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. Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have discovered a new targeted intervention for Barth Syndrome (BTHS). BTHS, a sometimes fatal disease, is a serious genetic disorder occurring predominantly in males that leads to infection or heart failure in childhood. The new study entitled, "Role of calcium-independent phospholipase A2 in the pathogenesis of Barth syndrome", was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows the benefits of targeted intervention with an iPLA2-VIA inhibitor that prevents a major symptom of the disease- cardiolipin deficiency. http://www.physorg.com/news155227141.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:42:30 EST news155227141 Liver cancer in patients whose only risk factor is metabolic syndrome has distinct forms and structures compared to other liver tumors. These findings are in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://www.physorg.com/news154789424.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:04:46 EST news154789424 A paper published online today in Nature Neuroscience reveals the presence of methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) in glia. MeCP2 is a protein associated with a variety of neurological disorders, including Rett Syndrome, the most physically disabling of the autism spectrum disorders. The researchers show that MeCP2-deficient astrocytes (a subset of glia) stunt the growth of neighboring neurons. Remarkably, these neurons can recover when exposed to normal glia in culture. http://www.physorg.com/news154610775.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:48:25 EST news154610775 (PhysOrg.com) -- Over 20 million people in North America suffer chronic stress-related diseases. But two University of Alberta researchers may be on the fast track to treating these illnesses. http://www.physorg.com/news154279188.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:20:33 EST news154279188 Unraveling the genetics of social behavior and cognitive abilities, researchers at the University of Utah and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have traced the role of two genes,GTF2I and GTF2IRD, in a rare genetic disorder known as Williams Syndrome. http://www.physorg.com/news153577714.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:30:41 EST news153577714 Using injections of a small derivate of the protein insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have successfully treated a mouse model of the devastating neurological disorder Rett syndrome. http://www.physorg.com/news153423648.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:41:36 EST news153423648 A topical eye emulsion consisting of cyclosporine (a medication used to reduce transplant rejections or to treat arthritis and psoriasis) may be a cost-effective treatment for dry eye syndrome that does not respond to other therapies, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. http://www.physorg.com/news153419053.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:25:01 EST news153419053 A University of Iowa study is apparently the first to make a connection between a rare, hereditary premature aging disease and cell damage that comes from smoking. The study results point to possible therapeutic targets for smoking-related diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news153129248.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:54:43 EST news153129248 A Brown University research team has discovered something in the brain that could serve as a target for future autism and mental retardation treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news152994663.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:31:46 EST news152994663 In 2005, a woman who had trouble sleeping asked Siong-Chi Lin, M.D., for help. Dr. Lin, a sleep disorders specialist at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida, diagnosed restless legs syndrome. This common neurologic disorder interrupts sleep because of unpleasant sensations in the legs at rest, especially in the evening, that are temporarily relieved by movement. http://www.physorg.com/news152898967.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:56:54 EST news152898967 While many people are aware that drinking during pregnancy can lead to a range of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), including the serious Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), linkages between maternal-drinking measures and child outcomes have been inconsistent. Researchers have now designed a "metric" or combination of measures that appear better able than individual measures to predict prenatal neurobehavioral dysfunction and deficits in children. http://www.physorg.com/news152817247.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:14:25 EST news152817247 A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the elevation in estradiol levels that occurs during pregnancy is more pronounced in pregnant women with restless legs syndrome (RLS) than in controls. http://www.physorg.com/news152723117.html Medicine & Health Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:06:20 EST news152723117 The brain may be injured by the noise, which is produced when, for example, an anti-tank weapon (Bazooka, Karl Gustav) or a howitzer (Haubits) is fired. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy demonstrated mild injury to brain tissue. In response to this, the Swedish Armed Forces restricted the number of rounds per day Swedish personnel can be exposed to. http://www.physorg.com/news152378159.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:16:26 EST news152378159 People with a genetic condition called Williams syndrome are famously gregarious. Scientists, looking carefully at brain function in individuals with Williams syndrome, think they may know why this is so. The researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine showed that parts of a particular brain region known as the amygdala react more powerfully in Williams syndrome patients than in developmentally normal subjects - or in subjects with delays in development not caused by Williams syndrome - when exposed to facial expressions conveying positive emotions. http://www.physorg.com/news152299739.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:33:05 EST news152299739 Mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not fallen since 1994, according to a comprehensive review of major studies that assessed ARDS deaths. This disappointing finding contradicts the common wisdom that ARDS mortality has been in steady decline. http://www.physorg.com/news151913553.