http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In blood cells, the protein Bcl-xL has a well-characterized role in preventing cell death by a process known as apoptosis. However, its function(s) in osteoclasts, cells that slowly breakdown bone (a process known as resorption), has not been determined. In addressing this issue, Sakae Tanaka and colleagues, at The University of Tokyo, Japan, have discovered that not only does Bcl-xL prevent osteoclast apoptosis in mice, it also negatively regulates the bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts. http://www.physorg.com/news172168808.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:30:01 EST news172168808 Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery, collaborating with researchers from other institutions, have contributed to the discovery that a gene called interferon regulator factor-8 (IRF-8) is involved in the development of diseases such as periodontitis (gum disease), rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. The study, which will be published online August 30, ahead of print, in the journal Nature Medicine, could lead to new treatments in the future. http://www.physorg.com/news170860703.html Medicine & Health Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:19:00 EST news170860703 Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered a molecular coupling factor that helps bones grow and remodel themselves to stay strong, a finding that could lead to better bone-building therapies and new osteoporosis drugs, the researchers said. http://www.physorg.com/news166270408.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:13:59 EST news166270408 Osteoporosis, or bone loss, is a disease that is most common in the elderly population, affecting women more often than men. Until now, it was not clear exactly how the disease develops. Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now elucidated a molecular mechanism which regulates the equilibrium between bone formation and bone resorption. Dr. Jeske J. Smink, Dr. Valérie Bégay, and Professor Achim Leutz were able to show that two different forms of a gene switch - a short isoform and a long isoform - determine this process. The MDC researchers hope these findings will lead to new therapies for this bone disease. http://www.physorg.com/news161528731.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 May 2009 14:05:49 EST news161528731 Diets that are high in protein and cereal grains produce an excess of acid in the body which may increase calcium excretion and weaken bones, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study found that increasing the alkali content of the diet, with a pill or through a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has the opposite effect and strengthens skeletal health. http://www.physorg.com/news147533286.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:28:06 EST news147533286 Pycnodysostosis, a condition from which the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec suffered, is a genetic disease characterized by short stature. This rare disease, surprisingly, provides a window into how joints are destroyed by arthritis. It is caused by deficiency of an enzyme known as cathepsin K which hampers osteoclasts (the cells that break down bone in bone modeling and repair), leading to poor bone resorption and dense, brittle bones. http://www.physorg.com/news145024355.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:32:35 EST news145024355 Researchers at the University of Southern California, School of Dentistry have uncovered the health benefits of aspirin in the fight against osteoporosis. Forty-four million Americans, 68 percent of whom are women, suffer from the debilitating effects of osteoporosis according to the National Institute of Health. One out of every two women and one in four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. http://www.physorg.com/news134819508.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:51:48 EST news134819508