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Physical and psychological factors related to cognitive function vary in older women with ischemic stroke

An estimated 65 percent of ischemic stroke survivors experience cognitive impairment and decline. However, little is known about the varying roles of cognitive risk and protective factors before, during and after stroke.

7 Jul 2015

Expectant management remains underused for men with low-risk prostate cancer

Monitoring men with very low- and low-risk prostate cancers using watchful waiting or active surveillance, called expectant management, is a useful approach for a large number of men with localized tumors and could spare them the debilitating side effects of aggressive treatments that are too often unnecessarily used in this patient population, a UCLA review of common practices in prostate cancer has found.

7 Jul 2015

Researchers pinpoint two biomarkers elevated in severe form of coronary disease

Insulin resistance affects tens of millions of Americans and is a big risk factor for heart disease. Yet, some people with the condition never develop heart disease, while some experience moderate coronary blockages. Others, though, get severe atherosclerosis - multiple blockages and deterioration of coronary arteries characterized by thick, hard, plaque-ridden arterial walls.

7 Jul 2015

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

Cancer's ability to grow unchecked is often attributed to cancer stem cells, a small fraction of cancer cells that have the capacity to grow and multiply indefinitely. How cancer stem cells retain this property while the bulk of a tumor's cells do not remains largely unknown. Using human tumor samples and mouse models, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center discovered that cancer stem cell properties are determined by epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications cells use to control which genes are turned on or off.

7 Jul 2015

Dental pulp stem cell transplants can contribute to peripheral nerve regeneration

Peripheral nerve injuries often are caused by trauma or surgical complications and can result in considerable disabilities. Regeneration of peripheral nerves can be accomplished effectively using autologous (self-donated) nerve grafts, but that procedure may sacrifice a functional nerve and cause loss of sensation in another part of the patient's body.

7 Jul 2015

WPI-led study provides clues to new ways to treat difficult-to-cure fungal infections

A study by a multidisciplinary research team, co-directed by Worcester Polytechnic Institute, offers new insights into how virulent fungi adapt through genetic modifications to fight back against the effects of medication designed to block their spread, and how that battle leaves them temporarily weakened. These insights may provide clues to new ways to treat notoriously difficult-to-cure fungal infections like thrush and vaginitis.

7 Jul 2015

Findings reveal new pathway to develop effective treatments and therapies for asthma, allergy

Investigators have discovered the precise molecular steps that enable immune cells implicated in certain forms of asthma and allergy to develop and survive in the body. The findings from Weill Cornell Medical College reveal a new pathway that scientists could use to develop more effective treatments and therapies for the chronic lung disorder.

7 Jul 2015

Researchers identify link between autoimmune diseases, medications and Long QT syndrome

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, professor of medicine, cell biology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has led a study with international collaborators identifying the mechanism by which patients with various autoimmune and connective tissue disorders may be at risk for life-threatening cardiac events if they take certain anti-histamine or anti-depressant medications.

7 Jul 2015

Penn biologists reveal recent migratory history of blacklegged ticks in Northeastern United States

Lyme disease cases are on the rise, with diagnoses occurring in areas that were historically Lyme-free. Scientists attribute the spread to the fact that populations of blacklegged ticks, which carry the bacteria that causes the disease, now flourish in areas once thought to be devoid of ticks.

7 Jul 2015

Study explores link between medical marijuana ads and youth behavior

Adolescents who saw advertising for medical marijuana were more likely to either report using marijuana or say they planned to use the substance in the future, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

7 Jul 2015

AOSSM to present awards and grants to encourage cutting-edge research in orthopaedic sports medicine

In order to recognize and encourage cutting-edge research in key areas of orthopaedic sports medicine, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine will present ten research awards and seven grants during its Annual Meeting, July 9-12 in Orlando, FL.

