The March of Dimes Foundation awarded $3.5 million to 10 scientists who are trying to stem the growing pace of preterm birth by studying the role genes and heredity play in premature births and how the rate of fetal lung development, infection and other factors may trigger labor.
Since 2005, the March of Dimes has committed more than $11 million to its four-year-old Prematurity Research Initiative grant program.
The March of Dimes unveiled the names and the projects of the 10 scientists who are the 2008 grant recipients, including two whose work was funded in the first round of grant awards in 2005.
More than half a million babies - one out of every eight - are born too soon each year, and the numbers have risen steadily.
"Most of the causes of preterm birth remain unknown. There is an urgent purpose for this research," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "We continue to work toward a future when every baby is born healthy."
The 2008 PRI grantees include:
1. Dr Louis Muglia of Washington University in St. Louis, a returning grantee, who is searching the genome to identify genetic variations that play key roles in the timing of spontaneous term and preterm delivery.
2. Dr. Carol Mendelson of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, another returning grantee, who is looking at the role of fetal lungs in triggering labor in mice.
3. Dr. Hui-Ju Tsai at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, who is seeking to explain ethnic disparities in preterm birth rates by looking for genetic differences between African-American women who gave birth preterm and those who did not.
4. Dr. Siladitya Bhattacharya, University of Aberdeen in Scotland, who studies information about grandmothers, mothers and daughters, to see if preterm birth is hereditary.
5. Dr. Glenna C. L. Bett, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, who is studying the physical properties of uterine muscle as a way to develop a medical treatment that can delay or prevent preterm labor.
6. Dr. Dror Harats at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, who is using mice to explore the roles of certain maternal and fetal proteins in triggering spontaneous labor.
7. Dr. David Arnold Relman, Stanford University and Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education in California, who is looking to identify obscure and elusive bacteria and other microbes that may cause preterm labor.
8. Dr. Linda C. Giudice at the University of California, San Francisco, who is identifying obscure bacteria and other microbes in vaginal tissue to determine if they are associated with preterm delivery.
9. Dr. Mark Philippe at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, who, using mice, is exploring a basis for preventing preterm delivery by better understanding the immune system's response to infections during pregnancy.
10. Dr. Leonardo Pereira at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, who is seeking to learn whether women with prior preterm births who are destined for recurrent preterm births can be identified by specific protein patterns in cervical-vaginal fluid.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies SM, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies.
For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes/ or nacersanonacersano/.
Source: Elizabeth Lynch
March of Dimes Foundation
среда, 1 июня 2011 г.
Ape Gestures Offer Clues To The Evolution Of Human Communication
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have found bonobos and chimpanzees use manual gestures of their hands, feet and limbs more flexibly than they do facial expressions and vocalizations, further supporting the evolution of human language began with gestures as the gestural origin hypothesis of language suggests. This study appears in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Working with two groups of bonobos (13 animals) and two groups of chimpanzees (34 animals), Yerkes researchers Amy Pollick, PhD, and Frans de Waal, PhD, distinguished 31 manual gestures and 18 facial/vocal signals. They found both species used facial/vocal signals similarly, but the same did not hold true for the manual gestures. Rather, the researchers found both within and between species the manual gestures were less closely tied to a particular emotion and, thereby, serve a more adaptable function. For example, a single gesture may communicate an entirely different message depending upon the social context in which it is used.
"A chimpanzee may stretch out an open hand to another as a signal for support, whereas the same gesture toward a possessor of food signals a desire to share," said Pollick. "A scream, however, is a typical response for victims of intimidation, threat or attack. This is so for both bonobos and chimpanzees, and suggests the vocalization is relatively invariant," Pollick continued.
By studying similar types of communication in closely related species, researchers are able to determine shared ancestry. We know gestures are evolutionarily younger than facial expressions and vocalizations, as shown by their presence in apes and humans but not in monkeys. "A gesture that occurs in bonobos and chimpanzees as well as humans likely was present in the last common ancestor," said Pollick. "A good example of a shared gesture is the open-hand begging gesture, used by both apes and humans. This gesture can be used for food, if there is food around, but it also can be used to beg for help, for support, for money and so on. It's meaning is context-dependent," added de Waal.
