Futurity.org » pathology

100-year-old brains may help treat mentally ill

Steve Chaplin-Indiana — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:39:33 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — Using a simple blood test, DNA from brains preserved more than a century ago may help improve diagnosis and treatment for people with psychological illnesses.

The brain samples under investigation come from turn-of-the-century patients who suffered from mental disorders at Central State Hospital, an asylum established in the mid-1800s for the state of Indiana’s mentally ill that now houses the Indiana Medical History Museum.

T cells help immune system remember invaders

Michael Purdy-WUSTL — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:15:41 +0000

WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — After defeating an infection, the immune system creates a memory of the vanquished attacker to make it easier to identify and eliminate it in the future.

New research finds the cells that store these memories—memory T cells—are able to enhance their own survival by packing themselves full of mitochondria—energy generators that help the cells live a long time and allow them to recognize a returning invader.

Imaging scope may lead to fewer biopsies

Anne Ju-Cornell — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:52:45 +0000

CORNELL (US) — A new imaging scope that can be inserted safely into a patient’s body could minimize the need for unnecessary biopsies.

Researchers at Cornell University are developing prototypes of multiphoton endoscopes that can be used in clinical settings to directly image tissues or tumors. The latest prototype—4 cm in length and 3 mm in diameter—is described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

‘Hot hands’ keep athletes on win streak

Karen Peart-Yale — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:25:27 +0000

YALE (US) — Athletes on a winning streak are likely to stay on one, according to new evidence that supports the “hot hand” phenomenon.

For the study, published in the journal PLoS One, researchers at Yale University investigated the common belief among basketball players and fans that players’ probabilities of hitting a free throw are greater following a hit than following a miss on the previous shot.

Test predicts cancer in pancreas cysts

Dennis O'Shea-JHU — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:45:03 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — A gene-based test can distinguish precancerous pancreatic cysts from harmless ones and may eventually help patients avoid unneeded and potentially risky surgery.

“There has long been a need for accurate, quantitative ways to identify cysts that are more worrisome and to help patients avoid unnecessary surgeries for harmless cysts,” says Bert Vogelstein, professor of oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins University.

Fluid-filled cysts are identified each year in more than a million patients, most of whom have undergone CT or MRI scans to evaluate non-specific symptoms, such as abdominal pain and swelling.

Regrown blood vessels have staying power

Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:42:39 +0000

U. PITTSBURGH (US) — A minimally invasive method that delivers growth factor to regenerate blood vessels could be used to effectively treat heart disease.

When growth factor compound was injected under the skin of mice, scientists were surprised to see that substantial blood vessels grew.

Blows may cause disease in athlete brain

Carole Gan-UC Davis — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:56:08 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Professional athletes who suffer repeated blows to the head are at risk for developing a brain disease that years later manifests as memory loss, mood disorders, and even early dementia.

The pattern of protein tangles and plaques associated with the disease, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), is distinct from those in Alzheimer’s patients, according to new research reported in the journal Neurosurgery.

Cancer, stem cells: Separated at birth?

Alison Trinidad-USC — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:04:01 +0000

USC (US) — Protein mutation helps determine the path a healthy cell will take—toward cancer or toward stem-like cells that can be used to treat a variety of diseases.

Oncogenes are generally thought to be genes that, when mutated, change healthy cells into cancerous tumor cells, but new research, published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that they also can change normal cells into stem-like cells, paving the way to a safer and more practical approach to treating diseases like multiple sclerosis and cancer with stem cell therapy.

Slow and steady wins weight loss race

Phyllis Picklesimer-Illinois — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:44:17 +0000

U. ILLINOIS (US) — Obese dieters would do well to approach losing weight like the tortoise rather than the hare. Beginning a diet by fasting triggers alterations that work against shedding pounds.

“When obese persons reduce their food intake too drastically, their bodies appear to resist their weight loss efforts. They may have to work harder and go slower in order to outsmart their brain chemistry,” says Gregory G. Freund, professor of pathology at the University of Illinois. “Take smaller steps to start your weight loss and keep it going.”

Lyme bacteria find unlikely safe haven

Pat Bailey-UC Davis — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:17:35 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — By hiding out in the lymph nodes, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease are able to both provoke and elude immune responses in the animals they infect.

Published in the journal PLoS Biology, the findings involving mice may explain why some people experience repeated infections of Lyme disease.