Study: obesity impairs immune response of mice, boosts chances of dying from influenza infection
...irus begins with the production of cytokines whose function is to control the spread of infection and turn on various immune system components, she said. This step is followed by activation of T cells that circulate into the lungs to further limit viral spread. There were considerable differences between the ...Carnegie Mellon researchers open window into the ability of humans to recognize faces
...avior in those individuals with prosopagnosia is a function of the brain, we need to identify the neural system that has given rise to this altered pattern of behavior," Behrmann said. "The detective work is well under way." Unlike the acquired form of prosopagnosia--which results from brain damage such as th...Brain region recovery possible in former methamphetamine users
... human brain can recover or partially recover as a function of extended drug abstinence has important implications both for the neurobiology of addiction and substance abuse treatment," the authors conclude. "Additional longitudinal studiesare needed to further understand the underlying physiological changes ...Study shows that a kidney transplant can reverse heart failure
...ney transplant can significantly improve the heart function of people on dialysis with a serious form of heart...ilure had striking improvement in terms of cardiac function after a kidney transplant." Dr. Wali adds, "Our study also found that systolic heart failure was mo...OHSU researchers demonstrate how Alzheimer's disease impacts important brain cell function
...arly witnessed in patients, the disease's cellular function and methods for disrupting thought and memory have not been well understood. By conducting this research, NSI scientists and their collaborators have demonstrated how proteins involved in brain cell communications, called synaptic proteins, decrease ...Lupus and the role of Epstein-Barr virus
...ing properly. Due to its interference with immune function and promotion of certain antibodies, EBV has been implicated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly referred to as lupus. Lupus is a chronic, potentially debilitating autoimmune disease that more often affects women and is also more common ...Lack of vigorous activity linked to functional decline in older adults with arthritis
... physical activity. The present study showed that function declined less frequently in older adults with arthritis who engaged in regular vigorous physical activity, regardless of their baseline functional ability." To provide a clearer picture of the benefits of exercise for even elderly arthritis patient...Soy and fish oil may help prevent heart attacks
...supplements of fish or soy oil may improve cardiac function and protect against heart attacks in the short-ter...fact, our study group showed improvements in heart function in as little as two weeks." Researchers from Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Cuernavaca, Mexico, took t...Tissue engineering experts discuss orthopaedics applications
...ve processes in order to maintain the activity and function of our aging population," said Gary G. Poehling, M.D., professor and chairman of othopaedics at Wake Forest Baptist. Anthony Atala M.D., director of the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, said that laboratory-grown organs may one day hel...Deep brain stimulation in Parkinson disease reduces uncontrolled movements
...n GPi stimulation. No improvement in on-medication function was observed in either group. Levodopa [Parkinson medication] dose was reduced by 38 percent in STN stimulation patients compared with three percent in GPi stimulation patients. Dyskinesia was reduced by stimulation at both GPi and STN ( 89 v 62 per...Grandmothers' smoking linked to grandchildren's asthma decades later
...s speculate that these alterations decrease immune function and reduce the body's ability to rid itself of toxins, thereby increasing their risk of asthma in smokers' children and grandchildren. They also note that further studies are needed to confirm their results and investigate the issue more deeply. "The...Chemical library aids in developing drug system for nerve damage
...nding site," she said. "We're not sure if that's a function of the affinity controlling the rate of release or if there is actually some separate biological modulator that's being affected. "The good thing, though, is that we've identified several different affinities of binding sites so we can now test whet...Chemical present in clear plastics can impair learning and cause disease
...brain, where it contributes to the development and function of the hippocampus. MacLusky said that high concen...exposure to BPA could adversely affect hippocampal function and contribute to agerelated neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, in which hippoc...Breakthrough findings by Ume researchers link obesity to diabetes
...utes to disease development. By inactivating GPR40 function the animals are protected from these diseases. This theory is supported by the finding that mice with an increased number of GPR40 receptors on their beta cells develop diabetes. GPR40 belongs to the class of receptors targeted by most drugs. The r...Columbia research suggests need to rethink causes of heart failure
...ols. While all of the subjects had normal pumping function of the heart, the subjects with heart failure and a normal ejection fraction and low blood pressure had trouble filling their small to normal sized hearts, and wall thickening that was out of proportion to their ventricular volume. However, for the ...Late-breaking science presented at 57th AAN Annual Meeting
...been seen in CMT families before. The same protein function that is impaired by the mutation--the ability to bind a high-energy molecule called CTP--is also impaired by other CMT gene mutations, suggesting this may be a central pathway for a large class of peripheral neuropathies. New Parkinson's Disease Gen...Study challenges current treatment for mild asthma
...irway 'scarring' and progressive loss of pulmonary function in the long run. What we can say is that the patie...e attacks, and did not seem to be losing pulmonary function rapidly." The researches noted that patients who used the corticosteroids daily did experience some ...Study shows symptom-driven therapy may be ok for some adults with mild persistent asthma
...of severe exacerbations and of asthma-related lung function decline as those treated with the standard recomme...howed that anti-inflammatory therapy improves lung function and measures of asthma control. However, participants in these earlier studies had asthma that range...Pathological gambling associated with brain impairments
...mplex impairments in decision-making and executive function processes associated with the prefrontal cortex of the brain, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 57th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., April 9 16, 2005. Researchers learned that decision-making func...NMDP welcomes IOM recommendation for fully integrated cord blood system
... to make recommendations to enhance the structure, function and utility of such programs....