A.
A Breakthrough In Multiple Sclerosis Research
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Researchers have discovered
the body's own antibodies play a major role in the
development of multiple sclerosis. Previously the
immune system's killer T-cells were thought to be
the main culprit. But Dr. Claude Genain, a neurology
professor at the University of California, San Francisco,
literally caught antibodies in the act of destroying
the myelin sheath, which protects vital nerve fibers
of the spinal cord and brain.
Genain:
That has never been shown before in human MS The
implications of this are by combining the previous
therapies that are efficient against T cells and
some therapies that are efficient against antibodies,
we will most likely end up with a much more efficient
treatment for the disease.
Narrator:
Genain hopes to develop molecules that mimic antibodies
that bind to myelin.
Genain:
But do not have their detrimental effect on the
myelin sheath and we are hoping that these molecules
will be able to compete with antibodies to prevent
the antibodies to create the damage.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
A Genetic Discovery May Help Mend Broken Bones
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Two genes crucial to fetal
bone development have been found to resurface later
to help mend broken bones. This discovery may lead
to new treatments for hard-to-heal fractures. Dr.
Theodore Miclau, a professor of orthopedic surgery
at the University of California, San Francisco explains.
Miclau:
Somewhere between five and ten percent of all fractures
have some difficulty healing and currently people
are frustrated even during normal bone healing when
it takes longer. What these techniques that might
evolve out of this type of research would allow
not only bones to heal more reliably but also for
us to be able to control better how rapidly they
heal.
Narrator:
But there's still lots of work to be done.
Miclau:
We know that these genes are expressed during bone
repair but we don't know how important they are
during bone repair and there are several models
that we're currently working on to take this to
the next level to find out what their significance
is in adult bone formation.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Are Women More Afraid Of Invasive Heart Testing?
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Women with heart disease
are just as willing as men to undergo invasive cardiac
testing procedures. But Dr. Rita Redberg, an associate
professor of medicine at the University of California,
San Francisco says women receive less aggressive
treatment.
Redberg:
One of the reasons that has been suggested that
women undergo invasive testing less than men is
that perhaps women are refusing invasive testing,
Narrator:
But Redberg conducted a study recently which found
that's definitely not the case.
Redberg:
Actually, women were slightly more likely than men
to agree to invasive testing and then we adjusted
for age and sociodemographic factors and women and
men were equally willing to undergo invasive testing.
This suggests that there must be another explanation
for why women are not as likely to be referred.
What we hope with studies like this is that it will
increase awareness among patients and physicians
that women should be offered tests at the same rate
as men.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
A Possible Cause For Loose Hip Replacements
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Total hip replacements were
initially introduced in the Sixties after an orthopedic
surgeon used some dental cement to successfully
bond metal to bone. These acrylic cements are still
used today, but Michael Ries, an associate professor
of orthopedic surgery at the University of California,
San Francisco recently found they biodegrade over
time.
Ries:
We don't exactly know what the process is, so our
first step was to identify how it breaks down and
if it breaks down and to what degree this occurs.
Narrator:
Overall, cemented hip replacements are very successful,
but there are cases of loosening which may be caused
by cement degradation.
Ries:
This should not be startling information or something
to make people panic or necessarily want to have
an uncemented hip prosthesis. This information should
also help us identify factors which could extend
the longevity of total hip replacements - cemented
ones - and improve the type of cement we use in
hip replacements.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
The Facts About Pulmonary Fibrosis
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Each year, pulmonary fibrosis
causes more than five thousand Americans to die
of suffocation. This happens after progressive scarring
and inflammation in the lungs prevent oxygen from
getting into the bloodstream. Dr. Dean Sheppard,
of the University of California, San Francisco says
pulmonary fibrosis affects over one hundred thousand
people nationwide.
Sheppard:
It's actually not really one disease - it's the
end effect of a number of different diseases, so
actually there are probably over a hundred different
individual causes of pulmonary fibrosis.
Narrator:
One of the more common causes is a disease called
sarcoidosis, which is of unknown origin, but usually
targets the lungs.
Sheppard:
There are also people who have what are called rheumatologic
diseases - one's called lupus, another's called
scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis sometimes can
lead to pulmonary fibrosis and then one of the largest
categories is something we call idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis, which means we don't know what causes
it.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
