending to go down.

Health :: Research shows brain injury may occur within one millisecond after head hits car windshield

Center neurologist shows that brain injury may occur within one millisecond after a human head is thrust into a windshield in a car accident. This happens before any overall motion of the head following impact with the windshield and is a new concept to consider for doctors interested in traumatic brain injury.

Contraception :: Male contraception: One door opens, another closes

Researchers have announced a breakthrough on a non-hormonal compound known as Adjudin. When injected as an attachment to a modified hormone that seeks out the testes, a low dose is a safe and effective contraceptive in rats. However, another promising drug, miglustat, has failed to make the leap from mice to men.

Leukemia :: When Gleevec is not enough

Researchers at the Jackson Laboratory, in collaboration with scientists at Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology, discovered is that imatinib does not inactivate all BCR-ABL signaling pathways in the cascade. Proteins called SRC kinases are still activated by BCR-ABL in imatinib-treated mouse leukemic cells. Treatment with dasatinib, which inhibits the SRC proteins as well as BCR-ABL, was not only more effective for CML, but also led to complete B-ALL remission.

Immunity :: Natural compounds block autoimmune response in diabetes, arthritis

Natural compounds derived from a sea anemone extract and a shrub plant have been found to block the autoimmune disease response in type-1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.

Ears :: Study shows most ear infections host both bacteria and viruses

Ear infections are among the most common diseases seen in pediatric practice. They have generally been considered bacterial diseases and are therefore usually treated with antibiotics. New research, published in the Dec. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and currently available online, provides evidence that viruses are found in a great many ear infection cases and may complicate treatment.

Health :: Green plants share bacterial toxin

A toxin that can make bacterial infections turn deadly is also found in higher plants, researchers at UC Davis, the Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass. and the University of Nebraska have found. Lipid A, the core of endotoxin, is located in the chloroplasts, structures that carry out photosynthesis within plant cells.

Ecology :: Accelerating loss of ocean species threatens human well-being

An international group of ecologists and economists has shown that the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean’s ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants and rebound from stresses such as overfishing and climate change. Their results are published in this week’s issue of the journal Science.

Malaria :: Eye-opening research provides important diagnostic tool for major childhood killer

The eye can provide a very reliable way of diagnosing cerebral malaria, researchers in Malawi have shown. By looking at the changes to the retina, doctors are able to determine whether an unconscious child is suffering from this severe form of malaria or another, unrelated illness, leading to the most appropriate treatment.