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UCLA First to Map Autism-Risk Genes by Function
Targets of Anticancer Drugs Have Broader Functions than What Their Name Suggests
Sudden Steep Drop in Blood Pressure on Standing From Lying Down May Predict Atrial Fibrillation Years Later
Scientists Find the Invisibility Cloak That Shields HIV-1 from the Immune System
Fungus-Fighting Drug May Make Mild Flu Meaner
Identify Gene That Regulates Body Weight in Humans and Mice
Preventing Marijuana-Induced Memory Problems with Over-the-Counter Painkillers
Newborn Babies Have Built-in Body Awareness Ability
Ultrasound, Nanoparticles May Help Diabetics Avoid the Needle
Drug Strategy Blocks a Leading Driver of Cancer

UCLA First to Map Autism-Risk Genes by Function

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:58 PM PST

Pity the poor autism researcher. Recent studies have linked hundreds of gene mutations scattered throughout the brain to increased autism risk. Where do you start?

UCLA neuroscientists may have an answer. They are the first to map groups of autism-risk genes by function, and to identify where and when these genes normally play major roles in early brain development.

Targets of Anticancer Drugs Have Broader Functions than What Their Name Suggests

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 10:28 AM PST

Drugs that inhibit the activity of enzymes called histone deacetylases (HDACs) are being widely developed for treating cancer and other diseases, with two already on the market. Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, show that a major HDAC still functions in mice even when its enzyme activity is abolished, suggesting that the beneficial effects of HDAC inhibitors may not actually be through inhibiting HDAC activity, and thus warranting the reassessment of the molecular targets of this class of drugs.

Sudden Steep Drop in Blood Pressure on Standing From Lying Down May Predict Atrial Fibrillation Years Later

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 09:05 AM PST

Results of a Johns Hopkins-led study have identified a possible link between a history of sudden drops in blood pressure and the most common form of irregular heartbeat.

The study suggests that a bout of orthostatic hypotension — a steep blood pressure drop that occurs when a person stands up after a period of lying down — appears to be associated with an overall 40 percent increase in the risk of developing atrial fibrillation over the following two decades.

Scientists Find the Invisibility Cloak That Shields HIV-1 from the Immune System

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:51 AM PST

Of the two major types of HIV, only one, HIV-1, typically causes AIDS in infected people who don't receive treatment. A study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Immunity reveals how HIV-1 escapes detection by essentially becoming invisible to a patient's immune system, whereas HIV-2 triggers protective immune responses in patients. This understanding of how HIV-1's ”invisibility cloak” works could lead to the development of effective vaccines against HIV-1.

Fungus-Fighting Drug May Make Mild Flu Meaner

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:43 AM PST

Mice given a drug commonly used in patients to fight systemic fungal infections more often succumb to what would otherwise be a mild case of the flu. The evidence reported in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on November 21st shows that the drug called Amphotericin B, which has an estimated $330 million in sales around the world each year, can render a protein important for antiviral defense ineffective in both cells and mice.

Identify Gene That Regulates Body Weight in Humans and Mice

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

Research has pointed to the importance of genetic factors in human obesity and has shown that heritability plays a role in 40% to 90% of cases. Now investigators reporting online November 21 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, published by Cell Press, have found that loss of a particular gene's function in humans and mice causes morbid obesity. The study of a morbidly obese family provides new insights into the pathways that control body weight and nutritional status, and the results could be useful for designing therapies for obesity and malnutrition.

Preventing Marijuana-Induced Memory Problems with Over-the-Counter Painkillers

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:35 AM PST

In addition to being used as a recreational drug, marijuana has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, from chronic pain to epilepsy. However, its medical value is greatly limited by debilitating side effects. A study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Cell has revealed the molecular pathways responsible for marijuana-induced learning and memory problems. The findings suggest that preventing these side effects could be as easy as taking an over-the-counter painkiller.

Newborn Babies Have Built-in Body Awareness Ability

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:30 AM PST

The ability to differentiate your own body from others is a fundamental skill, critical for humans' ability to interact with their environments and the people in them. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, on November 21 provide some of the first evidence that newborn babies enter the world with the essential mechanisms for this kind of body awareness already in place.

Ultrasound, Nanoparticles May Help Diabetics Avoid the Needle

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:25 AM PST

A new nanotechnology-based technique for regulating blood sugar in diabetics may give patients the ability to release insulin painlessly using a small ultrasound device, allowing them to go days between injections – rather than using needles to give themselves multiple insulin injections each day. The technique was developed by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Drug Strategy Blocks a Leading Driver of Cancer

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:16 AM PST

The protein in cells that most often drives the development of cancers has eluded scientists’ efforts to block it for three decades – until now.

Using a new strategy, UC San Francisco researchers have succeeded in making small molecules that irreversibly target a mutant form of this protein, called ras, without binding to the normal form. This feature distinguishes the molecules from all other targeted drug treatments in cancer, according to the researchers.