Pathology News and Research

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Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of organs, tissues, bodily fluids, and whole bodies (autopsies). The term also encompasses the related scientific study of disease processes, called General pathology. Medical pathology is divided in two main branches, Anatomical pathology and Clinical pathology. Veterinary pathology is concerned with animal disease whereas Phytopathology is the study of plant diseases.

First assessment tool to evaluate Quebec Platelet Disorder (QPD)

Researchers at McMaster University have developed the first assessment tool of its kind for evaluating risks faced by Canadians suffering from a rare and often fatal bleeding disorder.

22 Dec 2004

Cancer drug paclitaxel may reduce the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease

In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)–which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells–reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model.

20 Dec 2004

Blocking a key molecule protects breast implants, permanent catheters, pacemakers and artificial joints from rejection and damage by the body

Blocking a key molecule protects breast implants, permanent catheters, pacemakers, artificial joints, glucose sensors for diabetics, and other biomaterials from rejection and damage by the body, according to a study published this month in The American Journal of Pathology.

20 Dec 2004

DLX5 gene may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome

A research team led by Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu of the Life Sciences Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has identified a gene, DLX5, that may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome, a devastating neurological disorder diagnosed almost exclusively in girls.

20 Dec 2004

Size of myocardial infarct measured using MRI

In animal studies, researchers at Johns Hopkins have effectively used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure with 94 percent accuracy the size and amount of heart muscle damaged by a heart attack, known in medical terms as a myocardial infarct, or m.i., for short.

20 Dec 2004

Stem cells use inflammatory signals to find injured tissue

A joint effort led by stem cell biologist Evan Y. Snyder, M.D., Ph.D., of The Burnham Institute, and Samia J. Khoury, M.D., of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, report data suggesting that stem cells use inflammatory signals to “know” where they must home.

20 Dec 2004

Wiping out a protein in skin cancer cells could significantly stall melanoma tumor development

The protein, Akt3, appears to be responsible for promoting tumor cell survival and development in 43 percent to 60 percent of non-inherited melanomas.

13 Dec 2004

First gene therapy for skin cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have successfully tested the first gene therapy for skin cancer, using a mouse model for the disease xeroderma pigmentosum, or XP.

13 Dec 2004

Lupus drug may also be useful in treating psoriasis

A new drug candidate previously shown to reduce harmful side effects of the autoimmune disease lupus also may be useful in treating psoriasis.

13 Dec 2004

Key molecular signal allows malarial parasites to target human red blood cells

Northwestern University researchers have identified a key molecular "signal" that allows malarial parasites to release virulence proteins inside human red blood cells.

13 Dec 2004

Neurobiologists distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity

Using hairlike microelectrodes and computer analysis, neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have demonstrated that they can see the detailed instant-to-instant electrical "brainscape" of neural activity across a living brain.

8 Dec 2004

Revival of a unique and proven cancer treatment, neutron therapy

Northern Illinois University has announced plans to revive a unique and proven cancer treatment that blends advanced medical science with accelerator physics developed at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, a Department of Energy laboratory in Batavia, Ill.

7 Dec 2004

Study looks at muscle repair and resilience

Healthy military personnel and muscular dystrophy patients are at opposite ends of the spectrum when is comes to muscle strength and resilience. However, a new University of Iowa study may provide insights that improve muscle health for both these groups.

7 Dec 2004

Botox reduces pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Botox, known for reducing wrinkles, also can be used to reduce pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy, according to results of a recent University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) study.

29 Nov 2004

New non-surgical technique that can help doctors determine when breast cancer has invaded the lymph nodes

A key question after a cancer diagnosis is whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found a new non-surgical technique that can help doctors determine when breast cancer has invaded the lymph nodes, sparing some women an extra trip to the operating room.

29 Nov 2004

New virtual microscopy system

Researchers at the universities of Helsinki and Tampere (Finland) have developed a new virtual microscopy system, which allows users digitize entire microscope glass slide specimens, and then create a virtual slide with the quality and resolution similar to the original glass slide viewed on a microscope.

29 Nov 2004

Scientists join forces to improve the effectiveness of a drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia

Scientists from Glasgow and Liverpool are joining forces to improve the effectiveness of a drug used to treat a form of leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), which affects 750 people in the UK each year.

24 Nov 2004

Battle of Waterloo could help doctors fight death from multiple organ failure

Waterloo’s battlefield is reigniting the debate about whether modern medicine is always good for you, according to University College London (UCL) scientists who are launching a study of why some critically ill patients recover and others die from multiple organ failure - the number one killer of patients in intensive care.

23 Nov 2004

Cells linked to asthma and eczema also help cure deadly illness in mice

Mast cells are immune cells known mostly for their unwanted effects: they cause the wheezing of asthma, the itching of eczema, the sneezing and runny nose of hay fever and, in extreme cases, the life-threatening shock of anaphylaxis.

20 Nov 2004

Researchers find mutations in a multifunctional protein cause Parkinsonism

A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. and colleagues in Canada and Germany have discovered a gene and six mutations of it that cause symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

18 Nov 2004