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In New U-M Lab-On-A-Chip Device, Music Is The Engine
Music, rather than electromechanical valves, can drive experimental samples through a lab-on-a-chip in a new system developed at the University of Michigan. This development could significantly simplify the process of conducting experiments in microfluidic devices.

Social Security Administration Considers Adding Alzheimer's To Its Compassionate Allowances List
Today there are an estimated 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer"s disease. Although the majority of Alzheimer cases are individuals age 65 and older, there is still a significant number of individuals under age 65 impacted by this fatal disease that today has no cure. For people under age 65 with Alzheimer"s disease or a related dementia, their cognitive impairment can quickly reach a point where they can no longer maintain gainful employment. The Alzheimer"s Association applauds the Social Security Administration (SSA) for holding a hearing today to examine whether these individuals with younger-onset Alzheimer"s disease or related dementias should be included in its Compassionate Allowances Initiative.
News of the day
RegeneRx Working With U.S. Military To Test Tí˛4 Against Exposure To Chemical Agents In The Eye
Regenerx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex:RGN) (the "Company" or "RegeneRx") announced today that it is collaborating with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) and Dr. Gabriel Sosne, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Wayne State University, to evaluate Tí˛4"s (RGN-259 eye drops) ability to prevent or reduce damage to the eye caused by exposure to chemical agents. The ability to prevent or reduce such damage is the focus of substantial efforts by both the military and homeland security. The project will consist of a series of research experiments over the next twelve months with Tí˛4, which is being commercially developed by RegeneRx and is in Phase II clinical trials.
Cardiovascular

Researchers Identify New Function For Protein Missing In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Researchers at the University of Minnesota and National Institutes of Health have identified a new function for the protein missing in people with the most common and ultimately lethal form of childhood muscular dystrophy. Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy lack the protein dystrophin, which causes their muscles to become weak and eventually die. Since its discovery in 1987, research has shown that dystrophin protects muscle cells by directly connecting to two of the three filament types that give cells their shape and durability. The new study demonstrates that dystrophin also directly links to the third structural filament type named microtubules. Microtubules form a highly ordered lattice in muscle, and the new study finds that microtubules become disorganized when dystrophin is missing. "It"s remarkable that scientists have been intensively studying dystrophin for more than 20 years, yet we continue to identify new features that better define its important contribution to healthy muscle." said James Ervasti, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, who directed the investigation. The new findings suggest that loss of microtubule organization might contribute to the devastating symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, information that will hopefully lead to the development of therapies to combat the disease. The study appears online Aug. 3, 2009 and will be published in the Aug. 10 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology. The research was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Patty Mattern University of Minnesota


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