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. Based on a striking similarity between heart disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered that a new class of experimental drugs for heart failure may also help treat the fatal muscular disorder. http://www.physorg.com/news153324060.html Medicine & Health Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:03:07 EST news153324060 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of scientists led by the University of Leeds has shed new light on the little-understood motor protein called dynein, thought to be involved in progressive neurological disorders such as motor neurone disease. http://www.physorg.com/news153059833.html Biology Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:37:49 EST news153059833 Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have discovered a gene that when mutated causes obesity by dampening the body's ability to burn energy while leaving appetite unaffected. http://www.physorg.com/news152985131.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:52:49 EST news152985131 Young female athletes could have yet another reason to grab a glass of vitamin D-rich milk. Not only does vitamin D work with calcium to keep bones strong, researchers found that teenage girls with higher vitamin D levels may be able to jump higher and faster than their peers with lower levels, suggests a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. http://www.physorg.com/news152974829.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:01:11 EST news152974829 Vitamin D is significantly associated with muscle power and force in adolescent girls, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). http://www.physorg.com/news152869465.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:44:44 EST news152869465 (PhysOrg.com) -- Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that the protein Stat3 plays a key role in regulating mitochondria, the energy-producing machines of cells. This discovery could one day lead to the development of new treatments for heart disease to boost energy in failing heart muscle or to master the abnormal metabolism of cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news152374253.html Biology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:11:23 EST news152374253 High levels of certain proteins in the spinal fluid could signal the onset of Lou Gehrig's disease, according to researchers. The discovery of these biomarkers may lead to diagnostic kits for early diagnosis, accurately measuring the progression of the disease and monitoring the effects of treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news152370759.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:13:00 EST news152370759 Spitting cobras have an exceptional ability to spray venom into eyes of potential attackers. A new study published in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology reveals how these snakes maximize their chances of hitting the target. http://www.physorg.com/news151857858.html Biology Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:44:57 EST news151857858 Engineers at Purdue and Stanford universities have created stretchable electrodes to study how cardiac muscle cells, neurons and other cells react to mechanical stresses from heart attacks, traumatic brain injuries and other diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news151852545.html Technology Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:16:29 EST news151852545 When it is head versus heart, the heart comes first. The heart is the first organ to develop and is critical in supplying blood to the rest of the body. Yet, little is known about the complex processes that regulate the heartbeat. http://www.physorg.com/news151763491.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:32:30 EST news151763491 Preliminary research suggests that use of the drug escitalopram provided some improvement in symptoms for older adults with generalized anxiety disorder, although the overall benefits were diminished because of nonadherence to the drug by some patients, according to a study in the January 21 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news151691398.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:30:24 EST news151691398 Images that for the first time show bleeding inside the heart after people have suffered a heart attack have been captured by scientists, in a new study published today in the journal Radiology. http://www.physorg.com/news151564018.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:06:58 EST news151564018 My friend's teen daughter Kaitlyn commented on the meals she and her brother Ben had on a recent outdoor excursion with their uncle and cousins... all males. http://www.physorg.com/news151331995.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:39:55 EST news151331995 (PhysOrg.com) -- Worms from The University of Nottingham should be checking in for a flight onboard the Space Shuttle later this year - to help researchers investigate the effect of zero gravity on the body's muscle development and physiology. Researchers are also hoping to get primary school children involved in the project. http://www.physorg.com/news151254532.html Space & Earth Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:08:52 EST news151254532 (PhysOrg.com) -- Jacob Rosen, associate professor of computer engineering at the Jack Baskin School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, is developing a wearable robotic "exoskeleton" that could enable a person to lift heavy objects with little effort. It's a bit like the robotic armor that has long been a staple of futuristic battle scenes in science fiction books and movies. But what excites Rosen is the device's potential to help people disabled by stroke or degenerative diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news151173103.html Electronics Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:31:43 EST news151173103 (PhysOrg.com) -- Even moderate amounts of alcohol affect recovery from athletic performance, with muscle performance loss doubled in those who drank alcohol. http://www.physorg.com/news151166146.