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Lack of UV protection in car windows may contribute to increased cancer rates

A recent analysis of the glass in car windows has shown that front windshields consistently provide a high level of ultraviolet (UV) protection whereas the UV protection afforded by side windows was much lower and more variable. Drivers who frequently make long journeys may thus be unwittingly exposing themselves to damaging UV rays.

13 May 2016

Researchers develop novel ss-siRNAs to turn off disease-related genes

Combining the therapeutic potential and advantages of existing oligonucleotide-based approaches to turn off disease-related genes, a type of single-stranded silencing RNAs (ss-siRNAs) has shown significantly improved potency and activity.

13 May 2016

Rural children have high rates of medical complexity

Children in rural areas have high rates of medical complexity and often reside in low-income and medically underserved areas, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

13 May 2016

CTD helps scientists explore impact of environmental exposures on human health

Two new studies from a group at North Carolina State University give researchers new strategies for connecting environmental exposures to human health effects.

13 May 2016

New research solves mystery of why cetuximab drug proved futile for many colorectal cancer patients

Cancer researchers have identified a marker that shows up in a blood test that determines which patients with colorectal cancer that has spread would benefit from receiving the drug cetuximab.

13 May 2016

Common misconceptions regarding gluten-free diet for children

The prevalence of celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disease, is increasing. The only treatment for CD is a gluten-free diet. However, the increasing prevalence of CD does not account for the disproportionate increase in growth of the gluten-free food industry (136% from 2013 to 2015).

13 May 2016

General anesthesia affects heart muscle proteins and causes depressed heart function, study shows

Anesthesia is used every day, but surprisingly little is known about one of its most dangerous side effects--depressed heart function.

13 May 2016

Inhibiting autophagy can effectively block tumor cell migration, breast cancer metastasis

Researchers from the University of Chicago have shown that inhibiting autophagy, a self-devouring process used by cells to degrade large intra-cellular cargo, effectively blocks tumor cell migration and breast cancer metastasis in tumor models.

13 May 2016

Genetic change to non-DNA structures in cell can cause cancer

A mutation that affects the proteins that package DNA--without changing the DNA itself--can cause a rare form of cancer, according to new findings in this week's Science from researchers at The Rockefeller University.

13 May 2016

Sexual abstinence, marital fidelity programs not effective in reducing HIV risk

The U.S. government has invested $1.4 billion in HIV prevention programs that promote sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, but there is no evidence that these programs have been effective at changing sexual behavior and reducing HIV risk, according to a new Stanford University School of Medicine study.

13 May 2016

Mosquito larvae carries Sindbis virus that can cause Ockelbo disease

After an outbreak of Ockelbo disease in northern Sweden in 2013, researchers at Umeå University were able to trace the virus to mosquitos in an area of Lövånger. In a new study, researchers have shown that mosquito larvae in the Västerbotten region also carry virus that can cause infectious disease. These include the Sindbis virus, which causes Ockelbo disease, which is associated with fever, rashes and prolonged joint pain.

13 May 2016

New way of understanding neurodegeneration may lead to novel treatments

University of Adelaide researchers have developed a new theory for the causes of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, involving an out-of-control immune system.

13 May 2016

Physical movements improve in patients after bariatric surgery

People who have their stomach size surgically reduced move around more and easier after weight loss surgery, a study has found.

13 May 2016

MIT researchers test tiny origami robot that unfolds from swallowed capsule in simulated stomach

In experiments involving a simulation of the human esophagus and stomach, researchers at MIT, the University of Sheffield, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tiny origami robot that can unfold itself from a swallowed capsule and, steered by external magnetic fields, crawl across the stomach wall to remove a swallowed button battery or patch a wound.

13 May 2016

New E-Vac therapy may be promising treatment option for GI leaks

Gastroenterologists on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas are evaluating a new procedure for patients with gastrointestinal (GI) leaks and perforations, a complication that can result from laparoscopic surgery on the esophagus, stomach and small intestines—and outcomes have been promising.

13 May 2016

Researchers investigate effects of non-allergenic components of pollen on allergy sufferers

Up to now, research into pollen allergies has largely focused on allergens - those components of pollen that trigger hypersensitivity reactions. When it comes into contact with the nasal mucous membrane, however, pollen releases a host of other substances in addition to allergens.

13 May 2016

Gene therapy shows promise in treating glioblastoma

A team from the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste has obtained very promising results by applying gene therapy to glioblastoma.

13 May 2016

Histone mutation linked to fatal pediatric brain tumor

A single defect in a gene that codes for a histone — a "spool" that wraps idle DNA — is linked to pediatric cancers in a study published today in the journal Science.

13 May 2016

Potential vaccine that resembles sugar structures may help fight against gut bacterium C. difficile

A vaccine against one of the most dangerous hospital germs may soon be available. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the Freie Universität Berlin have developed a substance that elicits an immune response against the gut bacterium Clostridium difficile.

13 May 2016

'Weekend effect’ may contribute to worsening availability of donor kidneys in the U.S

Investigators have uncovered a "weekend effect" contributing to the worsening availability of donor kidneys in the United States. They found that kidneys that would normally be made available for transplantation were less likely to be procured from donors over the weekend (89.5% on the weekend vs. 90.2% during the week).

13 May 2016