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New experimental method could help detect Lyme disease at the earliest time of infection

When it comes to early diagnosis of Lyme disease, the insidious tick-borne illness that afflicts about 300,000 Americans annually, finding the proverbial needle in the haystack might be a far easier challenge--until now, perhaps. An experimental method developed by federal and university researchers appears capable of detecting the stealthy culprit Lyme bacteria at the earliest time of infection, when currently available tests are often still negative.

15 Feb 2016

Bilingualism alters the brain networks

Bilinguals use and learn language in ways that change their minds and brains, which has consequences -- many positive, according to Judith F. Kroll, a Penn State cognitive scientist.

15 Feb 2016

Intracellular process of autophagy plays role in prostate cancer development, shows research

Research from investigators at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center, shows the intracellular process of autophagy plays a role in the development of prostate cancer.

15 Feb 2016

Shark study may help develop new therapies for human tooth loss

A new insight into how sharks regenerate their teeth, which may pave the way for the development of therapies to help humans with tooth loss, has been discovered by scientists at the University of Sheffield.

15 Feb 2016

Anti-cancer drug delays onset of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified a drug that targets the first step in the toxic chain reaction leading to the death of brain cells, suggesting that treatments could be developed to protect against Alzheimer's disease, in a similar way to how statins are able to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

15 Feb 2016

New collaborative project to evaluate existing hearing loss treatment

A new collaborative project between universities, hearing aid manufacturers and other experts will evaluate existing hearing loss treatment. The goal is to improve quality - to the delight of both hearing aid users and society.

15 Feb 2016

GWAS can help pinpoint genetic variants that predict lifestyle risks for diseases

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) scan the entire genome in order to pinpoint genetic variants associated with a particular disease. The technique is employed to identify biological pathways - the series of actions and changes that have occurred in cells and genetic material - that can be linked to the causation of a disease.

15 Feb 2016

Hypertensive women with highly active jobs at higher risk of developing ischaemic heart disease

Hypertensive women with highly active jobs have a nearly three times higher risk of ischaemic heart disease than women with normal blood pressure and moderately active jobs, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

15 Feb 2016

New approach could be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA have developed a new approach that could eventually be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

14 Feb 2016

Discovery opens door to preventing diet-induced heart disease

Four years ago, Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues made a landmark discovery linking intestinal bacteria to heart disease. His team found that when our digestive systems digest the nutrients carnitine and choline (abundant in red meat and eggs, respectively), a bacterial waste product called TMAO is formed. They showed that high levels of TMAO are associated with higher rates of heart attack, stroke and cardiac death.

14 Feb 2016

NTU Singapore scientists develop small smart chip to improve wireless transmission of brain signals

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a small smart chip that can be paired with neural implants for efficient wireless transmission of brain signals.

14 Feb 2016

Multimodal MRI recommended to prevent brain mass misdiagnosis

T2*-weighted gradient recalled echo or susceptibility-weighted imaging sequences should be performed during the diagnosis of brain masses to rule out pseudotumoural presentation of cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation, say researchers.

12 Feb 2016

Left ventricular tissue phase mapping predicts PAH outcomes

A tissue phase mapping study shows that left ventricular function is abnormal in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and is linked to clinical outcomes.

12 Feb 2016

Worsening migraine no reason to halt dihydroergotamine infusion

Worsening of headache during intravenous dihydroergotamine treatment for chronic migraine does not mean that the therapy will be unsuccessful, say researchers.

12 Feb 2016

Astrocytes implicated in preclinical AD

Astrocytes are activated in the brains of people with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear and even before amyloidosis begins, a study shows.

12 Feb 2016

Trial adds piece to stroke rehabilitation puzzle

High-intensity, repetitive, task-focused upper extremity training does not offer benefits beyond standard rehabilitation for patients within the first few months after a stroke, shows a trial in JAMA.

12 Feb 2016

Dementia decline heralds hope of reduced burden

Analysis of participants in the Framingham Heart Study has shown a decline in dementia over a period of 3 decades.

12 Feb 2016

Anti-TNF therapy linked to ‘modest’ extra SCC risk

A Swedish population-based study shows that treatment with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors significantly increases the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, but not basal cell carcinoma, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

12 Feb 2016

People with sleep apnea have low levels of GABA and high levels of glutamate

One in 15 adults has moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person's breathing is frequently interrupted during sleep -- as many as 30 times per hour.

12 Feb 2016

TSRI scientists receive $1.7 million NIH grant to find new target for treating Huntington's disease

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have won nearly $1.7 million from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to investigate the mechanisms that contribute to Huntington's disease, a fatal inherited disease that some have described as having ALS, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's--at the same time.

12 Feb 2016