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Making Epilepsy Drugs Better
Nearly 30 percent of people who take medication for epilepsy do not respond to their medication, and researchers now have a better understanding of why. A College of Pharmacy researcher at the University of Minnesota found that neurotransmitters released during epileptic seizures turn on a signaling pathway in the brain, which in turn increases production of a protein that could inhibit medication’s entry into the brain. The finding opens the door to improving the effectiveness of drugs that are used to treat epilepsy.

A Toehold on the Family Tree
Researchers in the University of Minnesota’s department of fisheries, wildlife, and conservation biology in the College of Biological Sciences and from Villanova University have discovered a new family of gecko, a small, night-active lizard with large eyes that is found on nearly every continent. Scientists have long been interested in geckos and their evolution because their presence is a key indicator of an area’s ecological health. Additionally, scientists are interested in the gecko’s feet, which have sticky toepads that allow it to maneuver across most surfaces—it can, for example, walk upside down across a ceiling. Scientists believe that unique characteristic might have human application in medicine, emergency rescue service, and military industries. Researchers identified the new family by sequencing DNA from 44 species of the animal, and using the data to reconstruct the gecko family tree. The new family consists of 103 species and can be found in several semiarid and tropical regions in North Africa, the Middle East, North and South America, and the Caribbean.

Taming Leukemia
In a discovery that may put to rest a long-standing debate about the origins of leukemia, researchers at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center say their study demonstrates that the disease begins in young stem cells rather than in the more mature progenitor cells. The discovery was made in connection with acute leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. Current treatments cure more than 80 percent of children older than 2 when diagnosed with the disease, but the cure rate is much lower for infants. Researchers said the finding might have significance in all types of cancer.

Cancer Survivors Face Heart Risks
Childhood cancer survivors have a significantly greater chance of developing heart problems at a young age than their siblings who have not had cancer, according to research led by a researcher at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center. The research found that survivors of childhood and young adult cancers are 5 to 10 times more likely to develop serious heart problems by age 27, including congestive heart failure, heart attack, and hardening of the coronary arteries. The risks were especially high in survivors who received anthracycline drugs or radiation therapy to the heart as part of their cancer treatment. The 14,358 survivors who were studied were 21 years of age or younger at diagnosis and had survived at least five years after treatment. Researchers said the study points to the need for survivors to be monitored closely in the long-term so that heart conditions can be detected before they become a major medical problem.

One Powerful Protein
University of Minnesota researchers in the Medical School have discovered that a natural human protein called APOBEC3G has the capacity to kill HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. Many studies over the past six years have investigated the efficacy of human proteins in battling HIV-1, but this research is the first to prove that APOBEC3G is as good at stopping the virus as any synthetic drug currently used for treatment. However, much additional work needs to be done before APOBEC3G can be used as therapy. That’s because HIV-1, which has long been known for its ability to mutate, has developed a way to evade APOBEC3G with its own protein, called Vif. Scientists are now working to find a way to neutralize the activity of Vif, which could lead to the development of more effective therapeutics.

Research with Backbone
Researchers in the departments of entomology and neuroscience in the University of Minnesota Medical School have concluded that each segment of the human spinal cord may have its own individual generator unit that is activated by the common hormone dopamine and controls walking. When a neuron fires, it sets off a chain reaction that gives rise to rhythmic movement such as walking. Once those circuits are turned on, the body essentially goes on autopilot. Understanding how the spinal cord controls walking could help lead to treatments for central nervous system maladies such as Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries. The next step will be to figure out how dopamine makes individual neurons more or less active. Researchers found these generator units by studying the medicinal leech, whose neurons are large and therefore easier to study than human neurons.

Exit Exams: F
High school exit exams are effective in reducing the number of students who graduate, but the standards are set too low to boost academic achievement or improve post–high school job prospects. That was the conclusion of research by a University of Minnesota sociology professor and a colleague from the University of California–Davis who studied the impact of exit exams in the 23 states where they have been implemented. They found that the exams have no measurable impact on 13-to 17-year-old students’ reading or math achievement levels and that young people who earned their diplomas in states requiring exit exams experienced the same chances of employment and the same wage rates as those who were not required to pass exit exams.