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

Although thyroid hormone is obligatory for the development of cardiac beta-adrenergic receptors, it is difficult to assign a specific role for the hormone in receptor ontogeny because beta-receptor expression is affected similarly in the adult. We have determined whether thyroid hormone plays a role in receptor development by evaluating alpha 1-adrenergic receptors, which in the adult are downregulated by thyroid hormone. Propylthiouracil given from gestational day 17 through postnatal day 5 caused significant deficits in the number of alpha 1-receptors and values resolved to normal in parallel with hormone level recovery. When propylthiouracil was administered later (postnatal days 11 through 15) only a transient deficit in alpha 1-receptor binding was seen; hyperthyroidism (triiodothyronine) could still evoke stimulation of receptor expression at this stage. The effects on receptor expression were distinguished from general effects on cell differentiation by examining alpha 2-receptors, which disappear over the first three postnatal weeks; delayed differentiation caused by propylthiouracil would slow the decline in alpha 2-receptors, whereas accelerated differentiation caused by triiodothyronine would hasten the decline. Instead, the effects were similar to those on alpha 1-receptors: perinatal propylthiouracil administration reduced, and neonatal triiodothyronine administration enhanced, alpha 2-receptor binding sites. Thus, thyroid hormone plays a role in the control of cardiac adrenergic receptor expression during a critical development period, with conjoint regulation of the multiple receptor subtypes present within the tissue. As adrenergic stimulation is important in maintaining cardiac function in the perinatal period, alterations of thyroid status during this period can be expected to result in abnormal reactivity and increased perinatal risk

Siegel discusses the unusual case of Sandra, a diabetic woman who suffered from extreme multiple personality disorder. It seemed as though Sandra's many different personalities had varying blood sugar levels

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