Herbert W. "Skip" Virgin, M.D., Ph.D.,
seeks causes for disease
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Herbert W. "Skip" Virgin, M.D., Ph.D., seeks causes for disease |
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Nun study researcher to speak Feb. 5 David Snowdon, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, will speak at noon Feb. 5 at the School of Medicine's Erlanger Auditorium in the McDonnell Medical Sciences Building. Snowdon directs the Nun Study, a longitudinal study of health and aging that involves more than 670 American members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame religious congregation. The talk, titled "Aging with Grace: Findings from the Nun Study," is part of the seminar series by the medical school's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. For more information, call 286-2881. |
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Neurofibromatosis
gene change affects tumors A tiny change in the cells of patients with neurofibromatosis (NF) seems to contribute to formation of aggressive tumors and could help explain why the disease -- which predisposes patients to develop tumors -- affects people in different ways. Reporting in the January issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, investigators in the School of Medicine describe a small, molecular variation in some tumor samples taken from neurofibromatosis patients. "Neurofibromatosis is a common, inherited genetic disease that affects about one in 3,500 people," said principal investigator Nicholas O. Davidson, M.D., professor of medicine and of molecular biology and pharmacology and director of the Division of Gastroenterology. "The gene responsible spans a large region of chromosome 17, but we have found that a very small change in the NF gene's messenger RNA (mRNA) can inactivate the final product of this gene, a protein called neurofibromin." Full story Volunteers needed for depression, Parkinson's disease study Investigators in the School of Medicine are seeking volunteers for a research study for patients with Parkinson's disease and depression. Many patients with Parkinson's disease get depressed, but the problem can go unrecognized. The reason is that some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease -- such as slow movement and difficulty making facial expressions -- also are symptoms of depression. Full story |
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