Looking for further distinctions between species, the researchers found bonobos use gestures more flexibly than do chimpanzees. "Different groups of bonobos used gestures in specific contexts less consistently than did different groups of chimpanzees," said Pollick. The researcher's findings also suggest bonobos and chimpanzees engage in multi-modal communication, combining their gestures with facial expressions and vocalizations to communicate a message. "While chimpanzees produce more of these combinations, bonobos respond to them more often. This finding suggests the bonobo is a better model of symbolic communication in our early ancestors," concluded Pollick.
For more than seven decades, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, has been dedicated to advancing science and to improving human health and well-being. Today, the center, as one of only eight National Institutes of Health-funded national primate research centers, provides specialized scientific resources, expertise and training opportunities. Recognized as a multidisciplinary research institute, the Yerkes Research Center is making landmark discoveries in the fields of microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, psychobiology and sensory-motor systems. Research programs are seeking ways to: develop vaccines for infectious and noninfectious diseases, such as AIDS and Alzheimer's disease; treat cocaine addiction; interpret brain activity through imaging; increase understanding of progressive illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's; unlock the secrets of memory; determine behavioral effects of hormone replacement therapy; address vision disorders; and advance knowledge about the evolutionary links between biology and behavior.
Contact: Emily Rios
Emory University
Working with two groups of bonobos (13 animals) and two groups of chimpanzees (34 animals), Yerkes researchers Amy Pollick, PhD, and Frans de Waal, PhD, distinguished 31 manual gestures and 18 facial/vocal signals. They found both species used facial/vocal signals similarly, but the same did not hold true for the manual gestures. Rather, the researchers found both within and between species the manual gestures were less closely tied to a particular emotion and, thereby, serve a more adaptable function. For example, a single gesture may communicate an entirely different message depending upon the social context in which it is used.
"A chimpanzee may stretch out an open hand to another as a signal for support, whereas the same gesture toward a possessor of food signals a desire to share," said Pollick. "A scream, however, is a typical response for victims of intimidation, threat or attack. This is so for both bonobos and chimpanzees, and suggests the vocalization is relatively invariant," Pollick continued.
By studying similar types of communication in closely related species, researchers are able to determine shared ancestry. We know gestures are evolutionarily younger than facial expressions and vocalizations, as shown by their presence in apes and humans but not in monkeys. "A gesture that occurs in bonobos and chimpanzees as well as humans likely was present in the last common ancestor," said Pollick. "A good example of a shared gesture is the open-hand begging gesture, used by both apes and humans. This gesture can be used for food, if there is food around, but it also can be used to beg for help, for support, for money and so on. It's meaning is context-dependent," added de Waal.
Looking for further distinctions between species, the researchers found bonobos use gestures more flexibly than do chimpanzees. "Different groups of bonobos used gestures in specific contexts less consistently than did different groups of chimpanzees," said Pollick. The researcher's findings also suggest bonobos and chimpanzees engage in multi-modal communication, combining their gestures with facial expressions and vocalizations to communicate a message. "While chimpanzees produce more of these combinations, bonobos respond to them more often. This finding suggests the bonobo is a better model of symbolic communication in our early ancestors," concluded Pollick.
For more than seven decades, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, has been dedicated to advancing science and to improving human health and well-being. Today, the center, as one of only eight National Institutes of Health-funded national primate research centers, provides specialized scientific resources, expertise and training opportunities. Recognized as a multidisciplinary research institute, the Yerkes Research Center is making landmark discoveries in the fields of microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, psychobiology and sensory-motor systems. Research programs are seeking ways to: develop vaccines for infectious and noninfectious diseases, such as AIDS and Alzheimer's disease; treat cocaine addiction; interpret brain activity through imaging; increase understanding of progressive illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's; unlock the secrets of memory; determine behavioral effects of hormone replacement therapy; address vision disorders; and advance knowledge about the evolutionary links between biology and behavior.
Contact: Emily Rios
Emory University
Onset Of Skeletal Muscle Disorder Slowed By Lithium Chloride
A new UC Irvine study finds that lithium chloride, a drug used to treat bipolar disorder, can slow the development of inclusion body myositis, a skeletal muscle disease that affects the elderly.
In the study by scientists Frank LaFerla and Masashi Kitazawa, mice genetically engineered to have IBM demonstrated markedly better motor function six months after receiving daily doses of lithium chloride, compared with non-treated mice. The muscles in treated mice also had lower levels of a protein that the study linked to muscle inflammation associated with IBM.
These data are the first to show that lithium chloride is a potential IBM therapy.
