Stem cells - a cure for fatal muscular dystrophy

Bonn: The diagnosis 'muscular dystrophy' is usually tantamount to a death sentence for those affected. One in three thousand male babies suffer from this incurable hereditary disease. The progress of the disease can only be slowed down through physiotherapy and medication. Scientists at Bonn University and at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital (USA) have now isolated a specific type of stem cell which can improve the regeneration of damaged muscle cells in mice suffering from muscular dystrophy. The results have now been published in the prestigious Journal of Cell Biology (Vol. 157 (5), pp. 851-864).

Effective muscle building by administering protein during sleep

Maastricht: The administration of proteins during sleep is an effective way to promote muscle building. When combined with electrical stimulation, muscle production can be given an extra boost. That is evident from PhD research conducted by Bart Groen at Maastricht UMC+. Groen studied how the body converts consumed proteins to muscle tissue and how this production can be promoted in a clever way.

Seniors: Innovative Approaches to Prevent Muscle Loss

Utah: Assistant Pr of physical therapy Micah Drummond, Ph.D., wields a rare trait that is becoming increasingly sought after in the world of scientific inquiry: he’s as equally comfortable explaining an exercise regimen to an elderly study volunteer as he is staring down a microscope. Exercise physiology has been a constant in Drummond’s career, ever since he was a graduate student at Brigham Young University just over ten years ago. His research first focused on how exercise impacts the inner workings of muscle cells. During his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch, his research expanded to encompass how protein and exercise promote healthy muscle in older adults. During his four years at the University of Utah, he has turned toward investigating how strengthening muscle can help the elderly offset the consequences of physical inactivity and recover faster following an injury or surgery.

Researchers pin down enzyme role in muscle aging

Birmingham: Researchers at the University of Birmingham have identified the role of an enzyme in muscle wasting, and associated age-related problems. They believe that inhibiting it could hold the key to developing ways of preventing, or reversing, the adverse effects. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, is a significant step in understanding the role played by the enzyme '11β-HSD1' in the degenerative effects of ageing - including sarcopenia (age related muscle wasting).

FDA warns consumers not to use muscle growth product called Tri-Methyl Xtreme

The U.S. Food and Drug administration is warning consumers to stop using a dietary supplement for muscle growth linked to serious liver injury.
Tri-Methyl Xtreme, distributed by Las Vegas-based Extreme Products Group, claims to contain anabolic steroids and is sold on the Internet and in some retail stores and gyms.
An investigation is underway by the FDA to identify the product’s manufacturer after the agency received adverse event reports from consumers—one each from California, New Jersey and Utah. The agency has not received reports of death from use of the product.
“Products marketed as supplements that contain anabolic steroids pose a real danger to consumers,” said Charles Lee, M.D., a senior medical advisor in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Office of Compliance. “Anabolic steroids may have a range of serious adverse effects on many organ systems, and the damage may be irreversible.”
Liver injury is generally known to be a possible outcome of using products that contain synthetic anabolic steroids, and steroid-like substances.  In general, anabolic steroids may cause other serious long-term consequences, including adverse effects on cholesterol levels; increased risk of heart attack and stroke; masculinization of women; shrinkage of the testicles; breast enlargement; infertility in males; and short stature in children.
Consumers who suspect they are experiencing problems associated with Tri-Methyl Xtreme or other body building products should consult a health care professional, especially if they have experienced unexplained fatigue, abdominal or back pain, discolored urine or any other unexplained changes in their health.
Health care professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:

• Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
• Download the form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178

Rehabilitation interventions for people with critical illness myopathy and neuropathy

Cochrane: Does physical rehabilitation aid recovery of people with weakness that develops in muscles (critical illness myopathy, CIM) and nerves (critical illness polyneuropathy, CIP) in critical care?

Scientists use tissue engineering to grow leg muscle

EMBO: A team of researchers from Italy, Israel and the United Kingdom has succeeded in generating mature, functional skeletal muscles in mice using a new approach for tissue engineering. The scientists grew a leg muscle starting from engineered cells cultured in a dish to produce a graft. The subsequent graft was implanted close to a normal, contracting skeletal muscle where the new muscle was nurtured and grown. In time, the method could allow for patient-specific treatments for a large number of muscle disorders. The results are published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.