Tag: disease

Control of the iRhom2 protein may hold the key to preventing Alzheimer’s disease

It is known that the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with the accumulation of Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides in small molecular clusters known as oligomers. These trigger the formation of so-called ‘neurofibrillary tangles’ within neurons hamper their workings, ultimately causing cell death and so significant cognitive decline. Very large Aβ oligomers which form

Studying heart disease after death can help the living

Autopsy is often an overlooked source of medical insight which may be hindering advances in cardiovascular medicine, according to new research published in a special issue of the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. “Autopsy is a source of discovery that informs the way we think about disease systemically,” said Jeffrey E. Saffitz, M.D., Ph.D., co-editor

New evidence sheds light on how Parkinson’s disease may happen

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital have identified unexpected new key players in the development of an early onset form of Parkinson’s disease called Parkinsonism. These key players are ceramides, a family of lipid molecules that are found within cell membranes. The researchers propose that ceramides are the linchpin that connects

Children with kidney disease show blood flow changes in brain

Blood flow changes in the brains of children, adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease may explain why many face a higher risk of cognitive impairment, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology. Prior research has linked chronic kidney disease, a condition characterized by the loss of kidney function over time,

Peripheral artery disease: Symptoms, treatments, and causes

PAD affects the blood vessels causing them to narrow, therefore restricting the blood flow to the arms, kidneys, stomach, and most commonly, the legs. An estimated 8.5 million people in the United States have peripheral artery disease, affecting approximately 12-20 percent of Americans over 60. Peripheral artery disease is a major risk factor for heart

New lab technology could reveal treatments for muscle-wasting disease

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed new cell-based technologies which could help improve understanding of the muscle-wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and test potential drugs for the disease. DMD is a genetic disorder causing muscle degeneration and weakness, caused by an absence of the protein dystrophin. DMD usually affects only boys,

The disease affecting Australians that should have disappeared by now

Rheumatic heart disease is a disease which shouldn’t exist anymore. Caused by an abnormal immune reaction to Strep A infection of the skin and throat, it’s an entirely preventable condition which, left untreated, can spiral into deadly or debilitating complications including stroke, heart rhythm abnormalities, and heart failure. Left untreated, an abnormal immune reaction to Strep

Early synaptic dysfunction found in Parkinson’s Disease

Northwestern Medicine scientists identified a cellular mechanism that leads to neurodegeneration in patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dimitri Krainc, MD, Ph.D., chair and Aaron Montgomery Ward Professor of Neurology, was the senior author of the study, which demonstrated a link between defective synaptic

South Asian Americans are at high risk for heart disease and stroke

South Asians are more likely to die of heart disease, such as heart attacks and strokes caused by atherosclerosis—the disease process that narrows arteries—than East Asians and non-Hispanic whites living in the United States, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in its journal Circulation. The statement provides an overview

Researchers identify spike in severe black lung disease among former US coal miners

The number of cases of progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung disease, has been increasing dramatically among coal workers and especially younger workers in central Appalachia. These new findings represent the first-ever documentation of this spike and were presented by Kirsten Almberg, research assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences