Issue date: May 2, 2008
Baker’s Yeast: A New Tool to Combat Neurodegenerative Disease [Research Reports]
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine say yeast, the same substance used to make bread rise, has potential for combating neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. By extension, this research could also benefit people with Charcot Marie Tooth and other hereditary neuropathies.  More...

Issue date: April 16, 2008
A Cup of Coffee a Day May Keep Alzheimer’s at Bay [Research Reports]
Last August, a study of older women showed that caffeine helped them protect their thinking skills. On April 3, 2008, researchers at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences reported that a daily cup of java has other beneficial effects in that it blocks the disruptive effects of high cholesterol linked to Alzheimer's disease. A study in the Journal of Neuroinflammation revealed that the caffeine in just one cup of coffee a day could protect the blood-brain barrier (BBB) from damage that occurred with a high-fat diet.  More...

Issue date: April 2, 2008
Promising Study for People with Neurodegenerative Conditions [Research Reports]
In yet another study based on mouse models, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (March 18, 2008), Boston-based researchers have learned that there is an agent that protects nerve cells from damage and markedly reduces disease progression in mice with MS.  More...

Issue date: March 21, 2008
New Mouse Model Provides Clue To Muscle-Wasting Diseases [Research Reports]
Recently, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston bred a mouse to have the same genetic mutation as people with myotonic dystrophy, thus uncovering important clues about the cause of muscle wasting in the disorder, the most common form of muscular dystrophy that begins in adulthood. We spoke with the lead researcher to find out whether this research might someday impact people with CMT.  More...

Issue date: March 18, 2008
Eating Whole-Grain Foods Can Help You Lose Weight and Avoid Certain Chronic Diseases [Research Reports]
Do you remember awhile back when scientists discovered the benefits of eating oats to lose weight and lower cholesterol? Well, it seems that a trip down the bread and cereals aisle to stock up on items made with whole grains may just provide a similar boon to your health. A recent Study by Penn State University January that appeared in the 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a diet rich in whole grains could significantly lower a person’s risk for chronic disease, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as promote considerable weight loss.  More...

Issue date: March 11, 2008
Misery Loves Company — A Global Midlife Phenomenon [Research Reports]
Here’s a question for you: Are you as happy as you were when you were in your 20s or even 30s? If you are in the group of people who are in “middle age” (roughly 40s and 50s), the answer is most likely a resounding “No!”. In fact, researchers from the University of Warwick and Dartmouth College in the US have found an unusually consistent pattern in depression and happiness levels that leaves us most miserable in middle age.  More...

Issue date: February 26, 2008
New Hope for Muscular Dystrophy Sufferers  [Research Reports]

The embryonic stem cell has done it again—this time, growing healthy, functioning muscle cells in mice with muscular dystrophy.

As reported in the February issue of Nature Medicine, a group of UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers developed a revolutionary technique to grow functioning muscle cells. The process involves clever sorting with fluorescent dye to preserve all stem cells destined to become muscle, while improving the overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice.

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Issue date: February 5, 2008
Reversing Muscle Loss Via Stem Cells [Research Reports]
A report in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, goes a long way toward explaining how stem cells (known as satellite cells) contribute to building muscles up in response to exercise. These findings could lead to treatments for reversing or halting the muscle loss that occurs in diseases such as CMT, cancer and AIDS as well as in the normal aging process.  More...