Faculty Bibliography

Former Massachusetts Sen Paul E. Tsongas underwent a second bone marrow transplant at a Boston hospital the week of Apr 28, 1996 because of a complication of the cancer therapy he has received intermittently for a decade. A twin sister donated the marrow for Tsongas, who was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992

A novel substance found in sharks has controlled the growth of brain tumors in experimental rats and prolonged their lives, researchers from John Hopkins University School of Medicine reported on Apr 30, 1996

Aiming to cure peptic ulcers and not just relieve them, the FDA on Apr 15, 1996 approved a combination of two drugs, including the first antibiotic, to fight the bacterial infection

People with the disorder, known as Werner's syndrome, begin to grow gray hair as teen-agers and often in their 20s develop the ills of old age: cataracts, wrinkled skin and thinning of the bones. Most individuals die from heart attacks or cancer in their 40s. The gene for Werner's syndrome is located on the short arm of chromosome 8, of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes, and seems to affect an enzyme known as helicase. What goes wrong with helicase, which is involved in the metabolism and repair of DNA, in Werner's syndrome is unknown. The discovery, reported today in the journal Science by an international team of biologists, raises questions such as: Do people who do not have Werner's syndrome carry different versions of the gene that might affect their life spans? Do such aberrant genes accelerate the development of certain age-related disorders, particularly heart disease and cancer? Or do beneficial variants protect against aging?

The epidemic of mad cow disease in England has focused worldwide attention on the human version of the ailment, the fatal malady known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It is one of a small group of obscure diseases called spongiform encephalopathies because they produce holes in various areas of the brain, giving it a pitted appearance like Swiss cheese. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease affects on average about one person in a million worldwide each year. The natural history of the mysterious malady may shed light on its cause and also may help to clarify the nature of other brain-destroying diseases such as Alzheimer's, to which Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease seems related by symptoms and pathology

After a worldwide search for families with a rare inherited disorder, scientists have discovered for the first time a gene that affects aging in humans. The gene, which was identified among families in Japan and Syria, may shed light on the process of normal aging. People with the disorder, known as Werner's syndrome, begin to grow gray hair as teen-agers. Though of average height as grade schoolers, they may often find themselves among the shortest students in high school since they fail to get the usual adolescent growth spurt. In their 20s, they can expect to develop the ills of old age - cataracts, wrinkled skin and thinning of the bones. Most individuals die from heart attacks or cancer in their 40s. The gene for Werner's syndrome is located on the short arm of chromosome 8, of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes, and seems to affect an enzyme known as helicase, which is involved in the metabolism and repair of DNA. Precisely what goes wrong with helicase in Werner's syndrome is not known

After a worldwide search for families with a rare inherited disorder, scientists have discovered for the first time a gene that affects aging in humans. The gene, which is responsible for Werner's syndrome, may shed light on the process of normal aging. The identification of the gene is reported on Apr 12, 1996 in the journal Science

Werner's syndrome affects about 10 people per million population throughout the world. The researchers focused on Japan and Syria because of a high frequency of intermarriage in the two countries. The syndrome is named after Otto Werner, who in Germany in 1904 reported a family affected by premature aging and said a genetic component was at work. Certain features set Werner's syndrome apart from the usual age- related diseases. For example, Werner's individuals generally do not develop high blood pressure or Alzheimer's disease. The osteoporosis that Werner's patients develop tends to damage the arms and legs, and not the vertebrae as in older people without the syndrome. Werner's syndrome individuals tend to develop certain cancers more often than those in the geriatric population who do not have the condition. For example, those with Werner's syndrome tend to develop cancers of muscle, connective tissue and the meninges, or membrane, covering the brain, while those who do not have the syndrome tend to develop cancers of the colon and prostate

Federal health officials said on Apr 8, 1996 that they would step up surveillance for a human version of mad cow disease by focusing initially on four states and then expanding their efforts elsewhere if necessary

Researchers said the week of Mar 31, 1996 that a study to determine whether a drug could help protect brain function during open-heart surgery had to be halted because it led to a relatively large number of deaths from bleeding. The drug is nimodipine, a member of a class known as calcium channel blockers that are widely used for treating high blood pressure and chest pains from angina