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Looking at electronic health records diverts doctors' attention from patients during office visits

When physicians spend too much time looking at the computer screen in the exam room, nonverbal cues may get overlooked and affect doctors' ability to pay attention and communicate with patients, according to a Northwestern Medicine- study.

24 Jan 2014

Scientists identify genetic alterations in pediatric soft-tissue cancer

Scientists have mapped the genetic changes that drive tumors in rhabdomyosarcoma, a pediatric soft-tissue cancer, and found that the disease is characterized by two distinct genotypes. The genetic alterations identified in this malignancy could be useful in developing targeted diagnostic tools and treatments for children with the disease. The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues, appeared in the Jan. 23, 2014, issue of the journal Cancer Discovery.

24 Jan 2014

Aspirin intake correlates with halted growth of lethal intracranial tumor

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital have demonstrated, for the first time, that aspirin intake correlates with halted growth of vestibular schwannomas (also known as acoustic neuromas), a sometimes lethal intracranial tumor that typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus.

24 Jan 2014

ADDF, Alzheimer's Society partner to provide funding for research in Alzheimer's disease

Today the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and the Alzheimer's Society (UK) announced a new partnership that will provide funding for research in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, with the goal of accelerating critical development programs and bringing new treatments to patients. The partnership intends to fund projects up to $1.5 million each focused on drug repurposing, leveraging existing scientific evidence and research to accelerate the drug development process.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers suggest possible novel target for seizure-blocking medicines

Researchers in the biomedical engineering department at Case Western Reserve University have found that epileptic activity can spread through a part of the brain in a new way, suggesting a possible novel target for seizure-blocking medicines.

24 Jan 2014

Early onset of dietary treatment may slow down progression of Alzheimer's disease

New research findings indicate that an early onset of dietary treatment may slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The study was conducted on mice, and the results will be published in the February issue of Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland played a key role in the study, which was carried out as part of the LiPiDiDiet project funded by the European Union.

24 Jan 2014

New approaches for emerging technique in diagnostic imaging for breast cancer-MRI with NIRS

Dartmouth engineers and radiologists are developing new approaches for an emerging technique in diagnostic imaging for breast cancer-MRI with near-infrared spectroscopy as reported in the journal Academic Radiology, February 2014.

24 Jan 2014

Selective FAK inhibition within endothelial cells prevents spontaneous tumor metastasis

A team of scientists, led by principal investigator David D. Schlaepfer, PhD, a professor in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has found that a protein involved in promoting tumor growth and survival is also activated in surrounding blood vessels, enabling cancer cells to spread into the bloodstream.

24 Jan 2014

Scientists aim to develop business plan to guide drug development for potential use in patients

What if an experimental treatment for an aggressive breast cancer had the potential to save women's lives, but nobody could use it because there was no money to develop and test it? With funding sources for research and development more scarce than in the past, it is not an unusual situation. It's a problem that Sourav Sinha, a Master's degree candidate at Rutgers' Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, is working to tackle head-on.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers locate two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain

Setting the stage for possible advances in pain treatment, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland report they have pinpointed two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain in mice. The molecules, they say, also appear to have a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain when an area nearby has been hurt.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers reveal role of extra thymus gland in the network of body's natural defense systems

The thymus gland is a critical component of the human immune system that is responsible for the development of T-lymphocytes, or T-cells, which help organize and lead the body's fighting forces against harmful organisms like bacteria and viruses.

24 Jan 2014

Environmental endocrine disrupters may endanger embryonic heart valves

Exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters, such as bisphenol A, which mimic estrogen, is associated with adverse health effects. Bisphenol A is commonly found in plastic bottles and plastic food containers. New research from a team including Carnegie's Daniel Gorelick and Marnie Halpern on the effects of these chemicals on zebrafish shows that embryonic heart valves could be particularly in danger. It is published by Environmental Health Perspectives.

24 Jan 2014

Many serious diseases come from the air that we breathe every day

At rest, we breathe approx. 12-15 times per minute, and for each inhalation we change approx. one litre of air. Depending on the activity level, this makes up a daily quantity in the order of twenty cubic metres of air that - with its content of pollution in the form of particles and different gases - can make us ill depending on how polluted the air is.

24 Jan 2014

Simple protein test useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer

Scientists from The University of Manchester - part of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre - used a simple protein test that could prove more useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer compared to existing methods.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers reveal how genetic susceptibility plays large role in cancer risk

In laboratory experiments conducted on human cell lines at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, scientists have shown that people carrying certain mutations in two hereditary cancer genes, BRCA2 and PALB2, may have a higher than usual susceptibility to DNA damage caused by a byproduct of alcohol, called acetaldehyde.

24 Jan 2014

Scientists figure out key step in how free calcium is controlled in the body

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have figured out a key step in how "free" calcium - the kind not contained in bones - is managed in the body, a finding that could aid in the development of new treatments for a variety of neurological disorders that include Parkinson's disease.

24 Jan 2014

Turning point in Americans' dietary and health behavior

All those people who've been telling us for years that we should eat more healthy foods and cut our calories - stop, take a moment, and celebrate

24 Jan 2014

Study examines existing evidence related to health benefits of vitamin D

A new study concludes that evidence is lacking for substantial health benefits of vitamin D – and that results of several multimillion-dollar trials currently underway are unlikely to alter this view.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers examine effects of ACA on cancer survivors

In 2010, the total cost of cancer care in the United States reached $125 billion. Globally, the economic toll from cancer is nearly 20 percent higher than the leading cause of death, heart disease. Cancer patients are also living longer today, which is further increasing the cost of their continued care.

24 Jan 2014

Online comments accompanying anti-smoking PSAs have impact on overall effectiveness of PSA

Commentary accompanying anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs) in online forums like YouTube has an impact on the PSA's overall effectiveness. Both negative and positive comments accompanying PSAs degrade the persuasiveness of the videos.

24 Jan 2014

Medical Research News

Looking at electronic health records diverts doctors' attention from patients during office visits

Scientists identify genetic alterations in pediatric soft-tissue cancer

Aspirin intake correlates with halted growth of lethal intracranial tumor

ADDF, Alzheimer's Society partner to provide funding for research in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers suggest possible novel target for seizure-blocking medicines

Early onset of dietary treatment may slow down progression of Alzheimer's disease

New approaches for emerging technique in diagnostic imaging for breast cancer-MRI with NIRS

Selective FAK inhibition within endothelial cells prevents spontaneous tumor metastasis

Scientists aim to develop business plan to guide drug development for potential use in patients

Researchers locate two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain

Researchers reveal role of extra thymus gland in the network of body's natural defense systems

Environmental endocrine disrupters may endanger embryonic heart valves

Many serious diseases come from the air that we breathe every day

Simple protein test useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer

Researchers reveal how genetic susceptibility plays large role in cancer risk

Scientists figure out key step in how free calcium is controlled in the body

Turning point in Americans' dietary and health behavior

Study examines existing evidence related to health benefits of vitamin D

Researchers examine effects of ACA on cancer survivors

Online comments accompanying anti-smoking PSAs have impact on overall effectiveness of PSA

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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