Research News and Research

RSS

Methamphetamine users show symptoms similar to brain injury patients

Because today's methamphetamine is stronger, more potent and wreaks greater havoc on the brain, chronic users exhibit symptoms similar to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to the Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ).

26 Jul 2005

Single prenatal dose of methamphetamine enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies

In research published in the August issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine, U of T pharmacy and pharmacology professor Peter Wells and his colleagues determined that exposing pregnant mice only once to methamphetamine led to delivery of offspring with long-term neurodevelopmental problems, including reduced motor co-ordination.

26 Jul 2005

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

The study found that almost three fourths of those 80 years and older have hypertension -- blood pressure greater than 140 systolic over greater than 90 diastolic. Fewer than 10 percent have "normal" blood pressure levels -- less than 120 systolic over less than 80 diastolic.

26 Jul 2005

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

Combining partially differentiated stem cells with gene therapy can promote the growth of new "insulation" around nerve fibers in the damaged spinal cords of rats, a new study shows.

26 Jul 2005

Research sets foundation for new generation of vaccines for HIV, influenza

Scientists have taken a major step toward the goal of altering viruses, bacteria and tumor cells so that they demand attention from immune cells designed to destroy them.

26 Jul 2005

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking

In a study published in the online journal BMC Pediatrics, Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health, reports that both active maternal smoking and secondary maternal exposure result in similarly increased rates of genetic mutation that are basically indistinguishable.

26 Jul 2005

Unprecedented industry-backed laws limit public safety

Two laws recently passed by Congress with strong industry backing have had a chilling effect on government efforts to protect public health, according to a UCSF study.

26 Jul 2005

Rush to offer new treatment for arterio-venous malformations

Rush University Medical Center will be the first in Chicago and among the first hospitals in the nation to offer a promising new treatment for arterio-venous malformations (AVMs) following its approval by the FDA on July 21.

26 Jul 2005

Potential new treatment for nerve damage caused by diabetes

Research into a new treatment for nerve damage caused by diabetes could bring relief to millions of diabetic patients, say experts.

From The University of Manchester 26 Jul 2005

Alfred biomodelling creates life like hobbit

Pioneering Alfred technology is being put to good use in understanding where we come from, in the fields of Anthropology and Palaeontology.

26 Jul 2005

Molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a crucial molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer. In the process, they have identified a possible way to treat this disease as well as a number of other cancers.

26 Jul 2005

Loyola researchers hope that zoledronic acid will be effective and safe for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)

Researchers at the Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Center and the Division of Gastroenterology at Loyola University Health System are studying a once-yearly, 15-minute infusion of an intravenous (IV) medication in patients with osteopenia (low bone mass) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that, if proven effective, may be considered the standard of treatment.

26 Jul 2005

Neuroscientists identify how the brain processes and stores emotional experiences as long-term memories

The research, performed on rats, could help neuroscientists better understand why emotionally arousing events are remembered over longer periods than emotionally neutral events, and may ultimately find application in treatments for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

26 Jul 2005

Bird flu could spread to Europe on wings of Asian wild geese

Migratory wild birds from China, which were found to have contracted bird flu from poultry, could potentially spread the disease to Europe, as well as Australia, Chinese scientists report.

26 Jul 2005

Fat-dissolving fads: Too good to be true?

The search for a non-surgical method to get rid of unwanted fat is not new - and neither is 'mesotherapy', a technique which claims to dissolve fat by injections of medications or vitamins, minerals and herbs.

26 Jul 2005

Leg strength gets a push from training technique

A pair of studies published recently in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (MSSE), the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), underscore the relevance of sports and exercise research to this year’s Tour de France. One study accurately predicted Lance Armstrong’s time in a stage of the 2004 race, while another points to an effective training technique for aspiring cyclists.

26 Jul 2005

BSD Medical receives notice of allowance for new patent

BSD Medical today announced that the company has received "official notice of allowance" for a new patent that is expected to be issued by the U.S. Patent Office.

26 Jul 2005

Does aspirin work equally well for everyone?

We all know that aspirin can help prevent a heart attack or stroke, but does aspirin work equally well for everyone? A growing amount of medical evidence says no. One reason emerging to explain this difference is that some people fail to achieve an adequate response to the drug.

26 Jul 2005

First large-scale effort to sequence the flu genome

Multiple strains of the flu virus, circulating in a population at the same time, can reshuffle their genes and create a new virus, one capable of infecting many more people, according to a new study in the open-access journal PLoS Biology.

26 Jul 2005

Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping can benefit clinical practice

A study published in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) concludes that genotyping of specific high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), the cause of virtually all cases of cervical cancer, can benefit clinical practice by enabling more focused attention on women who are at highest risk, announced Digene Corporation.

26 Jul 2005