"Lithium chloride is an approved drug for treating humans. We already know it is safe and can be used by people," said LaFerla, professor of neurobiology and behavior at UCI and co-author of the study. "Given our findings, we believe a clinical trial that tests the effectiveness of lithium chloride on IBM patients should be conducted as soon as possible."
Results of the study appear online this month in the journal Annals of Neurology.
IBM is the most common skeletal muscle disorder among people older than 50. People with IBM experience weakness, inflammation and atrophy of muscles in their fingers, wrists, forearms and quadriceps. There is no cure for IBM, nor is there an effective treatment, according to the National Institutes of Health.
LaFerla, a noted Alzheimer's disease researcher, began studying IBM about 10 years ago after learning the disorders have similar tissue characteristics. In the brain, a buildup of phosphorylated tau protein leads to the development of tangles, one of the two lesions that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. High phospho-tau levels also are present in IBM, though patients do not experience dementia or memory loss. In a previous study,
LaFerla found that lithium chloride reduced phospho-tau levels in mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease. LaFerla and his research team then wondered: Could lithium chloride also reduce phospho-tau levels and symptoms in mice with IBM?
First, they sought to determine how the inflammation affects the skeletal muscle fibers. They injected the mice with a drug to trigger muscle inflammation, then put them on tiny treadmills to test their motor function. As expected, mice with inflammation could not keep up with the control mice, indicating reduced motor function. Examining their brain tissue, the scientists discovered the mice with muscle inflammation also had higher levels of phospho-tau.
Through additional testing, they discovered an enzyme called GSK-3 beta was responsible for increasing the tau phosphorylation. Previous studies have shown that same enzyme to cause tau buildup in the Alzheimer's brain.
Next, the scientists sought to block the accumulation of phospho-tau in the IBM mice with the goal of curbing motor function loss. In mice six months of age, one group was fed lithium chloride-laced food for six months, and a second group was fed regular food. At 12 months of age, mice in the first group performed on the treadmill as if they were six months of age, while mice in the second group had reduced motor function. Lithium chloride, the scientists found, blocked the GSK-3 beta enzyme that caused higher levels of phospho-tau.
"The older animals were performing as if they were younger animals," said Kitazawa, a postgraduate researcher of neurobiology and behavior at UCI and co-author of the study. "Lithium chloride was delaying their rate of decline."
The scientists then sought evidence that their results in mice might translate to humans with IBM. They performed tests on human muscle tissue samples and found the GSK-3 beta enzyme again played a role in the phosphorylation of tau. That was not the case, though, in patients with other muscle disorders. "This suggests that our IBM mouse model may have the same skeletal muscle mechanism as in human cases," LaFerla said.
Researcher Dan Trinh of UCI also worked on this study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and nearly 2,000 faculty members. The third-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.6 billion. For more UCI news, visit today.uci/.
Source: Jennifer Fitzenberger
University of California - Irvine
In the study by scientists Frank LaFerla and Masashi Kitazawa, mice genetically engineered to have IBM demonstrated markedly better motor function six months after receiving daily doses of lithium chloride, compared with non-treated mice. The muscles in treated mice also had lower levels of a protein that the study linked to muscle inflammation associated with IBM.
These data are the first to show that lithium chloride is a potential IBM therapy.
"Lithium chloride is an approved drug for treating humans. We already know it is safe and can be used by people," said LaFerla, professor of neurobiology and behavior at UCI and co-author of the study. "Given our findings, we believe a clinical trial that tests the effectiveness of lithium chloride on IBM patients should be conducted as soon as possible."
Results of the study appear online this month in the journal Annals of Neurology.
IBM is the most common skeletal muscle disorder among people older than 50. People with IBM experience weakness, inflammation and atrophy of muscles in their fingers, wrists, forearms and quadriceps. There is no cure for IBM, nor is there an effective treatment, according to the National Institutes of Health.
LaFerla, a noted Alzheimer's disease researcher, began studying IBM about 10 years ago after learning the disorders have similar tissue characteristics. In the brain, a buildup of phosphorylated tau protein leads to the development of tangles, one of the two lesions that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. High phospho-tau levels also are present in IBM, though patients do not experience dementia or memory loss. In a previous study,
LaFerla found that lithium chloride reduced phospho-tau levels in mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease. LaFerla and his research team then wondered: Could lithium chloride also reduce phospho-tau levels and symptoms in mice with IBM?
