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Melanoma cells create own 'green light' signal to spread in the body

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered that melanoma cells are drawn to follow the 'trail' of a naturally-occurring molecule in the body, which directs this serious type of skin cancer to spread, according to research published today (Tuesday) in PLOS Biology.

15 Oct 2014

Researchers discover new kind of stem cell that may hold clues to origins of liver cancer

A Mount Sinai-led research team has discovered a new kind of stem cell that can become either a liver cell or a cell that lines liver blood vessels, according to a study published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The existence of such a cell type contradicts current theory on how organs arise from cell layers in the embryo, and may hold clues to origins of, and future treatment for, liver cancer.

15 Oct 2014

Inflammation in tissue creates a niche for cancer cells

In order to invade healthy tissue, tumor cells must leave the actual tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. For this purpose, they use certain enzymes, proteases that break down the tissue surrounding the tumor, thus opening the way for tumor cells to reach blood or lymphatic vessels. To keep the proteases in check, the body produces inhibitors such as the protein TIMP-1, which thwart the proteases in their work.

15 Oct 2014

Researchers identify potential cause of PPROM that accounts for 40% of pre-term births

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London and UCL (University College London) have identified what they believe could be a cause of pre-term premature rupture of the fetal membrane (PPROM), which accounts for 40 per cent of pre-term births, and is the main reason for infant death world-wide.

15 Oct 2014

Systematic review finds higher levels of multimorbidity in women

In the context of an aging population, the number of cases of people with multimorbidity, or multiple health conditions, is increasing, creating significant healthcare challenges. Now, the first comprehensive systematic review in this field has found higher levels of multimorbidity in women. Equally as importantly, it has revealed the poor quality of evidence on this increasingly critical area of healthcare.

15 Oct 2014

Scientists receive BBSRC funding to study how neural stem cells differ from each other

A team of scientists led by a researcher from Plymouth University has received funding of more than £400,000 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to investigate how neural stem cells differ from each other. The study's findings could hold the key to the future use of neural stem cells in treatments to eradicate neurological conditions such as dementia and brain tumours.

15 Oct 2014

New research may help identify individuals at increased risk of pancreatic cancer

New research that provides a better understanding of pancreatic cancer may help identify individuals at increased risk. The findings are published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

15 Oct 2014

SSEF protocol reduces incidence of NEC or death in infants with extremely low birth weight

A standardized slow enteral feeding (SSEF) protocol significantly reduces the incidence of necrotizing enterocoltis (NEC), or death of intestinal tissue, and death in infants with extremely low birth weight, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2014

New technique for treating eye cancer retinoblastoma

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed a new technique for treating the eye cancer retinoblastoma to improve the odds for preventing eye loss, blindness or death in children with advanced forms of the disease.

14 Oct 2014

Early childhood neglect associated with changes in brain structure

Under the rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, thousands of Romanian children were placed in overcrowded orphanages with bleak conditions and minimal human contact. Even after the 1989 revolution, the legacy of institutionalization continued. Only recently has research and public concern over early childhood environments caused changes in policies.

14 Oct 2014

Tannic acid may help ease impact of bacterial lung infections in CF patients

By screening over 2,000 approved drugs and natural products, scientists have shown that tannic acid may help ease the impact of bacterial lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients.

14 Oct 2014

Extra physical activity can stimulate learning, improve school performance

Just two hours of extra physical activity each week can improve school performance. This has been shown by a study of approximately 2,000 twelve-year-olds carried out by scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

14 Oct 2014

TSRI scientists awarded $6.6 million NIH grant to study Lassa fever virus

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded $6.6 million from the National Institutes of Health to lead an investigation of Lassa fever virus, the most prevalent virus-induced hemorrhagic fever disease in Africa.

14 Oct 2014

UMMS, UMMSM researchers identify key genetic pathway underlying bipolar disorder

A team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have identified what is likely a key genetic pathway underlying bipolar (manic depressive) disorder, a breakthrough that could lead to better drugs for treating bipolar affective disorder, as well as depression and other related mood disorders.

14 Oct 2014

LCSB scientists characterize new tumour suppressor gene

Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg have published their findings that mutations in a gene known as "ARMC5" promote the growth of benign tumours in the adrenal glands and on the meninges: ARMC5 appears to belong to the group of so-called tumour suppressor genes.

14 Oct 2014

Lund University researchers explore personalised treatment for type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden are testing a treatment for type 2 diabetes which targets the disease mechanism itself - and not just the symptoms. For the first time, knowledge about the individual patient's genetic risk profile is being used. The treatment completely restores the capacity to secrete insulin, which is impaired by the risk gene.

14 Oct 2014

Researchers discover two potential treatments for traumatic brain injury

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered two potential treatments for traumatic brain injury that are most effective when given at different stages after the injury has occurred.

14 Oct 2014

Gene in soil-dwelling amoeba may hold key to isolating cancerous tumors

The dirt in your backyard may hold the key to isolating cancerous tumors and to potential new treatments for a host of cancers.

14 Oct 2014

Discovery could prolong life of people living with glioblastoma

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute have made a discovery that could prolong the life of people living with glioblastoma – the most aggressive type of brain cancer. Samuel Weiss, PhD, Professor and Director of the HBI, and Research Assistant Professor Artee Luchman, PhD, and colleagues, published their work today in Clinical Cancer Research, which is leading researchers to start a human phase I/II clinical trial as early as Spring 2015.

14 Oct 2014

Women prescribed different medication than men to bring down blood pressure

Women who are treated for high blood pressure are not given the same medication as men, nor do they hit the treatment targets as often, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg.

14 Oct 2014