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:35:46 EST news151166146 A protein that was first identified for playing a key role in regulating normal heart rhythms also appears to be significant in helping muscle cells survive the forces of muscle contraction. The clue was a laboratory mouse that seemed to have a form of muscular dystrophy. http://www.physorg.com/news151072585.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:36:25 EST news151072585 Avoiding detection just got harder for drug cheats who try to use a particular range of untested, but potentially enhancing, compounds. In the past, tests have been developed once a drug is known to be in circulation. Now a German research team has developed tests for a class of drugs that they believe could be used in the near future. http://www.physorg.com/news150616173.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:49:33 EST news150616173 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cellular engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have determined that cardiomyocytes, the specialized cells that form the heart muscle, thrive when cultured in an environment that mimics their own elastic nature but falter, weaken or die when `grown` on stiffer or softer materials. http://www.physorg.com/news150568853.html Biology Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:40:53 EST news150568853 The novel design of a deep muscle along the spinal column called the multifidus muscle may in fact be key to spinal support and a healthy back, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Their findings about the potentially important "scaffolding" role of this poorly understood muscle has been published on line in advance of the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news150557758.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:35:58 EST news150557758 is no cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that causes the weakening of muscles and is the leading genetic cause of infant death, but University of Missouri researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target that improves deteriorating skeletal muscle tissue caused by SMA. The new therapy enhanced muscle strength, improved gross motor skills and increased the lifespan in a SMA model. http://www.physorg.com/news150556755.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:19:15 EST news150556755 If you're committed to fitness, the decision to climb a couple of flights of stairs rather than take the elevator is clear. But if you develop chest pain on the way up, deciding how to treat the symptoms of clogged arteries in your heart is much more complicated. http://www.physorg.com/news150398197.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:16:37 EST news150398197 Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that a molecule implicated in leukemia and lung cancer is also important in muscle repair and in a muscle cancer that strikes mainly children. http://www.physorg.com/news149860013.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:46:53 EST news149860013 Current research suggests laminin, a protein that helps cells stick together, may lead to enhanced muscle repair in muscular dystrophy. The related report by Rooney et al, "Laminin-111 restores regenerative capacity in a mouse model for alpha 7 integrin congenital myopathy," appears in the January 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://www.physorg.com/news149838489.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:48:09 EST news149838489 (PhysOrg.com) -- Lean muscle-mass may give even obese people an advantage in battling cancer, a University of Alberta study shows. http://www.physorg.com/news149259348.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:55:48 EST news149259348 Researchers have found that two proteins which work in tandem in the brain's blood vessels present a double whammy in Alzheimer's disease. Not only do the proteins lessen blood flow in the brain, but they also reduce the rate at which the brain is able to remove amyloid beta, the protein that builds up in toxic quantities in the brains of patients with the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news149090408.html Biology Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:00:08 EST news149090408 Lean muscle-mass may give even obese people an advantage in battling cancer, a University of Alberta study shows. http://www.physorg.com/news148736523.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:42:03 EST news148736523 Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary abnormal muscle constrictions. More than 300,000 people in North America are affected, but the mechanism of abnormal muscle constrictions has not been well understood. http://www.physorg.com/news148735788.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:29:48 EST news148735788 Cowling et al. report how to build muscle mass with FHL1. The protein partners with and activates the transcription factor, NFATc1. Encouraging this partnership might provide a possible treatment for muscle wasting disorders. The article will appear in the December 15, 2008 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology (JCB). http://www.physorg.com/news148561524.html Biology Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:05:24 EST news148561524 The first demonstration that a single adult stem cell can self-renew in a mammal was reported at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17, 2008 in San Francisco. http://www.physorg.com/news148484867.html Biology Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:47:47 EST news148484867