science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Πέμπτη 11 Ιουλίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Intestinal Bacteria May Fuel Inflammation and Worsen HIV Disease
Muscle cells migrate from the undamaged atrium into the ventricle contributing to cardiac regeneration
Vitamin D Deficiency and Accelerated Aging of Bones
Researchers identify new source of powerful immunity protein
Mayo Clinic Expert Advice Related to FDA Warning on Common Blood Pressure Medication

Intestinal Bacteria May Fuel Inflammation and Worsen HIV Disease

Posted: 11 Jul 2013 04:55 AM PDT

Changes in intestinal bacteria may help explain why successfully treated HIV patients nonetheless experience life-shortening chronic diseases earlier than those who are uninfected, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco.

These changes in gut bacteria may perpetuate inflammation initially triggered by the body’s immune response to HIV, researchers reported.

Their study was published online July 10 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Muscle cells migrate from the undamaged atrium into the ventricle contributing to cardiac regeneration

Posted: 11 Jul 2013 04:48 AM PDT

If the heart following a heart attack is not sufficiently supplied with blood, heart tissue dies. In adult humans, the ability to heal itself is hardly developed. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, together with U.S. colleagues, have now observed in the embryo of the zebrafish that muscle cells migrate from the undamaged atrium into the ventricle and thus significantly contribute to regeneration. This could serve as the basis for novel therapeutic approaches.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Accelerated Aging of Bones

Posted: 10 Jul 2013 11:34 AM PDT

Everyone knows that as we grow older our bones become more fragile. Now a team of U.S. and German scientists led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley has shown that this bone-aging process can be significantly accelerated through deficiency of vitamin D – the sunshine vitamin.

Researchers identify new source of powerful immunity protein

Posted: 10 Jul 2013 10:16 AM PDT

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report the identification of a new cellular source for an important disease-fighting protein used in the body’s earliest response to infection.

The protein interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) keeps viruses from replicating and stimulates the immune system to produce other disease-fighting agents. Neutrophils, the newly identified cellular source of the protein, are the major component of the pus that forms around injured tissue.

Mayo Clinic Expert Advice Related to FDA Warning on Common Blood Pressure Medication

Posted: 10 Jul 2013 10:07 AM PDT

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators have issued a warning on the blood pressure drug known generically as olmesartan medoxomil. The drug can cause intestinal problems known as spruelike enteropathy, which has side effects including severe, chronic diarrhea and substantial weight loss, sometimes requiring hospitalization.

The FDA said the intestinal problems can develop months to years after starting the drug. The drug is in a class known as angiotensin II receptor blockers, or ARBs.