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TSRI scientists receive $2.3M to study viruses that cause tropical diseases

The outbreak of dengue fever that infected some 20 people in Florida's Martin County late last year unnerved many who feared the tropical disease had once again established a foothold in Florida. The last outbreaks occurred in 2009 and 2010 in Key West—before that, the disease hadn't struck Florida in more than 70 years.

28 Mar 2014

Researchers find new drug target for mitochondrial dysfunction

Mitochondria, long known as "cellular power plants" for their generation of the key energy source adenosine triphosphate (ATP), are essential for proper cellular functions. Mitochondrial defects are often observed in a variety of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, and are the hallmarks of a number of genetic mitochondrial disorders whose manifestations range from muscle weakness to organ failure. Despite a fairly strong understanding of the pathology of such genetic mitochondrial disorders, efforts to treat them have been largely ineffective.

28 Mar 2014

NARSAD grants to fund research into psychiatric illness by 40 mid-career scientists

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation today announced its 2014 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grants, which will award $4 million in funding to 40 mid-career scientists from 33 institutions in nine countries. Selected by the Foundation's Scientific Council, comprised of 146 leading experts across disciplines in brain and behavior research including two Nobel Prize winners, the grants fund basic research, new technologies and next generation therapies for schizophrenia, major affective disorders, and other serious mental illnesses.

28 Mar 2014

Research findings help explain rare genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency syndrome

IRCM researchers led by Javier M. Di Noia, PhD, uncovered a new function of AID, a crucial enzyme for the immune response. The discovery, recently published by the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, helps explain a rare genetic disorder that causes an immunodeficiency syndrome.

28 Mar 2014

Heart attack survival rates lag behind in the South despite overall improvements nationwide

Although heart attack death has declined across all regions of the United States, it is proportionately higher in the South, possibly related to the uneven distribution of socioeconomic and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

28 Mar 2014

Simple chip-based method for better diagnosis of parasitic infections

Parasitic infections like malaria and sleeping sickness affect hundreds of millions of people, primarily in the poorest regions of the world. Diagnosis of these diseases is often difficult because the concentration of parasites in the blood can be very low.

28 Mar 2014

New research reveals how good sleep can help chronic pain sufferers

Chronic pain sufferers could be kept physically active by improving the quality of their sleep, new research suggests.

28 Mar 2014

Cells measure surface area using cdr2p protein

One of the scientists who revealed how plants "do maths" can now reveal how cells take measurements of size. Size is important to cells as it determines when they divide.

28 Mar 2014

Australia's Generation X may overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, say researchers

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have confirmed that if current trends continue, Australia's Generation X will overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, including rates of obesity and diabetes, which could have huge implications for healthcare and the workforce.

28 Mar 2014

Lower levels of vitamin D predict extent of coronary artery disease

Vitamin D deficiency is an independent risk factor for heart disease with lower levels of vitamin D being associated with a higher presence and severity of coronary artery disease, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

28 Mar 2014

Some people experience worse cholesterol levels during colder months

Cholesterol levels fluctuate based on the time of year with more unfavorable lipid profiles seen in the colder months, a trend that may be driven by related behavior changes, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

28 Mar 2014

'Mini heart' invented to aid blood flow through venous segments

George Washington University researcher Narine Sarvazyan, Ph.D., has invented a new organ to help return blood flow from veins lacking functional valves. A rhythmically contracting cuff made of cardiac muscle cells surrounds the vein acting as a 'mini heart' to aid blood flow through venous segments. The cuff can be made of a patient's own adult stem cells, eliminating the chance of implant rejection.

28 Mar 2014

IRB researchers identify dual role of p38 protein in colon cancer

A team headed by Angel R. Nebreda at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine identifies a dual role of the p38 protein in colon cancer. The study demonstrates that, on the one hand, p38 is important for the optimal maintenance of the epithelial barrier that protects the intestine against toxic agents, thus contributing to decreased tumour development.

28 Mar 2014

Public smoking bans decrease rates of premature births, hospital visits for asthma

In the first comprehensive study to look at how anti-smoking laws are affecting the health of children, researchers from University of Edinburgh collaborated with researchers from Maastricht University, Hasselt University, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of smoke-free legislation on child health.

28 Mar 2014

Scientists move a step closer to preserving fertility in young boys with cancer

Scientists have moved a step closer to being able to preserve fertility in young boys who undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. The new research, published in Fertility and Sterility, the journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, addresses the safety of an option scientists are developing for boys who aren't sexually mature and cannot bank sperm.

28 Mar 2014

Formula for peak exercise heart rate does not account for differences between men and women

The formula for peak exercise heart rate that doctors have used for decades in tests to diagnose heart conditions may be flawed because it does not account for differences between men and women, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

28 Mar 2014

Discovery could lead to new medications for cancer, say Rice University scientists

A new understanding of proteins at the nexus of a cell's decision to survive or die has implications for researchers who study cancer and age-related diseases, according to biophysicists at the Rice University-based Center for Theoretical Biological Physics.

28 Mar 2014

Heart failure patients benefit from new device till transplant

The largest single-center study of patients implanted with a total artificial heart finds the device may help patients in severe heart failure survive until they can receive a heart transplant, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

28 Mar 2014

Jackson Lab professor wins nearly $2M grant for investigating role of noncoding RNAs in cancer

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a three-year grant totaling $2,168,535 to Professor Yijun Ruan, Ph.D., of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, for his research into the role of noncoding RNAs in cancer and other diseases.

28 Mar 2014

Scientists identify two markers that predict patient's resistance to radiation therapy for cancer

An international team of researchers, led by Beaumont Health System's Jan Akervall, M.D., Ph.D., looked at biomarkers to determine the effectiveness of radiation treatments for patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

28 Mar 2014

Medical Research News

TSRI scientists receive $2.3M to study viruses that cause tropical diseases

Researchers find new drug target for mitochondrial dysfunction

NARSAD grants to fund research into psychiatric illness by 40 mid-career scientists

Research findings help explain rare genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency syndrome

Heart attack survival rates lag behind in the South despite overall improvements nationwide

Simple chip-based method for better diagnosis of parasitic infections

New research reveals how good sleep can help chronic pain sufferers

Cells measure surface area using cdr2p protein

Australia's Generation X may overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, say researchers

Lower levels of vitamin D predict extent of coronary artery disease

Some people experience worse cholesterol levels during colder months

'Mini heart' invented to aid blood flow through venous segments

IRB researchers identify dual role of p38 protein in colon cancer

Public smoking bans decrease rates of premature births, hospital visits for asthma

Scientists move a step closer to preserving fertility in young boys with cancer

Formula for peak exercise heart rate does not account for differences between men and women

Discovery could lead to new medications for cancer, say Rice University scientists

Heart failure patients benefit from new device till transplant

Jackson Lab professor wins nearly $2M grant for investigating role of noncoding RNAs in cancer

Scientists identify two markers that predict patient's resistance to radiation therapy for cancer

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