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MGH papers reveal the way anesthetics affect brains of older patients and children

Recent Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigations into the neurobiology underlying the effects of general anesthesia have begun to reveal the ways different anesthetic agents alter specific aspects of the brain's electrical signals, reflected by EEG (electroencephalogram) signatures. While those studies have provided information that may lead to improved techniques for monitoring the consciousness of patients receiving general anesthesia, until now they have been conducted in relatively young adult patients.

14 Aug 2015

UC San Diego researchers discover cells that regenerate better liver tissue than ordinary liver cells

The mechanisms that allow the liver to repair and regenerate itself have long been a matter of debate. Now researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a population of liver cells that are better at regenerating liver tissue than ordinary liver cells, or hepatocytes.

14 Aug 2015

Arterial shunt in hybrid palliation better for hypoplastic left heart syndrome treatment

Children born with the major congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) often must undergo a series of corrective surgeries beginning at birth. While most have the standard three-stage Norwood procedure, a hybrid strategy has been introduced to offset some disadvantages associated with the Norwood surgeries. In a report in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, investigators compare whether outcomes can be improved if an arterial shunt is used as a source of pulmonary blood flow rather than the more conventional venous shunt as part of the hybrid strategy of HLHS surgical reconstruction.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers examine potential effects of sex development disorders in children, adolescents

While it may not shock you to learn that children born with disorders of sex development (DSD) face challenges, Concordia University researchers have confirmed that these go far beyond the physical.

14 Aug 2015

Low-fat diets better than low-carb diets for weight loss, NIH study finds

In a recent study, restricting dietary fat led to body fat loss at a rate 68 percent higher than cutting the same number of carbohydrate calories when adults with obesity ate strictly controlled diets. Carb restriction lowered production of the fat-regulating hormone insulin and increased fat burning as expected, whereas fat restriction had no observed changes in insulin production or fat burning.

14 Aug 2015

Improved method for building proteins into antibodies

Some proteins exist so fleetingly in the bloodstream that they can't be given effectively as therapies. However, building them into larger proteins, such as antibodies, can make them persist long enough to be useful. Now a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has devised an improved method for accomplishing this protein-engineering feat.

14 Aug 2015

Maximum weight gain seen in obese smokers, heavy smokers after smoking cessation

For smokers, the number of cigarettes smoked per day and current body mass index are predictive of changes in weight after quitting smoking, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

14 Aug 2015

Bio-fortification of sweet potatoes may help combat vitamin A deficiency in South Africa

Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. It also increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections, according to the World Health Organization.

14 Aug 2015

Psychological disorders in COPD patients predict early hospital readmission

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that people with a psychological condition such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, or alcohol/drug abuse are more likely to be readmitted early into a hospital for complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

14 Aug 2015

3D protein structure reveals new drug targets for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

Protein Kinase C (PKC) is a family of enzymes that controls the activity of other proteins in a cell by attaching chemical tags. That simple act helps determine cell survival or death.

14 Aug 2015

Rice and UTHealth scientists awarded $1.02 million NSF grant to examine how the brain processes language

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.02 million grant to scientists at Rice University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School to study how the brain processes language. The joint research may one day help people who lose the ability to communicate.

14 Aug 2015

Organ transplant recipients more likely to develop melanoma

Organ transplant recipients are twice as likely to develop melanoma as people who do not undergo a transplant, and three times more likely to die of the dangerous skin cancer, suggests new research led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health student.

14 Aug 2015

USC kidney researcher named recipient of ASN-AHA Young Investigator Award

Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California kidney researcher Janos Peti-Peterdi is the 2015 recipient of the ASN-AHA Young Investigator Award.

14 Aug 2015

Listening to music improves postoperative recovery in adult patients undergoing surgical procedure

Listening to music before, during, or after a surgical procedure is beneficial to patients and can significantly reduce pain and anxiety, and decrease the need for pain medication, according to the most comprehensive review of the evidence so far, involving almost 7000 patients, published in The Lancet.

14 Aug 2015

TSRI study reveals ancient roots of Lassa virus and how it has changed over time

Working as part of an international team in North America and West Africa, a researcher at The Scripps Research Institute has published new findings showing the ancient roots of the deadly Lassa virus, a relative of Ebola virus, and how Lassa virus has changed over time.

14 Aug 2015

Low birth weight, preterm birth increase schizophrenia risk in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Low birth weight and preterm birth appear to increase the risk of schizophrenia among individuals with a genetic condition called the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.

14 Aug 2015

New study uses big data analytical methods to reveal 'social character' of genes

A new study at the University of Haifa has used "big data" analytical methods to reveal the "social character" of genes - a phenomenon in certain diseases whereby genes operate jointly rather than independently.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers develop new way to personalize treatments for aggressive bladder cancer

Researchers at UC Davis, in collaboration with colleagues at Jackson Laboratory, have developed a new way to personalize treatments for aggressive bladder cancer.

14 Aug 2015

Playing Tetris for few minutes a day can weaken cravings

Playing Tetris for as little as three minutes at a time can weaken cravings for drugs, food and activities such as sex and sleeping by approximately one fifth, according to new research.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers receive Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at eliminating river blindness and elephantiasis, two neglected tropical diseases that annually sicken millions.

14 Aug 2015

Medical Research News

MGH papers reveal the way anesthetics affect brains of older patients and children

UC San Diego researchers discover cells that regenerate better liver tissue than ordinary liver cells

Arterial shunt in hybrid palliation better for hypoplastic left heart syndrome treatment

Researchers examine potential effects of sex development disorders in children, adolescents

Low-fat diets better than low-carb diets for weight loss, NIH study finds

Improved method for building proteins into antibodies

Maximum weight gain seen in obese smokers, heavy smokers after smoking cessation

Bio-fortification of sweet potatoes may help combat vitamin A deficiency in South Africa

Psychological disorders in COPD patients predict early hospital readmission

3D protein structure reveals new drug targets for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

Rice and UTHealth scientists awarded $1.02 million NSF grant to examine how the brain processes language

Organ transplant recipients more likely to develop melanoma

USC kidney researcher named recipient of ASN-AHA Young Investigator Award

Listening to music improves postoperative recovery in adult patients undergoing surgical procedure

TSRI study reveals ancient roots of Lassa virus and how it has changed over time

Low birth weight, preterm birth increase schizophrenia risk in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

New study uses big data analytical methods to reveal 'social character' of genes

Researchers develop new way to personalize treatments for aggressive bladder cancer

Playing Tetris for few minutes a day can weaken cravings

Researchers receive Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

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