ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2012) An isolated outbreak of a deadly disease known as acute hemorrhagic fever, which killed two people and left one gravely ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the summer of 2009, was probably caused by a novel virus scientists have never seen before. Described this week in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, the new microbe has been named Bas-Congo virus (BASV) after the province in the southwest corner of the Congo where the three people lived. It was discovered by an international research consortium that included the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of California, Davis (UCD), Global Viral, the Centre International de Recherches Mdicales de Franceville in Gabon, the Institut National de Recherche Biomdicale, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Metabiota and others. "Known viruses, such as Ebola, HIV and influenza, represent just the tip of the microbial iceberg," said Joseph Fair, PhD, a co-author and vice president of Metabiota. "Identifying deadly unknown viruses, such as Bas-Congo virus, gives us a leg up in controlling future outbreaks." "These are the only three cases known to have occurred, although there could be additional outbreaks from this virus in the future," said … Continue reading →

Newswise WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Sept., 26, 2012 Fewer than 100 people in the world are known to be affected by a movement disorder called rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (RDP), but its symptoms are life-changing. Seemingly normal young people are suddenly and dramatically unable to control movement of their arms or legs and have trouble speaking or swallowing. A normal life is nearly impossible. RDP is caused by a genetic mutation (ATP1A3) that often runs in families. Now Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers believe that same the genetic predisposition might also be associated with psychiatric problems, such as anxiety, mood disorders and substance abuse/dependence. Allison Brashear, M.D., chair of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist, and the lead investigator in this $2.5 million, four-year study funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), said this is one of the few studies to look at this rare condition that has no known treatment. RDP often occurs suddenly after a stressful episode, such as running a marathon or childbirth, said Brashear. Patients become severely disabled over hours to days and do not recover. Brashear and nine other Wake Forest Baptist scientists, as well as colleagues from Harvard Medical School and Mount Sinai School … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jennifer Schutz newsbureau@mayo.edu 507-284-5005 Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers have found a way to detect and eliminate potentially troublemaking stem cells to make stem cell therapy safer. Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, also known as iPS cells, are bioengineered from adult tissues to have properties of embryonic stem cells, which have the unlimited capacity to differentiate and grow into any desired types of cells, such as skin, brain, lung and heart cells. However, during the differentiation process, some residual pluripotent or embryonic-like cells may remain and cause them to grow into tumors. "Pluripotent stem cells show great promise in the field of regenerative medicine; however, the risk of uncontrolled cell growth will continue to prevent their use as a therapeutic treatment," says Timothy Nelson, Ph.D., M.D., lead author on the study, which appears in the October issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. Using mouse models, Mayo scientists overcame this drawback by pretreated stem cells with a chemotherapeutic agent that selectively damages the DNA of the stem cells, efficiently killing the tumor-forming cells. The contaminated cells died off, and the chemotherapy didn't affect the healthy cells, Dr. Nelson … Continue reading →

By Jeffrey M. O'Brien, contributor Stem cells stored in liquid nitrogen at Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough, Mass. FORTUNE -- Imagine yourself the proud but rueful owner of an ancient Jaguar. Every day you dread the uncertainty that comes with trying to get from here to there -- there, more often than not, being the shop. No sooner does one ailment find repair than another appears. At best, it's a slow, uncomfortable ride. Lonely too. There's really no one around who fully understands your plight. That is how Patricia Riley describes life in a 95-year-old body. Riley, who reached that milestone birthday last St. Patrick's Day, lives alone in the same 1,100-square-foot house in Plainfield, Conn., that she's called home for 64 years, having survived her husband (heart disease), a daughter (breast cancer), and every friend she ever had. "All the people I knew have all gone, Jeffrey," she says in a quivering voice laced with melancholy. "They've all died. I go to church and I never see people my age." Her remaining family includes two daughters, five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, including my two young sons. In a nod to her French-Canadian heritage, we call her Mme. Mme attributes … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 28 Sep 2012 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for: Purging Stem Cells To Make Therapy Safer The study appears in a 27 September issue of the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. iPS cells have properties similar to embryonic stem cells, which are "master cells" with an unlimited capacity to differentiate into any type of tissue in the body, such as brain, lung, skin, heart, and liver. Thus their potential in regenerative medicine, where damaged or diseased tissue can be repaired or replaced by growing new tissue, is huge, as senior author Timothy Nelson explains in a press release: "Pluripotent stem cells show great promise in the field of regenerative medicine; however, the risk of uncontrolled cell growth will continue to prevent their use as a therapeutic treatment." Nelson is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and works in the General Internal Medicine department and the Transplant Center at the Mayo. The idea of using iPS cells is for doctors to be able to take some adult tissue, for example skin cells, from the patient who needs the treatment, and then turn the cells … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9zfhfp/nanomedicine_vol) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new book "Nanomedicine, Vol 508. Cancer, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular, Central Nervous System, Pulmonary and Inflammatory Diseases" to their offering. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers Cancer, Cardiovascular and the central nervous system of Nanomedicine. With an international board of authors, this volume is split into sections that cover subjects such as Diabetes and nanotechnology as potential therapy, Nanomedicines for inflammatory diseases, and Development and use of ceramide nanoliposomes in cancer. Comprehensively covers Cancer, Cardiovascular and the central nervous system of Nanomedicine. An international board of authors. Split into sections that cover subjects such as Diabetes and nanotechnology as potential therapy, Nanomedicines for inflammatory diseases, and Development and use of ceramide nanoliposomes in cancer. Key Topics Covered: - Preparation, characterization, and cellular associations of silicon logic-embedded vectors - Post-formulation peptide drug loading of nanostructures - Application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles in intracellular drug delivery - Multifunctional anticancer nanomedicine based on a magnetically responsive cyanoacrylate polymer - Development and Use of Ceramide Nanoliposomes in Cancer Originally posted here: Research and Markets: Nanomedicine, Vol 508. Cancer, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular, Central Nervous System, Pulmonary ... … Continue reading →