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Toronto researchers reveal how opioids interfere with breathing mechanism

University of Toronto researchers on a quest to make opioid drugs less lethal have discovered a window of opportunity: a tiny channel in the brain where opioids interfere with the breathing mechanism.

18 Dec 2015

Scientists identify overlooked consequence of spatial separation of cells into nucleus, cytoplasm

Genetically identical cells do not always behave the same way. According to the accepted theory, the reason are random molecular processes - known as random noise. For decades this view has been underpinned by numerous experiments and theoretical models.

18 Dec 2015

Family members of CUP patients at higher risk of developing CUP themselves

Cancer usually begins in one location and then spreads, but in 3 percent to 5 percent of cancer patients, the tissue where a cancer begins is unknown. In these individuals a cancer diagnosis is made because it has metastasized to other sites. Patients with these so-called "cancers of unknown primary," or CUP, have a very poor prognosis, with a median survival of three months.

18 Dec 2015

Harvard scientists link specific neurotransmitter in the brain with autistic behavior

In a discovery that could offer valuable new insights into understanding, diagnosing and even treating autism, Harvard scientists for the first time have linked a specific neurotransmitter in the brain with autistic behavior.

18 Dec 2015

New study sheds light on the molecular basis of memory and learning

The brain still harbours many unknowns. Basically, it is assumed that it stores experiences by altering the connections between brain cells. This ability to adapt - which is also called "plasticity" - provides the basis for memory and learning, which is the ability to draw conclusions from memories. On a molecular scale these changes are mediated by modifications of expression of specific genes that as required strengthen or weaken the connections between the brain cells.

18 Dec 2015

Study explores link between obesity and breast-cancer related lymphedema

Each year, about 1.38 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. Advances in treatment have facilitated a 90% five-year survival rate among those treated. Given the increased rate and length of survival following breast cancer, more and more survivors are facing life-time risk of developing late effects of cancer treatment that negatively impact long-term survival. In particular, Breast cancer-related lymphedema is one of the most distressing and feared late effects.

18 Dec 2015

Stem cell therapy not significantly better than conventional treatment for Crohn's disease

A clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a stem cell therapy among adults with difficult to treat Crohn's disease has found it is not significantly better than conventional treatment in producing sustained disease remission after one year.

18 Dec 2015

Study examines whether treating multiple narrowed arteries has adverse effect on the heart

A new study has examined the effects on the heart of treating multiple narrowed arteries - rather than just one - at the time of a heart attack.

18 Dec 2015

Multiple small doses of targeted radiation therapy more effective at destroying pituitary gland tumors

A recent patient study at Houston Methodist Hospital proved that multiple small doses of highly focused radiation therapy is safer and more effective than a single larger dose of radiation at destroying pituitary gland tumors.

18 Dec 2015

Monitoring CA125 levels may help reduce ovarian cancer deaths by nearly 20%

Initial results from the world's largest ovarian cancer screening trial suggest that tracking levels of a cancer-associated protein over time may help reduce ovarian cancer deaths by as much as 20 percent. Results of the 14-year study, led by investigators at University College London, are being published online in The Lancet.

18 Dec 2015

Fish oil can help transform fat-storage cells into fat-burning cells

Researchers have found that fish oil transforms fat-storage cells into fat-burning cells, which may reduce weight gain in middle age.

18 Dec 2015

Cancer treatment costs push patients into poverty in Southeast Asia

Five percent of cancer patients and their families were pushed into poverty in Southeast Asia between March 2012 and September 2013, because of high disease-related costs, a study at the inaugural ESMO Asia 2015 Congress in Singapore shows.

17 Dec 2015

Ketogenic diet may be effective in treating schizophrenia

Research by James Cook University scientists has found a diet favoured by body-builders may be effective in treating schizophrenia.

17 Dec 2015

UA developing brain-scanning technology that could improve diagnosis of many disorders

Researchers at the University of Arizona are developing a noninvasive brain-scanning technology that could produce images far superior to those obtained with the most commonly used systems -- electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging.

17 Dec 2015

Environmental exposures and behaviors contribute to the majority of cancers, study shows

Researchers have found that extrinsic factors such as environmental exposures and behaviors contribute heavily to the development of the vast majority of cancers.

17 Dec 2015

Wearable exoskeletons: what interactions are possible? An interview with Dr Juan C. Moreno

Wearable exoskeletons are coming to stay. Technological advancements in embedded computation and wearable mechatronics are enabling the production of new wearable exoskeletons that were not feasible a decade ago

17 Dec 2015

Zoledronate drug can protect stem cells from ageing

Stem cells can be protected from the effects of ageing by a drug currently used to treat patients with osteoporosis, a breakthrough study has found.

17 Dec 2015

Patients trained to perform S-OPAT have lower rates of hospital readmission

Patients trained to administer their own intravenous antibiotics at home (self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy or S-OPAT), achieved similar or better outcomes compared to patients who received healthcare-delivered OPAT (H-OPAT) with assistance from a home-care nurse or skilled nursing facility, according to a paper published this week in PLOS Medicine.

17 Dec 2015

Active surveillance may be a viable treatment for select DCIS patients

Active surveillance could be a viable alternative to surgery and radiation for select patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, according to a mathematical model developed by researchers at Duke University.

17 Dec 2015

Researchers call for improved cause-of-death reporting to advance understanding of epilepsy

Recent studies conclude that people with epilepsy have a 27-fold greater risk of sudden death than people without the disorder. However, many of these deaths could be prevented through greater identification of epilepsy as a cause of death, and in educating the public more effectively about the disease's life-threatening dangers.

17 Dec 2015

Medical Research News

Toronto researchers reveal how opioids interfere with breathing mechanism

Scientists identify overlooked consequence of spatial separation of cells into nucleus, cytoplasm

Family members of CUP patients at higher risk of developing CUP themselves

Harvard scientists link specific neurotransmitter in the brain with autistic behavior

New study sheds light on the molecular basis of memory and learning

Study explores link between obesity and breast-cancer related lymphedema

Stem cell therapy not significantly better than conventional treatment for Crohn's disease

Study examines whether treating multiple narrowed arteries has adverse effect on the heart

Multiple small doses of targeted radiation therapy more effective at destroying pituitary gland tumors

Monitoring CA125 levels may help reduce ovarian cancer deaths by nearly 20%

Fish oil can help transform fat-storage cells into fat-burning cells

Cancer treatment costs push patients into poverty in Southeast Asia

Ketogenic diet may be effective in treating schizophrenia

UA developing brain-scanning technology that could improve diagnosis of many disorders

Environmental exposures and behaviors contribute to the majority of cancers, study shows

Wearable exoskeletons: what interactions are possible? An interview with Dr Juan C. Moreno

Zoledronate drug can protect stem cells from ageing

Patients trained to perform S-OPAT have lower rates of hospital readmission

Active surveillance may be a viable treatment for select DCIS patients

Researchers call for improved cause-of-death reporting to advance understanding of epilepsy

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