Cigarette smoke causes breaks in DNA and defects to a cell's chromosomes, Pitt study finds
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 30 The amount of smoke in just one or two puffs of a cigarette can cause breaks in DNA and defects to a cell's chromosomes, leading to irreversible changes in genetic information being passed to a newly divided cell, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers. Their findings, to be reported Tuesday, Oct. 5 at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society,...Study offers new insight into Rett Syndrome
Cambridge, Mass. Rett Syndrome is a major cause of mental retardation in girls. Although researchers have identified the protein involved in the disease, its exact role remains a mystery. Now, a group of researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research have identified the protein's function, a discovery the scientists say could be the first significant a...RSRF-funded study leads to breakthrough for Rett Syndrome research
A collaborative study between the laboratories of Michael Greenberg of Children's Hospital Boston and Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research has resulted in a significant breakthrough. The investigators report in the October 31, 2003 issue of the prestigious journal Science, that the "Rett Syndrome gene", MECP2, regulates expression of the gene encoding brain-derived-ne...Cutting back on cigarettes: when less is more
COLUMBUS, Ohio Smokers who pride themselves on successfully cutting back as a step toward quitting tobacco altogether may be caught in a haze of self-deception. New research shows smokers who slash their cigarette use by half quickly change the way they smoke to compensate for less exposure ironically, in the process, often boosting their consumption of smoke, carbon monoxide, nicotine and othe...Introduction of the 'Rett protein' in post-mitotic neurons rescues Rett Syndrome in mice
Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA reports in the April 6, 2004 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that introduction of the MeCP2 protein into post-mitotic nerve cells of MeCP2 mutant mice rescues the symptoms of Rett Syndrome. This raises the possibility that neurons are functionally normal in a newborn child and th...Surgeons explore new treatment for Tourette syndrome
......CLEVELAND, April 1, 2004: A neurosurgical team at University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) has, for the first time in North America, applied a new surgical approach to the treatment of Tourette syndrome, resulting in the immediate and nearly complete resolution of symptoms for the patient, who has suffered from this neurologic disorder since he was a child.... "We were genuinely amazed at...Researchers identify a new form of disease gene associated with Rett syndrome
TORONTO (March 22, 2004) -- Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids), the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the University of Toronto (U of T) have identified an alternate form of the disease gene and protein for the neurodevelopmental condition Rett syndrome. This discovery is being incorporated into a new molecular test that will aid not only in the diagnosis of...Researchers discover an alternate form for the disease gene associated with Rett syndrome
... ...Clinton, MD (March 22, 2004) - Researchers at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and their collaborators have identified a new form of the protein MECP2 which regulates the complex expression of Rett syndrome and other neurological disorders including autism, childhood schizophrenia and some forms of mental retardation. This discovery is being incorporated into a new molecular test that...Researchers confirm novel form of the Rett syndrome protein
March 22, 2004 Adrian Bird and Skirmantas Kriaucionis of the University of Edinburgh have discovered a novel form of the protein MeCP2. This alternate form, coined MeCP2 alpha, differs from the original only in the first 19 amino acids. Interestingly, Adrian Bird, Director of the Welcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology at Edinburgh University, found that MeCP2 alpha, is ten times more prevalent no...Researchers discover novel form of the Rett Syndrome protein
March 21, 2004 Research spearheaded by investigators from The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto has uncovered a new form of the protein MeCP2 that is ten times more prevalent in adult human brain then the originally described form. The findings will be reported in the April issue of the scientific journal Nature Genetics (available online March 21, 2004). ......In 1999 Hu...An apple a day keeps the doctor away . . . but so may a cigarette
HOUSTON Cigarettes might just hold the key to treating some serious neurological problems. Scientists at the University of Houston have unlocked one of the first doors, discovering that nicotine repairs damaged brain function. Karim Alkadhi, associate professor of pharmacology, and his team of researchers at the UH College of Pharmacy recently have established that nicotine has a beneficial ef...The Rett Syndrome Research Foundation commits $1.3 million for 2003 research awards
The Rett Syndrome Research Foundation (RSRF) has awarded $1.3 million to fund 13 cutting edge projects seeking improved understanding of this debilitating neurological disorder diagnosed almost exclusively in little girls.... ...Children with Rett Syndrome (RTT) appear to develop normally until 6 to 18 months of age, when they enter a period of regression, losing speech and motor skills. Most dev...OHSU researcher publishes first measurements of 'free-base' nicotine in cigarette smoke
PORTLAND, Ore. -- When it comes to nicotine content, all cigarettes are not created equal, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. In fact, the study finds that some commercial cigarette brands contain 10 to 20 times higher percentages of nicotine in the so-called "free-base" form -- the form thought to be most addictive -- than believed up to now. The study...Cigarette smoke linked to low folate levels
Exposure to cigarette smoke may rob people of folate, an important vitamin that helps protect against a variety of diseases, including a number of birth defects, a large nationwide study concludes.... ...Both active smokers and those exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke had lower levels of folate in their blood than nonsmokers, according to the report in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Resea...Cell density determines extent of damage caused by cigarette smoke exposure
