NEW DIAGNOSTIC KIT FOR PRE-ECLAMPSIA

RESEARCHERS at LEEDS university developed a newer user friendly method to diagnose pre-eclampsia early.The team has been able to distinguish between pregnant women who are healthy and those with pre-eclampsia by studying samples of their blood plasma taken at the same time as routine blood samples.
The team used a technique which is based on the same science as MRI scans but which operates on fluids taken from the body, to identify chemicals in the blood plasma of pregnant women. The amount of these chemicals was found to depend on whether the women were healthy or whether they were suffering from pre-eclampsia.
According to the researchers,“The concentration of certain chemicals such as amino acids and fat in the body has been found to vary in a way which is dependent on the health of the woman. We have found that some of these chemicals increase in concentration when the woman is suffering from pre-eclampsia whilst others decrease.”
The findings were published last year in the medical journal Hypertension in Pregnancy and another paper on the subject will be published in the same journal in the spring. The discovery has been patented and is being developed by a spin-out company, MetaBio Ltd.

MENOPAUSE NEWER DRUG

Researchers invent a newer drug, Amberen, that can effectively treat most of the post menopausal symptoms.According to the manufacturer of Amberen, the drug rejuvenates the brain’s communication with the hormonal system to create a more youthful pre-menopausal state without any known side effects.

A new study finds Amberen relieves most menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety, and loss of libido. And results show Amberen helps to restore the regularity of menstrual cycles and normalize the thickness of the endometrium in women with perimenopause and premature menopause.

Research also finds Amberen increases the production of endogenous estradiol by as much as 400 percent and restores energy metabolism to more youthful levels. Estradiol is often referred to as the “hormone of youth” because of it plays a critical role in reproductive and sexual functioning. The hormone also affects the strength and elasticity of bones and joints as well as regulates fat structure and skin composition.

No prescription is needed for Amberen. It is available online.

RESEARCH ON LUNG MAST CELLS MAY HELP IN THE TREATMENT OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES

According to a new study,the airway constriction occuring in asthma is caused by an enzyme released by lung mast cells.
Reporting in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team at Weill Cornell Medical College explains that during an immune response, mast cells release the enzyme -- called renin -- which in turn produces angiotensin, a potent constrictor of the smooth muscle that lines airways.
Renin is no stranger to medical research -- for decades, doctors have known that the enzyme is produced by the kidney in relatively large quantities for systemic use throughout the body. But the Weill Cornell team was the first to discover that mast cells also produced their own "local" supply of the enzyme, at a variety of body sites.
New research suggests that local renin production may also be crucial in diseases marked by tissue fibrosis (stiffening). In fact, Dr. Silver's lab is now looking at the role locally produced renin might play in a rare, deadly illness called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), where lung tissue becomes increasingly inflexible over time.
However according to the researchers more studies are required before considering renin targeting drugs for the treatment of respiratory illness.

DOWNS SYNDROME GENE CAN PREVENT CANCER

People with Down's syndrome have an extra copy of the chromosome 21, one of the long coiled strands of DNA and associated proteins that carry the genes; instead of two copies they have three.This additional chromosome can protect them against cancer, atherosclerosis and diabetic retinopathy which can cause blindness in people with diabetes and, like atherosclerosis, is associated with blood vessel function.

A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, set out to test the theory in mice genetically engineered to have the equivalent of Down's and human colon cancer and to produce extra amounts of Ets2.

They say the more Ets2 the mice had, the less likely they were to develop colon cancer.

The researchers believe their new study provides clear evidence that a chromosome 21 trisomy can be protective and could lead to new forms of cancer treatment.

The scientists led by Dr. Roger Reeves found a gene on chromosome 21 called Ets2 which appeared to prevent mice developing cancer which they say could be explained by having three copies of the gene - one on each chromosome - instead of two.

They say having more copies of a gene increases the "dose" of the protein that the gene produces and three copies of Ets2 might protect against cancer developing while two does not.