7 Jul 2015

Older patients with traumatic spinal cord injury less likely to get surgical treatment compared with younger patients

Older patients with traumatic spinal cord injury are less likely than younger patients to receive surgical treatment and experience a significant lag between injury and surgery, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

7 Jul 2015

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (NO) has proven to be life saving in newborns, children and adults with several dangerous conditions, but the availability of the treatment has been limited by the size, weight and complexity of equipment needed to administer the gas and the therapy's high price.

7 Jul 2015

Disproportionate number of older people hospitalized in Canada with TBI

A disproportionate number of people hospitalized in Canada with traumatic brain injuries are 65 years or older, a new study from St. Michael's Hospital has found.

7 Jul 2015

New findings can help scientists generate tailor-made proteins optimized for use in optogenetics

Optogenetics techniques, which allow scientists to map and control nerve cells using light stimulation, are being used to study neural circuits in the brain with unprecedented precision. This revolutionary technology relies on light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsins, and researchers at UC Santa Cruz have now determined the molecular mechanism involved in the light-induced activation of one of these proteins.

7 Jul 2015

MIT researchers reveal key brainwave changes among patients receiving nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas," has been used in anesthesiology practice since the 1800s, but the way it works to create altered states is not well understood. In a study published this week in Clinical Neurophysiology, MIT researchers reveal some key brainwave changes among patients receiving the drug.

7 Jul 2015

Study uncovers complicated role of simple protein in spread of osteosarcoma

The investigation of a simple protein has uncovered its uniquely complicated role in the spread of the childhood cancer, osteosarcoma. It turns out the protein, called ezrin, acts like an air traffic controller, coordinating multiple functions within a cancer cell and allowing it to endure stress conditions encountered during metastasis.

7 Jul 2015

Extra set of guanines in DNA may function like 'spare' to help prevent cancers from developing

Carrying around a spare tire is a good thing -- you never know when you'll get a flat. Turns out we're all carrying around "spare tires" in our genomes, too. Today, in ACS Central Science, researchers report that an extra set of guanines (or "G"s) in our DNA may function just like a "spare" to help prevent many cancers from developing.

7 Jul 2015

Study could provide paradigm shift in treatment of age-related disease, cancer

Intermittent dosing with rapamycin selectively breaks the cascade of inflammatory events that follow cellular senescence, a phenomena in which cells cease to divide in response to DNA damaging agents, including many chemotherapies.

7 Jul 2015

Blood-borne molecule promotes age-related cognitive decline

A blood-borne molecule that increases in abundance as we age blocks regeneration of brain cells and promotes cognitive decline, suggests a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco and Stanford School of Medicine.

7 Jul 2015

Medical Research News

Physical and psychological factors related to cognitive function vary in older women with ischemic stroke

Expectant management remains underused for men with low-risk prostate cancer

Researchers pinpoint two biomarkers elevated in severe form of coronary disease

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

Dental pulp stem cell transplants can contribute to peripheral nerve regeneration

WPI-led study provides clues to new ways to treat difficult-to-cure fungal infections

Findings reveal new pathway to develop effective treatments and therapies for asthma, allergy

Researchers identify link between autoimmune diseases, medications and Long QT syndrome

Penn biologists reveal recent migratory history of blacklegged ticks in Northeastern United States

Study explores link between medical marijuana ads and youth behavior

AOSSM to present awards and grants to encourage cutting-edge research in orthopaedic sports medicine

Older patients with traumatic spinal cord injury less likely to get surgical treatment compared with younger patients

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Disproportionate number of older people hospitalized in Canada with TBI

New findings can help scientists generate tailor-made proteins optimized for use in optogenetics

MIT researchers reveal key brainwave changes among patients receiving nitrous oxide

Study uncovers complicated role of simple protein in spread of osteosarcoma

Extra set of guanines in DNA may function like 'spare' to help prevent cancers from developing

Study could provide paradigm shift in treatment of age-related disease, cancer

Blood-borne molecule promotes age-related cognitive decline

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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