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:13:03 EST news151913553 (PhysOrg.com) -- A cure for debilitating genetic diseases such as Huntington`s disease, Friedreich`s ataxia and Fragile X syndrome is a step closer to reality, thanks to a recent scientific breakthrough. http://www.physorg.com/news151662099.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:22:08 EST news151662099 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have teased apart the biological details distinguishing two related neurological diseases -ataxia telangiectasia-like disease (ATLD) and Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS). http://www.physorg.com/news151226309.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:18:29 EST news151226309 College-age football players who gain weight to add power to their blocks and tackles might also be setting themselves up for diabetes and heart disease later in life, a new study suggests. http://www.physorg.com/news151073243.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:47:23 EST news151073243 Researchers at The University of Arizona are developing a set of standardized tests that could improve the lives of people with Down syndrome. http://www.physorg.com/news150991781.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:09:41 EST news150991781 Researchers have long known that some repetitive DNA sequences can make human chromosomes "fragile," i.e. appearing constricted or even broken during cell divisions. Scientists at Tufts University have found that one such DNA repeat not only stalls the cell's replication process but also thwarts the cell's capacity to repair and restart it. The researchers focused on this CGG repeat because it is associated with hereditary neurological disorders such as fragile X syndrome and FRAXE mental impairment. http://www.physorg.com/news150905205.html Biology Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:06:45 EST news150905205 A Mayo Clinic-led international consortium has found a mechanism that may help explain Parkinson's and other neurological disorders. http://www.physorg.com/news150904281.html Medicine & Health Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:51:21 EST news150904281 Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to have metabolic syndrome than veterans without PTSD, according to a study led by Pia Heppner, Ph.D., psychologist with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs of San Diego, VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH). The study will be published online January 8 by the journal BMC Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news150614020.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:13:40 EST news150614020 A pilot trial of an oral drug therapy called fenobam has shown promising initial results and could be a potential new treatment option for adult patients with Fragile X syndrome (FXS). Findings of the open label, single-dose study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center and the University of California, Davis, Medical Center are to be published in the upcoming January issue of the Journal of Medical Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news150543311.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:35:11 EST news150543311 Individuals who experience trauma during childhood appear more likely to develop chronic fatigue syndrome as adults, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, neuroendocrine dysfunction -or abnormalities in the interaction between the nervous system and endocrine system -appears to be associated with childhood trauma in those with chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting a biological pathway by which early experiences influence adult vulnerability to illness. http://www.physorg.com/news150397846.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:10:46 EST news150397846 Childhood trauma is a potent risk factor for development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), according to a study by researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study is published in the Jan. 5, 2009 Archives of General Psychiatry. http://www.physorg.com/news150396443.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:47:23 EST news150396443 A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep indicates that the indirect costs of untreated insomnia are significantly greater than the direct costs associated with its treatment. The study estimates that the total annual cost of insomnia in the province of Quebec is 6.5 billion Canadian dollars, representing about one percent of the province's $228.5 billion in gross domestic product for 2002. http://www.physorg.com/news150024040.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:20:40 EST news150024040 Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is characterized by inflammation in perihepatic capsules with concomitant pelvic inflammation. The pain in the right upper abdomen appeared as the main symptom. These cases have to be cautiously differentiated from diseases for which the major symptom is pain in the right upper abdomen Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome has been classified as a benign disease that can be diagnosed by non-invasive methoids and treated readily by antibiotic therapy. Nevertheless, without sufficient understanding of this disease, it could be misdiagnosed as other acute diseases with similar clinical symptoms, and thus patients may undergo unnecessary treatment or tests. http://www.physorg.com/news149258531.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:42:11 EST news149258531 New research sheds light on a common link between tumor formation and Costello Syndrome, an inherited developmental disorder in which patients have cardiac defects, mild mental retardation, and face-shape abnormalities. The study published in the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), dmm.biologists.org uses a zebrafish model to help explain a puzzling connection between Costello syndrome and cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news149143213.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:40:13 EST news149143213 A commonly-prescribed drug for men suffering from a painful pelvic condition failed to significantly reduce patients' symptoms in an international study led by Queen's University professor and urologist at Kingston General Hospital, Curtis Nickel. http://www.physorg.com/news148840786.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:39:46 EST news148840786 Patients with the skin disease psoriasis appear more likely to have higher levels of leptin (a hormone produced by fat cells that may contribute to obesity and other metabolic abnormalities) than persons without psoriasis, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology. http://www.physorg.com/news148585122.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:38:42 EST news148585122