Futurity.org » University of Iowa

Vitamin D: No cure-all for older women

David Orenstein-Brown — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:36:20 +0000

BROWN (US) — Postmenopausal women receive no additional mortality benefit from vitamin D after controlling for health risk factors such as abdominal obesity, a new study finds.

The research, consistent with advice issued last fall by the Institute of Medicine, found no evidence linking vitamin D to the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other causes of death after controlling for health factors like abdominal obesity.

Embryo: When (and where) arms, legs grow

James Devitt-NYU — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:55:56 +0000

NYU (US) — Biologists have identified a protein that plays a critical role in how early embryos develop, ensuring arms and legs grow in the right place at the right time.

In a paper published in the journal PLoS Genetics, John Manak, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Iowa, and Chris Rushlow, a biology professor at New York University (NYU), write that much research has focused on the spatial regulatory networks that control early developmental processes.

Obesity may not protect post-surgery

Emily Boynton-Rochester — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:59:28 +0000

U. ROCHESTER (US) — Obese patients with diabetes and hypertension have a three to seven-fold increased risk of kidney problems following non-cardiac surgery compared to patients of normal weight.

The new research, which also finds those patients are at greater risk for cardiac, pulmonary, and neurologic complications, goes against the grain of previous studies that associate obesity with a lower risk of death and complications after surgery and helps clarify the so-called obesity paradox, or notion that a high body mass index (BMI) confers a protective effect in certain circumstances.

Face it: Human perception isn’t unique

Gary Galluzzo-Iowa — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:49:15 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — Humans aren’t the only ones who are able to recognize facial identity and emotional expression—pigeons can too.

The findings could make scientists reconsider assumptions about how unique human cognitive processes really are when they interact with more complex tasks such as face recognition.

After stroke, add antidepressants

Jennifer Brown-Iowa — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:52:21 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — Taking a short course of antidepressants after a stroke appears to boost physically recovery months after the medication is stopped.

“The idea that antidepressants might benefit early recovery from stroke has been around for a couple of years,” says Robert Robinson, University of Iowa professor of psychiatry and senior study author. “But one major question left unanswered by previous studies was, ‘Does the effect last after the medication stops?’

Lost protein leads to cystic fibrosis

Jennifer Brown-Iowa — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:34:44 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — A misprocessed protein that ends up in the wrong cellular location leads to symptoms of cystic fibrosis, including lung disease and gastrointestinal abnormalities.

The new findings, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, match earlier laboratory experiments that suggest gene mutation disrupts the process where the CF protein is folded into its correct shape and shipped to the membranes of cells that line the airways and other organs.

New muscular dystrophy mars cognition

Jennifer Brown-Iowa — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:51:29 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — Scientists have identified a new gene mutation that causes a type of muscular dystrophy that manifests itself in cognitive ways, not muscular ones.

The discovery has led to the creation of a mouse model to screen potential therapy drugs for the inherited disorder.

Depression, anxiety not synonymous

Nicole Riehl-U. Iowa — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:51:27 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — Anxiety and depression are often lumped together, but the way they manifest themselves is quite different, a significant finding for diagnosis and treatment purposes.

People who report feeling depressed, express their emotions in terms of events that happened in the past while those who say they feel anxious, talk about things happening in the moment.

Meds may exacerbate brain tissue loss

Jennifer Brown-Iowa — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:14:05 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — Loss of brain tissue that at times occurs in patients with schizophrenia may be accelerated by antipsychotic medication commonly used to treat the condition.

The findings, published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, suggest that physicians should use the lowest effective dose of antipsychotics when treating patients.

The case of the fear-free brain

John Riehl-Iowa — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:49:40 +0000

U. IOWA (US) — Spiders, snakes, and slasher flicks—even public speaking—failed to arouse feelings of terror in a woman whose amygdala was destroyed. She simply was unable to be afraid.

A case study of the patient—reported in the journal Current Biology—pinpoints the amygdala as fear central in the brain. The discovery could improve treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety conditions, say researchers.