Latest news with #JournalofClinicalInvestigation
Hans India
4 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Study explores role of brain in treating type 1 diabetes
The brain might become the target of new type 1 diabetes treatments and pave a better way for insulin management, according to a study. Researchers had, over a decade ago, found that an acute complication of type 1 diabetes - diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) - can be resolved with the hormone leptin, even in the absence of insulin. In the analysis, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the team explained how leptin affects the brain and how it might be used in future therapeutics. DKA happens when the body is unable to make insulin and begins to break down fat for fuel. This can lead to a life-threatening buildup of sugar (glucose) and ketoacids in the blood. Doctors have typically administered insulin to address the complication. But evidence now shows that, when insulin is insufficient, the brain plays a key role in driving DKA, explained researchers from the University of Washington in the US When the pancreas can't make insulin, 'the brain gets the message that the body is out of fuel, even if it's not. This information is being communicated in part by a low blood level of the hormone leptin,' said Dr. Michael Schwartz, Professor of Medicine, at the University's School of Medicine.
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Researchers Find Link between Gene, Pancreatic Cancer Malignancy
KYOTO (Jiji Press) — Researchers mainly from Kyoto University have found that impaired function of a specific gene contributes to the malignancy of pancreatic cancer, which is hard to treat with chemotherapy. They said that the reduced gene function increases a protein that promotes metastasis and that existing drugs may be effective in suppressing the protein's functions. The finding was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in June. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in Japan. The five-year survival rate is 8.5%, the worst among any cancer. Malignant cases account for 30% to 40%, but the underlying mechanisms had not been well understood. The team examined pancreatic cancer tissue removed during surgery and found that the decline in function of Polybromo 1, or PBRM1, a gene that regulates the expression of various proteins, is linked to greater malignancy and a higher risk of relapse. A genetic modification to disable PBRM1 in mice with pancreatic cancer resulted in a higher malignancy rate, increased metastases and shorter survival. The cancer cells showed an increased level of vimentin, a protein that promotes metastasis. Meanwhile, the malignancy rate and metastases decreased after mice were given a drug that suppresses vimentin. Such correlations were also confirmed in human pancreatic cancer. The research 'has shown that drugs to suppress vimentin effects may lead to a new treatment for highly malignant pancreatic cancer,' Kyoto University associate professor Akihisa Fukuda said. 'We hope to conduct clinical trials to realize early practical application.'
Time of India
03-08-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Cancer research discovery shows promising results in diabetes prevention and treatment
Can diabetes be cured? We've been looking for a hopeful and positive answer to this question for a long time. Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong autoimmune disease, has long been considered incurable. However, a breakthrough during recent research might alter the way we approach the treatment of type 1 diabetes. What is Type 1 Diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This leads to little to no insulin production, requiring individuals to take insulin daily to manage their blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children and young adults. Around 1.3 million Americans live with this condition. While the cause is linked to genetics and other environmental factors, there is currently no cure. However, there might still be hope to prevent the lifelong disease. In a surprising scientific twist, researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that a molecule known for helping cancer cells escape the immune system could be used to treat type 1 diabetes, a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy insulin-producing cells. Originally studied in cancer research, this molecule may help prevent the destruction of pancreatic beta cells, the very cells that type 1 diabetes targets. What the research uncovers: A cancer molecule with an unexpected promise The breakthrough began with cancer research. Cancer cells often hide from the immune system by coating themselves in a sugar molecule called sialic acid. Dr. Virginia Shapiro, the lead researcher and immunology expert at Mayo Clinic, and her team wondered: What if this sugar shield could help protect healthy cells instead? In earlier research, Dr. Shapiro's group identified an enzyme called ST8Sia6, which helps tumor cells produce more sialic acid on their surfaces. This sugar layer makes cancer cells look 'normal' to the immune system, allowing them to escape attack. 'The expression of this enzyme basically 'sugar coats' cancer cells and can help protect an abnormal cell from a normal immune response,' said Dr. Shapiro, as reported by Medical Xpress. He added, 'We wondered if the same enzyme might also protect a normal cell from an abnormal immune response.' The way forward: Reprogramming the immune system In their latest study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation , the researchers applied this idea to diabetes. Using lab models that naturally develop autoimmune diabetes, they engineered pancreatic beta cells to produce the ST8Sia6 enzyme. This gave the cells a sugar coating, similar to what cancer cells use to hide. The results were impressive: in these models, the engineered beta cells were 90% effective in preventing the onset of type 1 diabetes. The cells that are normally destroyed in the disease remained protected. Key point: Targeted tolerance (without shutting down the immune system) Even more encouraging was what the researchers saw next. The immune system still worked as usual, fighting off other infections and diseases, but left the beta cells alone. Justin Choe, the study's first author and a dual-degree M.D.