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Researchers identify potential genes that can be targeted for new treatments for hepatocellular cancer

Patients with advanced hepatocellular (or liver) cancer have high mortality rates, with existing drugs demonstrating only a small, but significant survival advantage. By combining a zebrafish model of liver cancer with data from human tumors, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai hope to identify potential genes of interest that can be targeted for new treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer to develop from liver cells.

31 Jan 2014

UC San Diego researchers uncover causes for hereditary spastic paraplegia

In a study published in the January 31, 2014 issue of Science, an international team led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report doubling the number of known causes for the neurodegenerative disorder known as hereditary spastic paraplegia. HSP is characterized by progressive stiffness and contraction of the lower limbs and is associated with epilepsy, cognitive impairment, blindness and other neurological features.

31 Jan 2014

Researchers study how epigenetic alterations contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk

Age is a key risk factor for breast cancer. A recent study by researchers from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, "Age-related DNA methylation in normal breast tissue and its relationship with invasive breast tumor methylation," examines the connection between cancer and the aging process to see if epigenetic DNA alterations might contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk.

31 Jan 2014

Large amounts of choline may be needed to support fetal development during pregnancy

Recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that during pregnancy, and particularly during the third trimester, large amounts of choline may be needed to support fetal development. Conclusions of the research revealed that current recommendations may be too low. Choline deficiency in pregnant women may result in elevated levels of homocysteine, potentially resulting in birth defects.

31 Jan 2014

Finding could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered what appears to be a potent stimulator of new bone growth. The finding could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis and other diseases that occur when the body doesn't make enough bone.

31 Jan 2014

Llama-derived antibodies open door to development of new treatments for C. difficile infections

Researchers from the Alberta Glycomics Centre at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta, in collaboration with researchers at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, have revealed the first molecular views showing how highly specific antibodies derived from llamas may provide a new method for controlling deadly infections from the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).

31 Jan 2014

New biological pathway-based computational model to identify genetic links with diseases

Dartmouth researchers developed a new biological pathway-based computational model, called the Pathway-based Human Phenotype Network (PHPN), to identify underlying genetic connections between different diseases as reported in BioDataMining this week.

31 Jan 2014

More antipsychotic medications prescribed to children and adolescents in Germany

Increasing numbers of children and adolescents are being given antipsychotic drugs in Germany, as Christian Bachmann and colleagues found out in a study published in the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2014; 111(3): 25 - 40). The authors used routine insurance data of the Barmer GEK statutory health insurance company to analyze antipsychotic prescriptions for this age group from 2005 to 2012.

31 Jan 2014

Biologists open new window on natural process of bone regeneration in zebra fish

University of Oregon biologists say they have opened the window on the natural process of bone regeneration in zebra fish, and that the insights they gained could be used to advance therapies for bone fractures and disease.

30 Jan 2014

TSRI scientists awarded grant to develop new therapeutic approaches for lung cancer

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded approximately $1.8 million from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to identify the signaling pathways that underlie lung cancer and to use this information to develop new therapeutic approaches.

30 Jan 2014

Depression in childhood may increase risk of heart problems later in life

Children with depression are more likely to be obese, smoke and be inactive, and can show the effects of heart disease as early as their teen years, according to a newly published study by University of South Florida Associate Professor of Psychology Jonathan Rottenberg.

30 Jan 2014

Researchers gain better understanding of HIV infection through electron microscopy

The human intestinal tract, or gut, is best known for its role in digestion. But this collection of organs also plays a prominent role in the immune system. In fact, it is one of the first parts of the body that is attacked in the early stages of an HIV infection. Knowing how the virus infects cells and accumulates in this area is critical to developing new therapies for the over 33 million people worldwide living with HIV. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology are the first to have utilized high-resolution electron microscopy to look at HIV infection within the actual tissue of an infected organism, providing perhaps the most detailed characterization yet of HIV infection in the gut.

30 Jan 2014

Third-hand smoke as deadly as first-hand smoke

Do not smoke and do not allow yourself to be exposed to smoke because second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke are just as deadly as first-hand smoke, says a scientist at the University of California, Riverside who, along with colleagues, conducted the first animal study of the effects of third-hand smoke.

30 Jan 2014

Psychiatrists urged to monitor metabolic changes in psychosis patients

Japanese psychiatrists are largely aware of the metabolic abnormalities that may arise from antipsychotic treatment, but most do not monitor their patients sufficiently, research shows.

30 Jan 2014

Simple hypomania checklist detects bipolar II disorder

A 15-item hypomania checklist has shown potential for differentiating bipolar disorder, particularly type II, from major depressive disorder.

30 Jan 2014

Overweight kindergarten kids may become obese teenagers

The risk of children growing up into obese teenagers may be influenced by whether or not they were overweight as early on as 5 years old, report U.S. researchers.

30 Jan 2014

Checklists and feedback for ambulance crews improve care for heart attack and stroke patients

The introduction of checklists and better feedback for ambulance crews as part of a national quality improvement project has significantly improved the standard of care for heart attack and stroke patients across England, a major new study has shown.

30 Jan 2014

Not all children, young adults treated achieve long-term relief from symptoms of anxiety

Fewer than one in two children and young adults treated for anxiety achieve long-term relief from symptoms, according to the findings of a study by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and five other institutions.

30 Jan 2014

New molecule could help lower diabetic patients' risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's

Researchers at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem have created a molecule that could potentially lower diabetic patients' higher risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

30 Jan 2014

Geranium plant extracts prevent HIV-1 from invading human cells

Extracts of the geranium plant Pelargonium sidoides inactivate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and prevent the virus from invading human cells. In the current issue of "PLOS ONE", scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München report that these extracts represent a potential new class of anti-HIV-1 agents for the treatment of AIDS.

30 Jan 2014

Medical Research News

Researchers identify potential genes that can be targeted for new treatments for hepatocellular cancer

UC San Diego researchers uncover causes for hereditary spastic paraplegia

Researchers study how epigenetic alterations contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk

Large amounts of choline may be needed to support fetal development during pregnancy

Finding could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis

Llama-derived antibodies open door to development of new treatments for C. difficile infections

New biological pathway-based computational model to identify genetic links with diseases

More antipsychotic medications prescribed to children and adolescents in Germany

Biologists open new window on natural process of bone regeneration in zebra fish

TSRI scientists awarded grant to develop new therapeutic approaches for lung cancer

Depression in childhood may increase risk of heart problems later in life

Researchers gain better understanding of HIV infection through electron microscopy

Third-hand smoke as deadly as first-hand smoke

Psychiatrists urged to monitor metabolic changes in psychosis patients

Simple hypomania checklist detects bipolar II disorder

Overweight kindergarten kids may become obese teenagers

Checklists and feedback for ambulance crews improve care for heart attack and stroke patients

Not all children, young adults treated achieve long-term relief from symptoms of anxiety

New molecule could help lower diabetic patients' risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's

Geranium plant extracts prevent HIV-1 from invading human cells

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