Glutamate identified as predictor of disease progression in multiple sclerosis

Glutamate identified as predictor of disease progression in multiple sclerosis UCSF researchers have identified a correlation between higher levels of glutamate, which occurs naturally in the brain as a byproduct of metabolism, and greater disease burden in multiple sclerosis patients. The study is the first to measure glutamate toxicity in the brain over time and suggests an improved method for tracking the disease and predicting its course.

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Folic acid may help treat allergies, asthma

Hopkins Children’s study: Folic acid may help treat allergies, asthma Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

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Urine screening test may one day predict coronary artery disease

Urine screening test may one day predict coronary artery disease Proteome analysis, a screening requiring only a patient’s urine specimen, shows promise as a reliable and noninvasive way to diagnose atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease in the future, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference 2009.

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Avian Flu Research Sheds Light on Swine Flu Outbreak

A recent study by University of Maryland researchers examines the mechanisms underlying transmission of combined avian-human viruses and illustrates how virus outbreaks like that of the current swine flu come about.  The study suggests that the ease with which a dangerous avian influenza virus can cause a human flu pandemic may be greater than previously thought.

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Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes

Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes Scientists believe they may have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes, by making the body’s killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.

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Migraine prevention by targeting glutamate receptors?

Data to be presented at AAN suggests glutamate receptor ‘mGluR5′ is clinically relevant

Migraine prevention by targeting glutamate receptors? When migraine strikes, because of severe pain, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound, sufferers are effectively disabled for up to 72 hours. Since they are forced to stop what they are doing until the pain and other symptoms subside, migraine causes a significant loss in productivity at work and the personal lives of those affected. Migraineurs – especially the 25% of migraineurs who experience more than three migraine attacks per month – are looking to drug developers to provide new drugs to prevent migraine attacks before they start. In the U.S. alone, approximately 30 million people suffer from migraines and the cost to employers has been estimated at $13 billion annually in lost productivity. Currently, several types of drugs, like generic beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, tricyclic antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs, some of which are used off-label, are given to prevent migraines. However, many patients have only a partial response to these products, many of which have troubling side effects. Nevertheless, many migraine patients use existing drugs, illustrating how badly new drugs are needed.

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Parkinson’s: Neurons destroyed by 3 simultaneous strikes

New theory of Parkinson’s disease gives researchers fresh ideas for treatments

Parkinson’s: Neurons destroyed by 3 simultaneous strikes In a study that reveals the clearest picture to date of neuron death in Parkinson’s disease, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found that a trio of culprits acting in concert is responsible for killing the brain cells.

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New treatment discovered for restless legs syndrome improves sleep

New treatment discovered for restless legs syndrome improves sleep A drug widely used to treat seizures and anxiety appears to be an effective treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS) and helps people with the disorder get a better night’s sleep, according to a study that will be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 – May 2, 2009. RLS affects up to one in ten people.

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Protein effects of hormone replacement therapy uncovered

An in-depth proteomic analysis of the sera of 50 participants from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) hormone replacement therapy trial provides some explanations for the trial’s clinical results. The study, published in Biomed Central’s open access journal Genome Medicine, shows that estrogen upregulates proteins involved in several major body processes.

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Autism genes discovered; help shape connections among brain cells

Findings suggest biological reasons for altered early neural development

		IMAGE: This bead chip contains 550,000 genetic markers which are used to bind with an individual’s DNA sample. Researchers then analyze the results to reveal the variations in a person’s genome… Read more

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