First, they sought to determine how the inflammation affects the skeletal muscle fibers. They injected the mice with a drug to trigger muscle inflammation, then put them on tiny treadmills to test their motor function. As expected, mice with inflammation could not keep up with the control mice, indicating reduced motor function. Examining their brain tissue, the scientists discovered the mice with muscle inflammation also had higher levels of phospho-tau.
Through additional testing, they discovered an enzyme called GSK-3 beta was responsible for increasing the tau phosphorylation. Previous studies have shown that same enzyme to cause tau buildup in the Alzheimer's brain.
Next, the scientists sought to block the accumulation of phospho-tau in the IBM mice with the goal of curbing motor function loss. In mice six months of age, one group was fed lithium chloride-laced food for six months, and a second group was fed regular food. At 12 months of age, mice in the first group performed on the treadmill as if they were six months of age, while mice in the second group had reduced motor function. Lithium chloride, the scientists found, blocked the GSK-3 beta enzyme that caused higher levels of phospho-tau.
"The older animals were performing as if they were younger animals," said Kitazawa, a postgraduate researcher of neurobiology and behavior at UCI and co-author of the study. "Lithium chloride was delaying their rate of decline."
The scientists then sought evidence that their results in mice might translate to humans with IBM. They performed tests on human muscle tissue samples and found the GSK-3 beta enzyme again played a role in the phosphorylation of tau. That was not the case, though, in patients with other muscle disorders. "This suggests that our IBM mouse model may have the same skeletal muscle mechanism as in human cases," LaFerla said.
Researcher Dan Trinh of UCI also worked on this study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and nearly 2,000 faculty members. The third-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.6 billion. For more UCI news, visit today.uci/.
Source: Jennifer Fitzenberger
University of California - Irvine
Researchers Find Clues To Why Some Continue To Eat When Full
The premise that hunger makes food look more appealing is a widely held belief just ask those who cruise grocery store aisles on an empty stomach, only to go home with a full basket and an empty wallet.
Prior research studies have suggested that the so-called hunger hormone ghrelin, which the body produces when it's hungry, might act on the brain to trigger this behavior. New research in mice by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists suggest that ghrelin might also work in the brain to make some people keep eating "pleasurable" foods when they're already full.
"What we show is that there may be situations where we are driven to seek out and eat very rewarding foods, even if we're full, for no other reason than our brain tells us to," said Dr. Jeffrey Zigman, assistant professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at UT Southwestern and co-senior author of the study appearing online and in a future edition of Biological Psychiatry.
Scientists previously have linked increased levels of ghrelin to intensifying the rewarding or pleasurable feelings one gets from cocaine or alcohol. Dr. Zigman said his team speculated that ghrelin might also increase specific rewarding aspects of eating.
Rewards, he said, generally can be defined as things that make us feel better.
"They give us sensory pleasure, and they motivate us to work to obtain them," he said. "They also help us reorganize our memory so that we remember how to get them."
Dr. Mario Perello, postdoctoral researcher in internal medicine and lead author of the current study, said the idea was to determine "why someone who is stuffed from lunch still eats and wants to eat that high-calorie dessert."
For this study, the researchers conducted two standard behavioral tests. In the first, they evaluated whether mice that were fully sated preferred a room where they had previously found high-fat food over one that had only offered regular bland chow. They found that when mice in this situation were administered ghrelin, they strongly preferred the room that had been paired with the high-fat diet. Mice without ghrelin showed no preference.
"We think the ghrelin prompted the mice to pursue the high-fat chow because they remembered how much they enjoyed it," Dr. Perello said. "It didn't matter that the room was now empty; they still associated it with something pleasurable."
The researchers also found that blocking the action of ghrelin, which is normally secreted into the bloodstream upon fasting or caloric restriction, prevented the mice from spending as much time in the room they associated with the high-fat food.
For the second test, the team observed how long mice would continue to poke their noses into a hole in order to receive a pellet of high-fat food. "The animals that didn't receive ghrelin gave up much sooner than the ones that did receive ghrelin," Dr. Zigman said.
Humans and mice share the same type of brain-cell connections and hormones, as well as similar architectures in the so-called "pleasure centers" of the brain. In addition, the behavior of the mice in this study is consistent with pleasure- or reward-seeking behavior seen in other animal studies of addiction, Dr. Zigman said.
The next step, Dr. Perello said, is to determine which neural circuits in the brain regulate ghrelin's actions.
Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study were Dr. Ichiro Sakata, postdoctoral researcher in internal medicine; Dr. Shari Birnbaum, assistant professor of psychiatry; Dr. Jen-Chieh Chuang, postdoctoral researcher in internal medicine; Sherri Osborne-Lawrence, senior research scientist; Sherry Rovinsky, research assistant in internal medicine; Jakub Woloszyn, medical student; Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa, professor of molecular genetics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and Dr. Michael Lutter, co- senior author and assistant professor of psychiatry.
The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research, and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.
Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Prior research studies have suggested that the so-called hunger hormone ghrelin, which the body produces when it's hungry, might act on the brain to trigger this behavior. New research in mice by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists suggest that ghrelin might also work in the brain to make some people keep eating "pleasurable" foods when they're already full.
"What we show is that there may be situations where we are driven to seek out and eat very rewarding foods, even if we're full, for no other reason than our brain tells us to," said Dr. Jeffrey Zigman, assistant professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at UT Southwestern and co-senior author of the study appearing online and in a future edition of Biological Psychiatry.
Scientists previously have linked increased levels of ghrelin to intensifying the rewarding or pleasurable feelings one gets from cocaine or alcohol. Dr. Zigman said his team speculated that ghrelin might also increase specific rewarding aspects of eating.
Rewards, he said, generally can be defined as things that make us feel better.
"They give us sensory pleasure, and they motivate us to work to obtain them," he said. "They also help us reorganize our memory so that we remember how to get them."
Dr. Mario Perello, postdoctoral researcher in internal medicine and lead author of the current study, said the idea was to determine "why someone who is stuffed from lunch still eats and wants to eat that high-calorie dessert."
For this study, the researchers conducted two standard behavioral tests. In the first, they evaluated whether mice that were fully sated preferred a room where they had previously found high-fat food over one that had only offered regular bland chow. They found that when mice in this situation were administered ghrelin, they strongly preferred the room that had been paired with the high-fat diet. Mice without ghrelin showed no preference.
"We think the ghrelin prompted the mice to pursue the high-fat chow because they remembered how much they enjoyed it," Dr. Perello said. "It didn't matter that the room was now empty; they still associated it with something pleasurable."
The researchers also found that blocking the action of ghrelin, which is normally secreted into the bloodstream upon fasting or caloric restriction, prevented the mice from spending as much time in the room they associated with the high-fat food.
For the second test, the team observed how long mice would continue to poke their noses into a hole in order to receive a pellet of high-fat food. "The animals that didn't receive ghrelin gave up much sooner than the ones that did receive ghrelin," Dr. Zigman said.
Humans and mice share the same type of brain-cell connections and hormones, as well as similar architectures in the so-called "pleasure centers" of the brain. In addition, the behavior of the mice in this study is consistent with pleasure- or reward-seeking behavior seen in other animal studies of addiction, Dr. Zigman said.
The next step, Dr. Perello said, is to determine which neural circuits in the brain regulate ghrelin's actions.
Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study were Dr. Ichiro Sakata, postdoctoral researcher in internal medicine; Dr. Shari Birnbaum, assistant professor of psychiatry; Dr. Jen-Chieh Chuang, postdoctoral researcher in internal medicine; Sherri Osborne-Lawrence, senior research scientist; Sherry Rovinsky, research assistant in internal medicine; Jakub Woloszyn, medical student; Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa, professor of molecular genetics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and Dr. Michael Lutter, co- senior author and assistant professor of psychiatry.
The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research, and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.
Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center
"Allergy Cells" Can Aggravate Cancer And Psoriasis
The body's mast cells are mainly associated with allergic reaction in the way they release histamine and other inflammatory substances. However, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now demonstrated how the mast cells can also contribute to diseases like psoriasis and cancer.
Mast cells are most known for their association with allergic reactions, as they act like microscopic "bombs" to trigger the release of a number of substances that give rise to the classic allergic symptoms, such as swelling, congestion and itching. The explosive reactions are activated when an allergen (such as pollen particles) binds to receptors on the surface of the mast cell, which then opens and secretes part of its contents.
In the past few years it has emerged that mast cells, which are a type of immune cell, are probably also involved in the development of a number of other diseases, like atopical eczema, psoriasis, and the Hodgkins lymphoma cancer type. These diseases are characterised by chronic inflammations and an increase in the number of mast cells. However, the mechanisms behind this are relatively unknown.
Associate professor Gunner Nilsson at Karolinska Institutet and his research group have now found a possible explanation for the link between mast cells and several non-allergic diseases. The study, which is presented online by The Journal of Clinical Investigation, shows that mast cells can be activated in a previously unknown way that might lead to chronic inflammation.
"These new findings contribute to our understanding of the part played by the mast cell in atopical eczema, psoriasis and Hodgkins Lymphoma," says Mr Nilsson. "We hope that our research will make it possible for scientists to develop new forms of therapy for the mast cell-related diseases."
The group discovered that the CD30 protein, which is found on the surface of the immune systems T-lymphocytes amongst other places, can stimulate mast cells to release proteins that regulate the recruitment of inflammatory cells. Since it is already known that levels of CD30 are higher in people with psoriasis or atopical eczema and with Hodgkins lymphoma, the results can explain how the mast cells are activated and how they aggravate inflammation in these diseases.
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
SE-171 77 Stockholm
info.ki.se/index_se.html
Mast cells are most known for their association with allergic reactions, as they act like microscopic "bombs" to trigger the release of a number of substances that give rise to the classic allergic symptoms, such as swelling, congestion and itching. The explosive reactions are activated when an allergen (such as pollen particles) binds to receptors on the surface of the mast cell, which then opens and secretes part of its contents.
In the past few years it has emerged that mast cells, which are a type of immune cell, are probably also involved in the development of a number of other diseases, like atopical eczema, psoriasis, and the Hodgkins lymphoma cancer type. These diseases are characterised by chronic inflammations and an increase in the number of mast cells. However, the mechanisms behind this are relatively unknown.
Associate professor Gunner Nilsson at Karolinska Institutet and his research group have now found a possible explanation for the link between mast cells and several non-allergic diseases. The study, which is presented online by The Journal of Clinical Investigation, shows that mast cells can be activated in a previously unknown way that might lead to chronic inflammation.
"These new findings contribute to our understanding of the part played by the mast cell in atopical eczema, psoriasis and Hodgkins Lymphoma," says Mr Nilsson. "We hope that our research will make it possible for scientists to develop new forms of therapy for the mast cell-related diseases."
The group discovered that the CD30 protein, which is found on the surface of the immune systems T-lymphocytes amongst other places, can stimulate mast cells to release proteins that regulate the recruitment of inflammatory cells. Since it is already known that levels of CD30 are higher in people with psoriasis or atopical eczema and with Hodgkins lymphoma, the results can explain how the mast cells are activated and how they aggravate inflammation in these diseases.
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
SE-171 77 Stockholm
info.ki.se/index_se.html
First 3-D View Of Human Coronary Arteries
For the first time researchers are getting a detailed look at the interior of human coronary arteries, using an optical imaging technique developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In their report in the journal JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, the research team describes how optical frequency-domain imaging (OFDI) gives three-dimensional, microscopic views of significant segments of patients' coronary arteries, visualizing areas of inflammation and plaque deposits.
"This is the first human demonstration of a technique that has the potential to change how cardiologists look at coronary arteries," says Gary Tearney, MD, PhD, of the MGH Pathology Department and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH, the study's lead author. "The wealth of information that we can now obtain will undoubtedly improve our ability to understand coronary artery disease and may allow cardiologists to diagnose and treat plaque before it leads to serious problems."
OFDI is an advance over optical coherence tomography (OCT), another imaging technology developed by the MGH investigators. While OCT examines tissues one point at a time, OFDI can look at over 1,000 points simultaneously using a device developed at MGH-Wellman. Inside a fiberoptic probe, a constantly rotating laser tip emits a light beam with an ever-changing wavelength. As the probe moves through the structure to be imaged, measuring how each wavelength is reflected back allows rapid acquisition of the data required to create the detailed microscopic images. Besides providing three-dimensional images of an artery's microstructure in seconds, the increased speed also reduces signal interference from blood, which had plagued the first-generation technology. In 2006 members of the MGH-Wellman team reported the successful use of OFDI to image the esophagus and coronary arteries of pigs.
The current study enrolled three patients scheduled to have stents placed in their coronary arteries at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. After the completion of stent placement, OFDI was used to image 3- to 7-centimeter-long segments of the patients' coronary arteries including the stented areas. OFDI provided detailed images along the length of the arteries - visualizing lipid or calcium deposits, immune cells that could indicate inflammation, and the stents - and dramatic "fly-through" views looking down the artery's interior. More detailed, cross-sectional images of narrowed vascular segments revealed features associated with the type of atherosclerotic plaques that are likely to rupture and cause a heart attack.