-Ph.D. student at Mayo Clinic, explained, 'Though the beta cells were spared, the immune system remained intact,' adding, 'We found that the enzyme specifically generated tolerance against autoimmune rejection of the beta cell, providing local and quite specific protection against type 1 diabetes.' This means the technique didn't require broad immune suppression, which is often risky and comes with side effects. Instead, it created a highly targeted tolerance, preventing the immune system from attacking beta cells, and only beta cells. A new path forward for transplant therapy? Currently, people with type 1 diabetes must use insulin therapy or undergo a pancreatic islet cell transplant. But transplantation requires immune-suppressing drugs to prevent the body from rejecting the new cells, a process that weakens the entire immune system. Dr. Shapiro believes her team's findings could lead to better transplant treatments. By engineering beta cells with ST8Sia6, patients might one day receive islet cell transplants without needing full immune suppression. As per Dr. Shapiro, 'A goal would be to provide transplantable cells without the need for immunosuppression.' He added, 'Though we're still in the early stages, this study may be one step toward improving care.' What's ahead? While the research is still in the preclinical phase, this discovery could mark a major step toward safer and more effective treatments for type 1 diabetes. The team plans to continue testing the technology, eventually moving toward human clinical trials. As of now, their work opens a new chapter in how scientists may retrain the immune system, not just to fight cancer, but to protect the body from turning against itself. Gentler cancer treatments for kids pays off Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pregnant mothers' high blood pressure linked to this increased risk in children
Pregnant mothers experiencing high blood pressure may have to worry about another potential health risk to their children, researchers warned on Monday. The condition, also known as gestational hypertension, has previously been linked to premature births and stillbirths that are tied to a decrease in blood flow through the placenta. Now, researchers at University of Iowa Health Care have found it is also associated with an increased risk for seizure in kids. "The connection between high blood pressure in pregnant moms and seizures in children from these pregnancies had been postulated before, but never examined on a large scale, and never modeled in an animal,' Dr. Baojian Xue, a senior research scientist in pediatrics at the university, commented on the research. 'With these new mouse models and this new connection between gestational hypertension and seizures, we can now perhaps come up with new childhood anti-seizure therapies," he wrote. Xue was the first author of the National Institutes of Health-funded study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. To reach these conclusions, they utilized clinical databases and studies in lab mice, including the records of more than 246 million patients from across the U.S. The study found that children born to mothers with high blood pressure during their pregnancy had significantly higher rates of seizures compared to those with normal blood pressure. In mice, testing confirmed that exposure to gestational hypertension in the womb increased seizure sensitivity and death due to seizures. Of their subjects, male offspring showed greater vulnerability to the medical condition. They also found that brain inflammation played a 'significant role' in the process of disease, saying it may play such a role in human children. Gestational hypertension impacts nearly 16 percent of American pregnancies. Mothers are also at a higher risk of seizures, stroke, temporary kidney failure, and liver and blood clotting problems, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Most people with high blood pressure will deliver healthy babies when the condition is caught early in pregnancy. However, the more severe the condition is, the more at risk mothers are for serious complications, the clinic notes. That can include preeclampsia, when high blood pressure develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Eclampsia occurs when a pregnant woman has seizures due to untreated or under-treated preeclampsia. But this study – the first large-scale evidence connecting gestational hypertension to heightened seizure risk in offspring – may offer new pathways for further research. The impact of brain inflammation could be targeted to prevent seizures in children exposed to gestational hypertension. Notably, this research was released the same day as another study from Columbia University that found low levels of arsenic in drinking water were also linked to preterm birth and lower birthweight. "This study is unique because you have an association drawn from analyses of large clinical databases, but then we go on to prove the association with animal models,' Dr. Vinit Mahajan, professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University and a co-author on the study, explained. 'We were even able to reduce seizures in mice offspring with anti-inflammatory drugs based on what we learned from the model.'
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Common pregnancy complication linked to childhood seizures
A new study by University of Iowa Health Care researchers has found that gestational hypertension, which affects about 16 per cent of US pregnancies, is associated with an increased risk of seizures in children. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, utilized clinical databases containing over 246 million patients and lab mice studies. Researchers found that children born to mothers with high blood pressure during pregnancy had significantly higher rates of seizures. Mice testing confirmed increased seizure sensitivity and death due to seizures in offspring exposed to gestational hypertension in the womb. The study also indicated that male offspring were more vulnerable and that brain inflammation played a significant role in the disease process, suggesting it may also do so in human children.
