Category: Uncategorized

December 21, 2005 Poor Fitness Raises Heart Disease RiskCHICAGO—Poor cardiorespiratory fitness affects one of five persons aged 12 to 49 years in the United States, with a disproportionate impact on adolescents, adult females, and non-white minorities. The most striking indication of the health burden of poor fitness in the U.S. population is the strong association[…]

Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu Protein in Lou Gehrig’s Disease Linked to Neuron Death EVANSTON, Ill.—French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot first described amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 1869, but nearly 140 years later little is known about the cause of the devastating neurodegenerative disease, and there is no cure. What is known about[…]

In Memoriam (Melvyn Bayly Jr.) Melvyn A. Bayly Jr., MD ’71, emeritus associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School, died October 31 of cancer. He was 60. A faculty member since 1978, Dr. Bayly received emeritus status shortly before he passed away. Dr. Bayly spent his career at his alma mater[…]

November 8, 2005 Researchers Discover New Form of Cancer Gene RegulationCHICAGO—The Quaking gene, first described as a mutation in mice that causes rapid tremor, is thought to suppress tumor formation and protect humans from cancer. Now, a team of researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin has shown that the Quaking gene likely[…]

Estrogen Alters Brain ‘Wiring’ EVANSTON, Ill.—Researchers at Northwestern University and Columbia University have found that “wiring” in female rat brain memory area expands and retracts in relation to the amount of estrogen present during the estrous/menstrual cycle. A study describing this research was presented November 14 by Northwestern’s Aryeh Routtenberg, PhD, professor of psychology and[…]

In Memoriam (Stanley Huff) Dermatologist Stanley E. Huff, MD ’44, professor emeritus of dermatology, died October 29 of renal disease in Hospice of the North Shore, Skokie, Illinois. He was 87. Dr. Huff joined the faculty in 1949 and was granted emeritus status in 1987. A long-time private practitioner in Evanston, he routinely volunteered his[…]

November 7, 2005 Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu ITEC Makes Award to RND PharmaceuticalsEVANSTON, Ill.—The Illinois Technology Enterprise Center (ITEC)–Evanston at Northwestern University has invested $25,000 in RND Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company located in Palatine. RND is dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of proprietary small molecule therapeutics[…]

Alumnus Details American Red Cross Katrina Effort Every day American Red Cross volunteers freely give their time and effort to carrying out the commitment of the nonprofit organization: the alleviation of human suffering. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August, the destructive strength of this storm tested the fortitude of victims and relief[…]

Mechanism Found That Promotes Melanoma Spread CHICAGO—Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a key signaling mechanism that may promote the ability of highly aggressive malignant melanoma cells to metastasize, or spread from a primary tumor to distant sites within the body. Results of their study, published in the November issue of Cancer Research, suggest that[…]

Primrose Oil Component Cuts Levels of Cancer Gene CHICAGO—Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a substance in evening primrose oil and several other plant oils used in herbal medicine, inhibits action of Her-2/neu, a cancer gene that is responsible for almost 30 percent of all breast cancers, Northwestern University researchers report. “Breast cancer patients with Her-2/neu-positive tumors have[…]