Tearney and his colleagues note that these findings need to be duplicated in a larger group of patients, and the time required to process the "fly-through" images - currently several hours - needs to be reduced to provide the real-time information most useful for clinical applications. Combining OFDI with intravascular ultrasound might help with another of the technique's limitations, the inability to penetrate deep into tissues.
"While more work remains, the technology is advancing at a rapid pace. We expect to see commercial devices available in a one- to two-year time frame," says Brett Bouma, PhD, of the Wellman Center, senior author of the report. "Our goal now is to help put the pieces in place to ensure that this technique will be widely available to interventional cardiologists." Bouma is an associate professor of Dermatology, and Tearney an associate professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.
Additional co-authors of the JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging report are Milen Shishkov, PhD, Ben Vakoc, PhD, Melissa Suter, PhD, Adrien Desjardins, PhD, Wang-Yul Oh, PhD, Lisa Bartlett and Mireille Rosenberg, PhD, MGH-Wellman; and Sergio Waxman, MD, and Mark Freilich, MBBS, Lahey Clinic. The MGH has licensed cardiovascular applications of OFDI to Terumo Corporation, which has supported nonclinical OFDI studies by Tearney and Bouma. The current study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Massachusetts General Hospital (massgeneral), established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $500 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
Source: Sue McGreevey
Massachusetts General Hospital
"This is the first human demonstration of a technique that has the potential to change how cardiologists look at coronary arteries," says Gary Tearney, MD, PhD, of the MGH Pathology Department and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH, the study's lead author. "The wealth of information that we can now obtain will undoubtedly improve our ability to understand coronary artery disease and may allow cardiologists to diagnose and treat plaque before it leads to serious problems."
OFDI is an advance over optical coherence tomography (OCT), another imaging technology developed by the MGH investigators. While OCT examines tissues one point at a time, OFDI can look at over 1,000 points simultaneously using a device developed at MGH-Wellman. Inside a fiberoptic probe, a constantly rotating laser tip emits a light beam with an ever-changing wavelength. As the probe moves through the structure to be imaged, measuring how each wavelength is reflected back allows rapid acquisition of the data required to create the detailed microscopic images. Besides providing three-dimensional images of an artery's microstructure in seconds, the increased speed also reduces signal interference from blood, which had plagued the first-generation technology. In 2006 members of the MGH-Wellman team reported the successful use of OFDI to image the esophagus and coronary arteries of pigs.
The current study enrolled three patients scheduled to have stents placed in their coronary arteries at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. After the completion of stent placement, OFDI was used to image 3- to 7-centimeter-long segments of the patients' coronary arteries including the stented areas. OFDI provided detailed images along the length of the arteries - visualizing lipid or calcium deposits, immune cells that could indicate inflammation, and the stents - and dramatic "fly-through" views looking down the artery's interior. More detailed, cross-sectional images of narrowed vascular segments revealed features associated with the type of atherosclerotic plaques that are likely to rupture and cause a heart attack.
Tearney and his colleagues note that these findings need to be duplicated in a larger group of patients, and the time required to process the "fly-through" images - currently several hours - needs to be reduced to provide the real-time information most useful for clinical applications. Combining OFDI with intravascular ultrasound might help with another of the technique's limitations, the inability to penetrate deep into tissues.
"While more work remains, the technology is advancing at a rapid pace. We expect to see commercial devices available in a one- to two-year time frame," says Brett Bouma, PhD, of the Wellman Center, senior author of the report. "Our goal now is to help put the pieces in place to ensure that this technique will be widely available to interventional cardiologists." Bouma is an associate professor of Dermatology, and Tearney an associate professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.
Additional co-authors of the JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging report are Milen Shishkov, PhD, Ben Vakoc, PhD, Melissa Suter, PhD, Adrien Desjardins, PhD, Wang-Yul Oh, PhD, Lisa Bartlett and Mireille Rosenberg, PhD, MGH-Wellman; and Sergio Waxman, MD, and Mark Freilich, MBBS, Lahey Clinic. The MGH has licensed cardiovascular applications of OFDI to Terumo Corporation, which has supported nonclinical OFDI studies by Tearney and Bouma. The current study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Massachusetts General Hospital (massgeneral), established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $500 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
Source: Sue McGreevey
Massachusetts General Hospital
Scientists Report New Take On Sexual Signaling
In dangerous environments, females looking for a mate run great risks. Scientists from Seoul National University, Korea, and the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute in Panama present a new take on sexual signaling in the May 9th issue of the online, peer-reviewed open-access journal PLoS ONE.
