CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --The 4th annual Mitchell Thorp Foundation (MTF) "Whole Lot of Hope" 5K Run/Walk that benefits families whose children suffer from life-threatening illnesses, diseases and disorders, will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 9 a.m. at Poinsettia Park, Thorp Field in Carlsbad. The event supports several families in San Diego County to endure and soften their heartbreaking journey. Among the children MTF is supporting are Rebecca Edgin, 15, a freshman and cheerleader at Carlsbad High School, who has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Amanda Barvinchak, 18, who had to forfeit her athletic scholarship, after being diagnosed with bone cancer; Levi Ryska, 3-1/2, who after recovering from a Crainopharyngioma tumor, causing pressure on his brain, is enduring several physical impairments that require ongoing physical and occupational therapies; Connor Dalby, 2, who continues to battle West Syndrome, the worst form of epilepsy that rarely responds to treatment; and the Rico children, Pria, 12, who is suffering with Recurrent Respiratory Papillmatosis, and recently had her 48th surgery on her larynx, and Tanner, 6, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. "We have been so touched by the outpouring of love from the foundation," said Michelle Edgin, mother. "Now, I can … Continue reading →

Public release date: 15-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Christian Basi BasiC@missouri.edu 573-882-4430 University of Missouri-Columbia COLUMBIA, Mo.-- Usually, results from a new study help scientists inch their way toward an answer whether they are battling a health problem or are on the verge of a technological breakthrough. Once in a while, those results give them a giant leap forward. In a preliminary study in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), University of Missouri scientists showed exactly such a leap using gene therapy to treat muscular dystrophy. The results of the study will be published in the journal Molecular Therapy on Jan. 15, 2013. Muscular dystrophy occurs when damaged muscle tissue is replaced with fibrous, bony or fatty tissue and loses function. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting boys. Patients with DMD have a gene mutation that disrupts the production of dystrophin, a protein essential for muscle cell survival and function. Absence of dystrophin starts a chain reaction that eventually leads to muscle cell degeneration and death. For years, scientists have been working to find the key to restoring dystrophin, but they have faced many challenges. One of the … Continue reading →

Jan. 15, 2013 A new study has found that tamoxifen, a well-known breast cancer drug, can counteract some pathological features in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). At present, no treatment is known to produce long-term improvement of the symptoms in boys with DMD, a debilitating muscular disorder that is characterized by progressive muscle wasting, respiratory and cardiac impairments, paralysis, and premature death. This study will be published in the February 2013 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Using the mdx5Cv mouse model of DMD, investigators found that tamoxifen, given orally for more than a year, "caused remarkable improvements of muscle force and of diaphragm and cardiac structure," according to lead author Olivier M. Dorchies, PhD, of the Department of Pharmacology, Geneva-Lausanne School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Geneva and University of Lausanne. For instance, in the heart, fibrosis was diminished by approximately 50%. In the diaphragm, the muscle of the dystrophic mouse thought to be most like that of human DMD, tamoxifen reduced fibrosis while increasing thickness as well as the number and average diameter of muscle fibers. The net effect was that tamoxifen raised the amount of contractile tissue available for respiration by … Continue reading →

Public release date: 15-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David Sampson ajpmedia@elsevier.com 215-239-3171 Elsevier Health Sciences Philadelphia, PA, January 15, 2013 A new study has found that tamoxifen, a well-known breast cancer drug, can counteract some pathologic features in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). At present, no treatment is known to produce long-term improvement of the symptoms in boys with DMD, a debilitating muscular disorder that is characterized by progressive muscle wasting, respiratory and cardiac impairments, paralysis, and premature death. This study will be published in the February 2013 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Using the mdx5Cv mouse model of DMD, investigators found that tamoxifen, given orally for more than a year, "caused remarkable improvements of muscle force and of diaphragm and cardiac structure," according to lead author Olivier M. Dorchies, PhD, of the Department of Pharmacology, Geneva-Lausanne School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Geneva and University of Lausanne. For instance, in the heart, fibrosis was diminished by approximately 50%. In the diaphragm, the muscle of the dystrophic mouse thought to be most like that of human DMD, tamoxifen reduced fibrosis while increasing thickness as well as the number and average … Continue reading →