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Research: Part of brain that makes primates social creatures may play role in carnivores

The part of the brain that makes humans and primates social creatures may play a similar role in carnivores, according to a growing body of research by a Michigan State University neuroscientist.

11 Oct 2013

New clinical trial shows increased asthma control with FeNO-guided anti-inflammatory treatment

A new randomised clinical trial shows lower incidence of asthma exacerbations and increased asthma control with Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO)-guided anti-inflammatory treatment.

11 Oct 2013

New gene transfer strategy effective for achieving persistent immunotherapy to treat tumors

Cancer immunotherapy can successfully use the body's own immune system to kill tumor cells. But some current approaches to stimulate an antitumor immune response are short-lived, with limited clinical effectiveness. A new gene transfer strategy that introduces modified, immune-stimulating human stem cells is both feasible and effective for achieving persistent immunotherapy to treat leukemias and lymophomas, according to a study published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

11 Oct 2013

Research finding may offer targets for treating feelings of unsteadiness

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have pinpointed a site in a highly developed area of the human brain that plays an important role in the subconscious recognition of which way is straight up and which way is down.

11 Oct 2013

HSCI researchers discover on-off switch for gene expression

Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers have settled a century-old debate over whether occurrence of DNA methylation acts to silence gene expression, or if genes are turned off by other means before they are methylated.

11 Oct 2013

New research shows blood pressure remains major problem in China

With a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report1 showing hypertension affects over 40% of Chinese adults aged 45 or older, combating high blood pressure (BP) will be high on the agenda of the 24th Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology & Asia Pacific Heart Congress (GW-ICC & APHC), in Beijing (10 to 13 October 2013).

11 Oct 2013

Super-enhancers could play important roles in disease diagnostics and therapeutics

Having recently discovered a set of powerful gene regulators that control cell identity in a few mouse and human cell types, Whitehead Institute scientists are now showing that these regulators-which they named "super-enhancers"-act across a vast array of human cell types and are enriched in mutated regions of the genome that are closely associated with a broad spectrum of diseases.

11 Oct 2013

Right supramarginal gyrus in brain plays important role in empathy

Egoism and narcissism appear to be on the rise in our society, while empathy is on the decline. And yet, the ability to put ourselves in other people's shoes is extremely important for our coexistence.

11 Oct 2013

Scientists develop new method to create stem cells for human liver and pancreas

A new method for creating stem cells for the human liver and pancreas, which could enable both cell types to be grown in sufficient quantities for clinical use, has been developed by scientists.

11 Oct 2013

Study: Depression in Parkinson's patients may reflect impaired striatal dopamine function

According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, up to 60% of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit mild to moderate depression, which is often underdiagnosed.

11 Oct 2013

New database tracks academic medial centers' policies on physician-industry ties

U.S. medical schools have made significant progress to strengthen their management of clinical conflicts of interest, but a new study demonstrates that most schools still lag behind national standards. The Institute on Medicine as a Profession study, which compared changes in schools' policies in a dozen areas from 2008 to 2011, reveals that institutions are racing from the bottom to the middle, not to the top.

11 Oct 2013

Two scientists from Gladstone Institutes recognized for their contributions to science, medicine

In an unprecedented move, the California Academy of Sciences today will induct two scientists from the Gladstone Institutes', President R. Sanders "Sandy" Williams, MD, and Investigator Katherine Pollard, PhD, as Academy Fellows, bestowing yet another honor on two of San Francisco's most esteemed scientists.

11 Oct 2013

TSRI scientists discover viable strategy for weight loss in people

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered key details of a brain-to-body signaling circuit that enables roundworms to lose weight independently of food intake. The weight-loss circuit is activated by combined signals from the worm versions of the neurotransmitters serotonin and adrenaline, and there are reasons to suspect that it exists in a similar form in humans and other mammals.

11 Oct 2013

Electronic payments in school cafeterias are linked with lower nutrition and higher calories

School cafeterias that accept only electronic payments may be inadvertently promoting junkier food and adding empty calories to students' diets, say Cornell behavioral economists in the current issue of the journal Obesity.

11 Oct 2013

New less invasive surgical method paves way for development of efficient anti-obesity therapies

Bariatric surgeries, such as a gastric bypass, are currently the most effective anti-obesity therapies. They also lead to a reduced insulin resistance. However, the pitfall of these surgical interventions is that they are highly invasive and often permanent procedures.

11 Oct 2013

Scientists to combine NK cell therapy with immunocytokine to target childhood cancer

Researchers have made rapid advances in understanding how to manipulate the immune system safely to destroy cancer cells. Adoptive transfer of haploidentical natural killer cells has shown promise as a treatment option to target and kill cancer cells in a less toxic way than conventional therapies. Now for the first time, scientists will combine NK cell therapy with an immunocytokine to target children with relapsed/refractory disease including those with bulky tumors.

11 Oct 2013

Genetic mutation that protects skin from UV radiation may cause testicular cancer in Caucasian

A Ludwig Cancer Research study published in Cell today identifies a common mutation that dramatically increases the risk for testicular cancer—and describes a likely molecular mechanism by which it exerts that effect.

11 Oct 2013

Natural painkiller system in the brain responds to social rejection

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," goes the playground rhyme that's supposed to help children endure taunts from classmates. But a new study suggests that there's more going on inside our brains when someone snubs us - and that the brain may have its own way of easing social pain.

11 Oct 2013

Study: Social media can become early warning system to help prevent suicide tragedies

Heart-breaking accounts of cyber bullying and suicide seem all too common, but a new study offers hope that social media can become an early warning system to help prevent such tragedies.

11 Oct 2013

Social connection: A basic human need

Facebook and gossip might seem like a waste of time, but they actually serve a basic human need.

11 Oct 2013

Medical Research News

Research: Part of brain that makes primates social creatures may play role in carnivores

New clinical trial shows increased asthma control with FeNO-guided anti-inflammatory treatment

New gene transfer strategy effective for achieving persistent immunotherapy to treat tumors

Research finding may offer targets for treating feelings of unsteadiness

HSCI researchers discover on-off switch for gene expression

New research shows blood pressure remains major problem in China

Super-enhancers could play important roles in disease diagnostics and therapeutics

Right supramarginal gyrus in brain plays important role in empathy

Scientists develop new method to create stem cells for human liver and pancreas

Study: Depression in Parkinson's patients may reflect impaired striatal dopamine function

New database tracks academic medial centers' policies on physician-industry ties

Two scientists from Gladstone Institutes recognized for their contributions to science, medicine

TSRI scientists discover viable strategy for weight loss in people

Electronic payments in school cafeterias are linked with lower nutrition and higher calories

New less invasive surgical method paves way for development of efficient anti-obesity therapies

Scientists to combine NK cell therapy with immunocytokine to target childhood cancer

Genetic mutation that protects skin from UV radiation may cause testicular cancer in Caucasian

Natural painkiller system in the brain responds to social rejection

Study: Social media can become early warning system to help prevent suicide tragedies

Social connection: A basic human need

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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