1997 News Releases

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New protein found in excessive quantities in Alzheimer's disease
December 15, 1997—A research team based at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has discovered a new gene that appears to play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

Counseling hospitalized smokers can help them quit
Additional support seen needed for staying permenently smoke-free
December 7, 1997—Offering hospitalized smokers bedside stop-smoking counseling can help them stay off cigarettes after they return home, according to a Massachusetts General Hospital study appearing in the December 8 Archives of Internal Medicine.

MGH team identifies new immune activity that may control HIV levels
Finding may explain how a few avoid developing AIDS
November 20, 1997 — Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and other Boston institutions have identified, for the first time, an activity by the human immune system that seems to suppress replication of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

Study suggests possibility of universally effective AIDS vaccine
Killer cells appear effective against various virus strains
October 30, 1997 —A study by a research team based at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) suggests that it may be possible to develop an AIDS vaccine that will be effective against the different versions of the virus found around the world.

Inactivation of key gene allows worms to develop without insulin
Discovery may lead to new understanding, treatment of diabetes
October 29, 1997—Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have announced an important new insight into how the lack of insulin causes diabetes.

Study shows how chemotherapy causes female infertility
Discovery may lead to fertility-preserving strategies
October 28, 1997—A research team based at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has discovered, for the first time, the molecular pathways involved in the destruction of oocytes or egg cells by a common chemotherapy drug.

Illegal tobacco sales to minors continue despite enforcement of laws
Federal standards prove inadequate
October 8, 1997 —Keeping teenagers from buying cigarettes may be more difficult than expected, according to a new study, published in the October 9 New England Journal of Medicine.

Gene mutation associated with rare form of diabetes
Discovery may lead to better understanding of common forms
September 30, 1997—Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have discovered that a mutation in a gene that plays a critical role in insulin secretion is associated with a rare, inherited form of diabetes.

Imaging studies illuminate brain's response to cocaine
September 25, 1997 — Using a state-of-the art imaging technique, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have shown, in greater detail than before, how specific areas of the human brain react to cocaine, distinguishing patterns of activation associated with feelings of euphoria and craving among addicts.

MGH-led team finds gene for crippling neurologic disorder
Protein provides possible clue to disease triggers
September 3, 1997 — A research team led by investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has identified and cloned the gene responsible for early-onset dystonia, a crippling, inherited neurological disorder that begins in childhood.

Nitric oxide gas may treat, prevent sickle cell crisis
September 2, 1997—A study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and other Boston hospitals suggests that inhaled nitric oxide gas might successfully treat sickle cell disease and its characteristic episodes of debilitating pain, called sickle cell crisis.

MGH researchers find connection between
aging gene and insulin receptor
August 14, 1997—Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have discovered that a gene used by the tiny worm C. elegans to regulate how much it eats, how fat it becomes and how long it lives is strikingly similar to the gene for the human insulin receptor.

MGH researchers connect Alzheimer's mutations to cell-death process
July 17, 1997— Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have discovered that two genes associated with early-onset Alzheimer's disease are involved in programmed cell death, a natural process in which unneeded or worn-out cells commit suicide.

Inhibiting cell-death gene may slow ALS progression
July 2, 1997—A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found evidence that a key programmed cell death gene may play a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

Optical technique allows non-surgical biopsies
June 27, 1997 — A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a non-invasive method of detecting early signs of cancer and heart attacks, Science magazine reported today. The new method, known as optical coherence tomography (OCT), produces a clear picture of a cross-section of bodily tissue without requiring surgical biopsy.

Researchers discover first lymphatic vessel growth factor
May 29, 1997— An international research group including scientists from Finland and from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) may have found the first factor regulating growth of lymphatic vessels.

MGH researchers find link between leptin and beta cells of pancreas
May 27, 1997— Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found a powerful link between leptin, the so-called obesity hormone, and the beta cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin.

BRCA2 mutations may have less impact than BRCA1 mutations on early-onset breast cancer
May 12, 1997 — Mutations in the BRCA2 gene appear to be associated with fewer cases of breast cancer in young women than do mutations in the BRCA1 gene, according to a study appearing in the May 15 New England Journal of Medicine.

Survey examines extent of secrecy in academic life science research
April 15, 1997 — Academic researchers in the life sciences who are involved with commercialization of their research or who participate in academic-industry research relationships are more likely to withhold the results of their research from the overall scientific community, according to a report in the April 16 Journal of the American Medical Association.