BETHESDA, MD First- or second-hand exposure to cigarettes can lead to a variety of diseases, including tissue destruction found in pulmonary emphysema and osteoporosis. Also included among cigarette smoking-induced diseases are disorders in which an excessive deposition of fibrotic scar occurs, such as with atherosclerosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. ...... Collagen is the major protein o...USF study: Nicotine antagonist relieves depression in children with Tourette's
Tampa, FL (Dec. 10, 2002) -- A well-tolerated drug that blocks nicotine receptors in the brain appears to relieve depression and mood instability in children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome, a preliminary study by University of South Florida College of Medicine researchers has found....... The multicenter, placebo-controlled study of the drug mecamylamine is published in the latest issue...New study shows passive cigarette smoke at least doubles risk of cancer in cats
North Grafton, Mass., July 29, 2002 - Cats living in homes where people smoke cigarettes are more than twice as likely as other cats to acquire a deadly form of cancer known as feline lymphoma, according to a first-of-its kind study in cats conducted by scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Massachusetts....... The study, entitled "Environmental Tobacc...Researchers develop mouse model of Rett syndrome
By studying gene mutations in patients with the complex set of behavioral and neurological symptoms that accompany Rett syndrome, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and her colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine have designed a mouse model that faithfully recapitulates the disease down to its distinctive hand-wringing behavior....... , provides a springboard into the study of Rett s...Getting adults to exercise may hinge on providing paths and pretty scenery
Providing aesthetically pleasing and convenient places for people to walk, run and bicycle may be the key to getting adults off the couch and exercising regularly, according to a recent study. ......Public health strategies to promote physical activity are now strongly emphasizing the role of environmental influences to create opportunities and remove barriers to people being more active in thei...Hopkins researchers find tourette drug has unexpected effect
. A new study by Johns Hopkins Children's Center neurologists suggests that . baclofen, a drug long thought to be effective in reducing the vocal and . motor tics associated with Tourette syndrome, improves a patient's overall . sense of well-being but does not significantly reduce tics.. . "One of our conclusions is that baclofen helps as a treatment for Tourette . syndrome, but it appears to...Scientists create first animal model of Rett Syndrome
.Researchers from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have created the long-awaited animal model for Rett syndrome, one of the most common causes of mental retardation in females with an incidence of 1 in 10,000-15,000. The transgenic mouse model sheds much-needed light on the underlying mechanism of the disease and suggests a new reason for hope in the research toward therapies. ....Poorer lung function among children exposed to their mothers' cigarette smoke while in the womb
. ... Babies exposed to their mothers' cigarette smoke while in the womb grow into children with compromised lung power, reports research in Thorax.. Various measures of lung capacity were tested in over 3300 schoolchildren between the ages of 10 and 16 living in southern California. They and their parents completed questionnaires about current and previous exposure to household tobacco smoke an...Poorer lung function among children exposed to their mother's cigarette smoke while in the womb
.Babies exposed to their mothers' cigarette smoke while in the womb grow into children with compromised lung power, reports research in Thorax.. .Various measures of lung capacity were tested in over 3300 schoolchildren between the ages of 10 and 16 living in southern California. They and their parents completed questionnaires about current and previous exposure to household tobacco smoke and w...UT Southwestern researchers discover structure of molecule that repairs sun and cigarette damage
.DALLAS - October 12, 1999 - The crystal structure of an enzyme that hunts down.DNA damage caused by sunlight and cigarettes then snaps it up like a Venus'.flytrap is described in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.. UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers provide the first.structural information on any component of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).nucleo...Rett Syndrome traced to defective gene 'silencer'
. -- A 14-year search for the cause of a rare.genetic disease that strikes young girls has uncovered the first example of a.human disease linked to a defect in a mechanism designed to keep certain genes.silent. This discovery may provide new insights into nervous system development.in the fetus and young child. . .Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder seen in young girls that.caus...Researchers Find Genetic Connection To Cigarette Smoking
. . . WASHINGTON - Quitting smoking can be difficult for some and almost.impossible for others. The reason -- your genes -- New research has found.that a certain gene can make the difference as to whether or not someone.will start smoking and then become addicted to the nicotine. In two studies.featured in this month's American Psychological Association's journal of.Health Psychology, res...Scientists Finger A Molecular Kingpin In Body's Response To Cigarettes
. Using genetically modified "knock-out" mice, scientists at.the University of Rochester have produced the strongest evidence.yet implicating a specific gene -- the same one that makes us.susceptible to the pollutant dioxin -- as a vital link in the.chemical cascade whereby cigarette smoke causes cancer. The.finding comes thanks to a batch of genetically engineered mice.normal in every way e.... . Johns Hopkins researchers have found evidence that Tourette's syndrome,.which causes involuntary muscle contractions and bursts of words and noise, may.be triggered in part by an infection. . "We think antibodies made by the immune system in response to a.bacterial infection may go on to attack brain nerve cells in a subset of the.children who develop Tourette's," says Harvey...