Preventing seizures after head injury could slow or prevent the onset of dementia
Blocking seizures after a head injury could slow or prevent the onset of dementia, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists.
Traumatic brain injury is a major risk factor for dementia, but the reason this is the case has remained mysterious. Through this research, we have discovered one important way they are linked namely, post-injury seizures.
Ted Allison, Co-Author and Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta There is currently no treatment for the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury, which includes developing dementia, added lead author Hadeel Alyenbaawi, who recently completed her PhD dissertation on this topic in the Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
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Researchers launch program to diagnose genetic diseases in children
A new University of Alberta pilot program aims to find answers and better treatments for children living with rare genetic conditions.
The Undiagnosed Disease Program, launched in January, is a collaboration between the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) and U of A researchers from medical genetics and pediatric neurology to provide a diagnosis to patients in the health system who are suspected to have a genetic condition that has not been identified.
“Patients see doctor after doctor, and usually are treated for their symptoms, but an overall diagnosis hasn’t been made,” explained project lead Peter Kannu, chair of the Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. “The concept of the Undiagnosed Disease Program has been operational at many other institutions in North America, and it will be a service that caters to these patients here in Edmonton.
Thymus gland works to prevent miscarriage, diabetes in pregnant women
An international research team led by the University of British Columbia (UBC) has uncovered for the first time the importance of a small gland tucked behind the sternum that works to prevent miscarriage and diabetes in pregnant women.
The organ in question is the thymus, identified in a study published today in the journal
Nature as playing a significant role in both metabolic control and immunity in pregnancy.
How the immune system adapts to support mother and fetus has puzzled researchers for decades. The study conducted by an international research team, including UBC s Dr. Josef Penninger reveals an answer. The researchers have found that female sex hormones instruct important changes in the thymus, a central organ of the immune system, to produce specialized cells called Tregs to deal with physiological changes that arise in pregnancy.