Body

Mitochondrial diseases are maternally inherited genetic disorders that cause a wide spectrum of debilitating conditions and which currently have no cure. Salk Institute researchers report the first successful attempt using gene-editing technology to prevent mutated mitochondrial DNA associated with multiple human mitochondrial diseases from being passed from mothers to offspring in mice.

Human DNA accumulates damage over time, and older people's bodies can't repair it as well. Many scientists believe a build up of damage can cause cells to enter an irreversible dormant state known as senescence. Cellular senescence is believed to be responsible for some of the telltale signs of aging, such as weakened bones, less resilient skin and slow-downs in organ function.

Results revealed today at the International Liver Congress 2015 show that the daily consumption of capsaicin, the active compound of chilli peppers, was found to have beneficial effects on liver damage.

In the study, capsaicin was found to reduce the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in mice models. HSCs are the major cell type involved in liver fibrosis, which is the formation of scar tissue in response to liver damage.

The mice were split into two groups and received capsaicin in their food:

Though a majority of newborns are exposed in their earliest days to bisphenol A (BPA), a much-studied chemical used in plastics and in food and soda can linings, they rid their bodies of it, according to a study in The Journal of Pediatrics which challenges claims on BPA toxicology promoted in corporate media and on environmental sites.

The likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes could be linked to our genes, according to a study carried out on twins published April 22, 2015 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Fernández-Grandon from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and colleagues.

Tick-borne diseases are a major public health problem around the world. Ticks carry and transmit a variety of microbes that cause disease. These illnesses, which include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Tularemia, can cause a variety of symptoms, often serious and sometimes deadly.

Previous guidelines from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) for evaluating and managing thyroid nodules and thyroid cancers targeted adults. Recognizing the potential differences in clinical presentation and long-term outcomes, and the potential risks of overly aggressive therapy in pediatric patients with thyroid cancer, an ATA Task Force developed management guidelines for children with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), which are published in Thyroid.

Researchers have described the previously unproven role of the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) in causing asthma, a disease which affects 300 million people worldwide. The team used mouse models of asthma and human airway tissue from asthmatic and non-asthmatic people to reach their findings.

The immune-boosting properties of breast milk have long been known. Now a team of scientists led by Johns Hopkins pediatric surgeon-in-chief David Hackam, M.D., Ph.D., says experiments in mice reveal how breast milk works to ward off the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating intestinal disorder that affects 12 percent of premature babies and claims the lives of one in four of those who have it.

New research led by NYU Langone Medical Center examines what happens when a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) who is clinically stable stops taking their medication.

The international, multi-site study found almost 40 percent of patients had some disease activity return when they stopped taking their meds.

The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting held April 18-25, in Washington, D.C.

Genes usually always be expressed as in Western writing: from left to right on the white canvas of our DNA. So when we speak of the activity of our genome, in fact we are referring to the expression of genes in this sense of the double-stranded DNA.

However, for some time, it is known the existence of a few sequences 'rebel' DNA that are activated in reverse: from right to left. They are known as antisense transcripts.

In a small study, Johns Hopkins researchers found that DNA from the sperm of men whose children had early signs of autism shows distinct patterns of regulatory tags that could contribute to the condition. A detailed report of their findings will be published online in the International Journal of Epidemiology on April 15.

Loss of muscle volume is a common and often debilitating outcome of traumatic orthopedic injury, resulting in muscle weakness and suboptimal limb function. A new therapeutic approach in which small pieces of autologous muscle can be expanded in a collagen hydrogel and used to regenerate functional muscle at the sight of injury, instead of relying on a donor muscle graft, would be especially beneficial for repairing large areas of muscle loss. A study demonstrating the feasibility of using autologous minced tissue grafts for muscle regeneration is published in BioResearch Open Access.

The most diverse collection of bodily bacteria discovered in humans has been among an isolated tribe of Yanomami Indians in the remote Amazonian jungles of southern Venezuela - they have a microbiome 40 percent more diverse than people living in industrialized countries.

Two studies in mice add to the evidence that the phthalate DEHP, a plasticizing agent used in auto upholstery, baby toys, building materials and many other consumer products, can undermine female reproductive health, in part by disrupting the growth and function of the ovaries.