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Scientists develop novel bionic cardiac patch to treat heart problems

Scientists and doctors in recent decades have made vast leaps in the treatment of cardiac problems - particularly with the development in recent years of so-called "cardiac patches," swaths of engineered heart tissue that can replace heart muscle damaged during a heart attack.

28 Jun 2016

Study demonstrates epigenetic link between environment and pubertal onset in humans

Danish researchers have discovered a possible epigenetic link between the environment and pubertal timing.

28 Jun 2016

Researchers develop new technology to capture images of the brain

In a partnership melding neuroscience and electrical engineering, researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University have developed a new technology that will allow neuroscientists to capture images of the brain almost 10 times larger than previously possible - helping them better understand the behavior of neurons in the brain.

28 Jun 2016

LIF-treated muscle stem cells show promise in treatment of muscular dystrophy

Satellite cells are stem cells found in skeletal muscles. While transplantation of such muscle stem cells can be a potent therapy for degenerative muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, these cells tend to lose their transplantation efficiency when cultured in vitro.

28 Jun 2016

Omega-3 rich diet during pregnancy has no effect on weight of babies

In Europe, almost one in three schoolchildren under the age of ten is overweight, if not obese. In the search for the cause of this phenomenon, fetal programming inside a mother's womb was put under scrutiny as a potential culprit for this "heavy issue".

28 Jun 2016

Mathematical model helps investigate mechanisms involved in genesis of AF-related dementia

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia, turns out to be a potential mechanism into the genesis of AF-related cognitive impairment/dementia.

28 Jun 2016

Experimental lipid-lowering drug improves glucose control in diabetic patients

High triglycerides -- a type of fat, or lipid, in the blood -- increase the risk of heart disease and perhaps type 2 diabetes. For the first time, it has been shown that profoundly lowering triglycerides in diabetics improves their insulin sensitivity over time, which helps them maintain healthy glucose - blood sugar -- levels.

28 Jun 2016

Combined therapy approach could prove promising to treat brain cancer

A "combined therapy" approach to treating the most common form of brain cancer could prove promising, scientists say.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists develop computational method to map cancer progression

A team of scientists has developed a computational method to map cancer progression, an advance that offers new insights into the factors that spur this affliction as well as new ways of selecting effective therapies.

28 Jun 2016

Deficiency in NMD could cause inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) — masses of immune cells— are benign, but poorly understood. Current IMT treatments often have side effects and surgery is sometimes not an option due to the tumor's proximity to vital organs.

28 Jun 2016

Study shows one in five older women with breast cancer experience functional decline

In a study of older women with newly diagnosed stage I to III breast cancer, approximately one in five lost the ability to complete some of the basic tasks necessary for independent living within one year of initiating treatment.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists find link between makeup of individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer

In a sample study, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found an association between the makeup of an individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer, a finding that potentially advances the quest for faster and more accurate cancer diagnosis and therapy.

28 Jun 2016

Communication training for orthopedic surgery residents seeks to enhance interactions with older adults

A program to improve orthopedic surgery residents' communication skills with older adults is having a positive impact, according to a new study.

28 Jun 2016

Blocking c-Abl enzyme prevents Parkinson’s disease progression in mice

Researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have gleaned two important new clues in the fight against Parkinson's disease: that blocking an enzyme called c-Abl prevents the disease in specially bred mice, and that a chemical tag on a second protein may signal the disorder's presence and progression.

28 Jun 2016

Pioglitazone effective in diabetes patients with NASH

Pioglitazone may halt the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in patients with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes, a randomised trial shows.

28 Jun 2016

Elevated troponin I should not rule out donor hearts

Donor cardiac troponin I level is not associated with intermediate-term mortality, cardiac allograft vasculopathy or primary graft failure in patients receiving heart transplants, US researchers report.

28 Jun 2016

'Novel' analysis addresses antiplatelet benefits in real-world CHD patients

Researchers demonstrate a means of gauging the effects of drugs tested in randomised trials in real-world patients.

28 Jun 2016

Vitamin D sufficiency linked to better pancreatic cancer survival

Survival is improved in pancreatic cancer patients with sufficient versus deficient plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, as assessed prior to diagnosis.

28 Jun 2016

Jefferson researchers discover alternate pathway that helps heart keep pumping

About 5.7 million Americans have heart failure, half of whom will die from the disease within 5 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

28 Jun 2016

Virtual tissue technology helps identify new drug target to combat polycystic kidney disease

Using virtual tissue technology, researchers at Indiana University have identified a potential new drug target in the fight against polycystic kidney disease, an illness with no effective FDA-approved treatment that affects 200,000 people per year in the United States.

28 Jun 2016