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Protein p62 acts as molecular brake to keep inflammation in check, avoid collateral damage

Inflammation is a Catch-22: the body needs it to eliminate invasive organisms and foreign irritants, but excessive inflammation can harm healthy cells, contributing to aging and sometimes leading to organ failure and death. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a protein known as p62 acts as a molecular brake to keep inflammation in check and avoid collateral damage.

26 Feb 2016

New infection-fighting bandages for serious burn victims

Serious burn victims are immunocompromised and may be missing skin on parts of their body, and this makes them highly vulnerable to bacteria. Thanks to progress in intensive care, they are decreasingly likely to die from burn trauma. Death is more commonly the result of infections that can occur several months after being hospitalized. The bandages used to treat burns actually represent a real breeding ground for microbes.

26 Feb 2016

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Life-threatening heart damage is an adverse side effect of the cancer drug doxorubicin, damage that also limits the use of newer chemotherapeutic agents such as trastuzumab and imatinib. The ability to protect the heart from these side effects would benefit patients, including cancer survivors who are at risk of developing heart damage years later, and it also could allow safer use of these drugs at higher doses.

26 Feb 2016

Study shows high cost, high side effects and little gain for chemotherapy in older mCRC patients

A study published online ahead of print in the journal Medical Care shows that over a recent 10-year period, the rate of metastatic colorectal cancer patients older than age 75 receiving three or more treatments increased from 2 percent to 53 percent.

26 Feb 2016

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

For the first time, genome sequencing has been carried out on Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), a bacteria responsible for the disease Trachoma - the world's leading infectious cause of blindness, according to a study in Nature Communications.

26 Feb 2016

Japanese bioengineers tweak E. coli genes to pump out morphine precursor

A common gut microbe could soon be offering us pain relief. Japanese bioengineers have tweaked Escherichia coli genes so that they pump out thebaine, a morphine precursor that can be modified to make painkillers. The genetically modified E. coli produces 300 times more thebaine with minimal risk of unregulated use compared to a recently developed method involving yeast.

26 Feb 2016

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

An international research team has identified four likely new subtypes of a rare brain tumor using molecular techniques that lay the foundation for more accurate diagnosis and tailored therapies for the hard-to-treat cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center led the study, results of which appear today in the scientific journal Cell.

26 Feb 2016

Black men have higher rate and probability of PSA screening compared to non-Hispanic whites

African American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer and shorter survival time compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. Their mortality rate is more than twice that of their white counterparts. Early diagnosis through PSA screening may help forestall consequent morbidity and mortality.

26 Feb 2016

Aggregated forms of transthyretin can trigger JIA development

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a the most common form of arthritis in children and affects approximately 50,000 individuals in the United States alone. Previous research suggested that autoimmune responses cause JIA, but the specific antigens that are responsible for driving autoimmunity have not been identified.

26 Feb 2016

Kansas State University engineers developing technology to help children with special needs

A Kansas State University engineering team is developing a technology collection that can make a big difference in the lives of children with developmental disabilities.

26 Feb 2016

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

Columbia University scientists have developed a new optical technique to study how information is transmitted in the brains of mice. Using this method, they found that only a small portion of synapses -- the connections between cells that control brain activity--may be active at any given time.

26 Feb 2016

New Notre Dame research may lead to a therapy for Niemann-Pick Type C disease

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is currently no cure. NPC primarily strikes children before and during adolescence and affects one in every 150,000 children. The disease causes cholesterol and other lipids to build up in the body's cells, which results in symptoms such as delayed motor development, deterioration of memory and balance, and seizures.

26 Feb 2016

New UAB study shows connection between ADHD and vision problems in children

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most frequently encountered neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, and a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently published in Optometry and Vision Science shows a relationship between ADHD and vision impairments in children.

25 Feb 2016

Immune-suppressing drug can improve cognitive ability of patients with schizophrenia

A recent study of a handful of patients supports mounting evidence that targeted suppression of inflammation packaged with standard therapy can improve the cognitive ability of patients with schizophrenia, physician-scientists report.

25 Feb 2016

Exercise protects people from depression after heart attack

Researchers know that exercise increases a person's chances of surviving a heart attack. Now it turns out that exercise habits also affect how the body handles a heart attack's aftermaths.

25 Feb 2016

Pancreatic cancer identified as four separate diseases with different genetic triggers, survival rates

An international team led by Australian researchers has studied the genetics of pancreatic cancer, revealing it is actually four separate diseases, each with different genetic triggers and survival rates, paving the way for more accurate diagnoses and treatments.

25 Feb 2016

UNC-Chapel Hill pharmacy researchers use skin cells to destroy brain tumors

In a first for medical science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pharmacy researchers turn skin cells into cancer-hunting stem cells that destroy brain tumors known as glioblastoma - a discovery that can offer, for the first time in more than 30 years, a new and more effective treatment for the disease.

25 Feb 2016

New study allows researchers to see how insulin in islets responds to sugar

"Scientists and doctors have wanted to know how much insulin a person has in their body, but haven't been able to know the exact amount without the patient being deceased and actually removing the pancreas," says Peter Arvan, division chief of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes at the University of Michigan.

25 Feb 2016

Study provides pathways to understand complex neurological disorders

Scientists have now described the engineering of a bright red fluorescent protein-based voltage indicator, providing pathways to understanding complex neurological disorders. Designated as FlicR1 (fluorescent indicator for voltage imaging red), these indicators enable imaging of the electrical activity of many genetically targeted neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution.

25 Feb 2016

Ketamine appears to be safe, effective for difficult-to-sedate ER patients

For the small segment of the emergency population whose acute behavioral disturbance does not respond to traditional sedation, ketamine appears to be effective and safe, according to an Australian study published online last Thursday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Ketamine for Difficult to Sedate Severe Acute Behavioral Disturbance in the Emergency Department").

25 Feb 2016

Medical Research News

Protein p62 acts as molecular brake to keep inflammation in check, avoid collateral damage

New infection-fighting bandages for serious burn victims

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Study shows high cost, high side effects and little gain for chemotherapy in older mCRC patients

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

Japanese bioengineers tweak E. coli genes to pump out morphine precursor

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

Black men have higher rate and probability of PSA screening compared to non-Hispanic whites

Aggregated forms of transthyretin can trigger JIA development

Kansas State University engineers developing technology to help children with special needs

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

New Notre Dame research may lead to a therapy for Niemann-Pick Type C disease

New UAB study shows connection between ADHD and vision problems in children

Immune-suppressing drug can improve cognitive ability of patients with schizophrenia

Exercise protects people from depression after heart attack

Pancreatic cancer identified as four separate diseases with different genetic triggers, survival rates

UNC-Chapel Hill pharmacy researchers use skin cells to destroy brain tumors

New study allows researchers to see how insulin in islets responds to sugar

Study provides pathways to understand complex neurological disorders

Ketamine appears to be safe, effective for difficult-to-sedate ER patients

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

Reimagining light scattering for biotherapeutics

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