Officials at Seoul National University have concluded that Woo-Suk Hwang, PhD, fabricated research involving the supposed creation of 11 colonies of cloned human embryonic stem cells genetically matched to patients with specific diseases. An investigative panel determined that nine of the cell lines were fakes and that the remaining two lines were ordinary stem cells. Science, which published the results in May 2005, released the following statement: "All authors have indicated a willingness to retract the 2005 paper." The journal plans to finalize the retraction text when the university’s investigation is completed. The university is also investigating a 2004 Science article in which Dr. Hwang claimed to have derived a stem cell line from the world’s first cloned human embryo, as well as a 2005 report in Nature in which Dr. Hwang claimed to have produced the first cloned dog.

Glucosamine—an osteoarthritis treatment—may also provide relief to individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in the December 1, 2005, Journal of Immunology. Researchers investigated the therapeutic effect of glucosamine in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of MS. Glucosamine was administered orally, intraperitoneally, and intravenously to mice both before and after the onset of symptoms. According to the researchers, glucosamine significantly reduced central nervous system inflammation and demyelination. A significant blockade of T_H1 response and up-regulation of interleukin-5 and interleukin-10 were observed in the splenocytes of treated mice. The researchers pointed out the possibility of using glucosamine in combination with other treatments, such as interferon beta and glatiramer acetate, "to enhance their efficacy and reduce their doses in MS and possibly other autoimmune disorders."

Intensive task-specific rehabilitative training—such as robotic body weight–supported treadmill training —can promote increased activity in motor centers of the brain in people partially paralyzed due to spinal cord injury, according to a report in the December 2005 Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. Four men with spinal cord injury were trained with body weight–supported treadmill training three times per week for a period of 12 weeks. All patients underwent fMRI of supraspinal activity before and after each training session. The investigators found that all patients demonstrated some degree of change in the blood-oxygen-level–dependent signal following training. In addition, fMRI results demonstrated increased activation in sensorimotor cortical regions and cerebellar regions following training.

Investigators have identified a gene that is responsible for methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, the most common inborn error of vitamin B₁₂ metabolism, according to a study published in the November 27, 2005, online Nature Genetics. Two hundred four of about 250 known cases of the disease were assessed, resulting in the identification of 42 different mutations of the MMACHC gene. According to the investigators, one mutation, 271dupA, accounted for 40% of all disease alleles. "Molecular modeling predicts that the C-terminal region of the gene product folds similarly to TonB, a bacterial protein involved in energy transduction for cobalamin uptake," said the investigators.

Two studies in the November 28, 2005, NeuroReport demonstrated that the pedunculopontine nucleus can be targeted safely and effectively with deep brain stimulation without major surgical risks in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Low frequency (20 to 25 Hz) stimulation of the pedunculopontine nucleus improves postural stability and gait disturbance, including "on-medication" freezing. Furthermore, combined stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus and the pedunculopontine nucleus appears to be more valuable than stimulation of the pedunculopontine nucleus alone. "In theory, even patients with multiple system atrophy or progressive supranuclear palsy could benefit [from this treatment]—in fact, any patient with intractable locomotive and postural akinesia [could benefit]," reported the investigators.

Researchers have identified a new target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). According to a report in the November 15, 2005, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, using small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeted against FLT3—a gene that sends signals to dendritic cells, thereby triggering T-cell responses—researchers were able to induce apoptosis in both mouse and human dendritic cells. "Furthermore, targeted inhibition of FLT3 significantly improved the course of established disease in a model for MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, suggesting a potential avenue for treating autoimmune disease," reported the researchers.

Myxoma virus, a poxvirus, kills human brain tumors in mice and prolongs the animals’ survival, according to a study in the November 1, 2005, Cancer Research. The researchers reported that inoculation of the myxoma virus was well tolerated and produced only minimal focal inflammatory changes at the site of inoculation. Most of the myxoma virus–treated mice were alive and "cured" at the end of the study period. Myxoma virus may be an attractive oncolytic agent against human malignant glioma, suggested the researchers. They are planning to test the virus as a treatment for a form of melanoma that spreads to the lungs.

The LRRK2 protein, dardarin, may be a new target for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, according to a report in the November 15, 2005, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Investigators found that in addition to dardarin’s role as a kinase, the protein is present in the cytoplasm and associates with the mitochondrial outer membrane. "The next step is to prove that LRRK2 overactivity results in the death of brain cells that produce dopamine, the defining pathology of Parkinson’s disease, and to figure out how it does so," said the investigators. "For example, we would want to isolate the active part of the LRRK2 protein and use that more manageable part to screen for molecules that would block its activity."

Uncontrolled hypertension in elderly men is associated with worse cognitive function, according to a study in the November 2005 Neuropsychology. Researchers examined a subset of 357 men in the VA Normative Aging Study. They found a linear association between increasing age and decreasing neuropsychological performance. Furthermore, men with uncontrolled hypertension performed significantly worse on specific tests of verbal fluency and immediate recall of a word list. Verbal performance was 2.4 times worse in those with uncontrolled hypertension compared with those with normal blood pressure. Performance on immediate recall tasks was 1.3 times worse in men with uncontrolled hypertension than in men with normal blood pressure.

NR