The researchers report that females prefer a male sexual signal that helps them avoid their predators as they sequentially visit and assess potential
mates.
The traditional explanation for the evolution of outrageous sexual signals like the male peacock's plumage is that showy males attract females and
give them better offspring. Showy males escape from predators despite their highly conspicuous ornaments and behaviors - proof of their superiority.
"In our study of fiddler crabs, the strength of female preference for a male signal that increases her own survival increases with her perceived
risk of predation. That a female's choice of a mate is based on sexual signals that benefit her directly is a fundamentally new and perhaps widely
applicable idea," said Tae Won Kim, and lead author of the paper.
As the tide recedes, revealing great expanses of Pacific beach, fiddler crabs (Uca terpsichores) segue in and out of their burrows, dodging predatory
shorebirds. Male crabs build hood-like sand castles next to the entrance of their burrows, attracting the attention of females by waving their one,
super-sized claw.
Females prefer males that have built hoods to males that have not. When they run across the beach to check out or mate with a male, they orient
visually to both the waving male and to his hood. In this way they reach the male's burrow quickly and directly and avoid their predators.
"When we bait predatory birds into the area - artificially increasing the risk of predation, females show an even greater preference for males who
have built hoods," said STRI staff scientist John Christy, who has studied sexual selection in this group for nearly 35 years. This study
illustrates how the ecology of choosing a mate can shape sexual communication. "Conspicuous male sexual signals need not advertise the quality of
the signaler as a mate," Christy suggests. "Some may simply allow choosy females to stay safe."
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers
the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation
by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems.
The study was funded by the Korean Research Foundation and Ewha Women's University.
Kim TW, Christy JH, Choe JC (2007)
"A Preference for a Sexual Signal Keeps Females Safe"
PLoS ONE 2(5): e422. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000422
Link Here
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical
literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit plos
Public Library of Science
185 Berry Street, Suite 3100
San Francisco, CA 94107
USA
plos
Research Institute in Panama present a new take on sexual signaling in the May 9th issue of the online, peer-reviewed open-access journal PLoS ONE.
The researchers report that females prefer a male sexual signal that helps them avoid their predators as they sequentially visit and assess potential
mates.
The traditional explanation for the evolution of outrageous sexual signals like the male peacock's plumage is that showy males attract females and
give them better offspring. Showy males escape from predators despite their highly conspicuous ornaments and behaviors - proof of their superiority.
"In our study of fiddler crabs, the strength of female preference for a male signal that increases her own survival increases with her perceived
risk of predation. That a female's choice of a mate is based on sexual signals that benefit her directly is a fundamentally new and perhaps widely
applicable idea," said Tae Won Kim, and lead author of the paper.
As the tide recedes, revealing great expanses of Pacific beach, fiddler crabs (Uca terpsichores) segue in and out of their burrows, dodging predatory
shorebirds. Male crabs build hood-like sand castles next to the entrance of their burrows, attracting the attention of females by waving their one,
super-sized claw.
Females prefer males that have built hoods to males that have not. When they run across the beach to check out or mate with a male, they orient
visually to both the waving male and to his hood. In this way they reach the male's burrow quickly and directly and avoid their predators.
"When we bait predatory birds into the area - artificially increasing the risk of predation, females show an even greater preference for males who
have built hoods," said STRI staff scientist John Christy, who has studied sexual selection in this group for nearly 35 years. This study
illustrates how the ecology of choosing a mate can shape sexual communication. "Conspicuous male sexual signals need not advertise the quality of
the signaler as a mate," Christy suggests. "Some may simply allow choosy females to stay safe."
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers
the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation
by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems.
The study was funded by the Korean Research Foundation and Ewha Women's University.
Kim TW, Christy JH, Choe JC (2007)
"A Preference for a Sexual Signal Keeps Females Safe"
PLoS ONE 2(5): e422. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000422
Link Here
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical
literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit plos
Public Library of Science
185 Berry Street, Suite 3100
San Francisco, CA 94107
USA
plos
Подписаться на:
Сообщения (Atom)