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Dantrolene shows promise for treating DMD

A muscle relaxant called dantrolene used for treating malignant hyperthermia boosts the activity of therapies currently being developed to treat the genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), show study findings.

17 Dec 2012

Improving environment can get elderly out and about

Simple changes in an older person’s local environment can have a positive impact on their level of outdoor physical activity, suggest study findings.

17 Dec 2012

Healthy behavior at middle age is critical to 'successful' aging

Observing a combination of healthy behaviors during middle age, including moderate exercise and alcohol intake, and not smoking, can significantly improve the chances of aging successfully, study findings show.

17 Dec 2012

Surgery poses cardiac risk to lupus women

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus are at significantly increased risk for short-term perioperative adverse cardiovascular events, find researchers.

17 Dec 2012

Less is more when it comes to antibiotics for UTI in men

Research suggests that standard antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections in male patients may need to be reviewed, as currently recommended 7–14-day courses appear to be no more effective than shorter ones, and may increase the risk for antimicrobial resistant or Clostridium difficile infection.

17 Dec 2012

18FDG–PET–CT improves breast cancer staging

A prospective study has shown fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography to be a powerful tool for the detection of nodal and distant metastatic disease in patients with breast cancer.

17 Dec 2012

‘Ambu-lysis’ edges closer for stroke patients

A pilot trial of giving suitable stroke patients intravenous thrombolysis before their arrival in hospital has produced promising results.

17 Dec 2012

Mother–infant pairs admitted to ICU have poor outcomes

Mother–baby pairs with co-admission to intensive care units after delivery are more likely to experience separation due to interfacility transfer, and have higher mortality rates, than pairs in which either mothers or babies are admitted, show study results.

17 Dec 2012

Sit–rise test may guide mortality risk stratification

Assessing how much support a middle-aged or elderly person requires to sit and rise from the floor could be an indicator of all-cause mortality risk, researchers say.

17 Dec 2012

New research reveals music's health benefits

Music has been incorporated into medical practice since before the ancient Greeks. However, though practitioners have been convinced of music's health benefits for thousands of years, there had been little peer-reviewed research to back them up. But recent studies are providing an empirical backbone for the anecdotal evidence.

17 Dec 2012

Range of epigenetic immunoassays from VolitionRx now available for research use

VolitionRx Limited, a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests, announces the launch of NuQ, its range of research use only epigenetic immunoassays, to be available for sale at www.nucleosomics.com.

17 Dec 2012

Study reveals how BRCA1 enzymatic activity may stop cancer cell growth

A new study by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers reveals how a well-known tumor suppressor gene may be functioning to stop cancer cell growth.

17 Dec 2012

Dyslipidaemia: an interview with Prof. Peter Kokkinos

Dyslipidemia is defined as abnormal levels of blood lipids (fats) and cholesterol. The most common dyslipidaemias are high blood cholesterol (Total Cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (‘good’ cholesterol).

17 Dec 2012

New model of how the capsid of viruses assembles

A new model of the how the protein coat (capsid) of viruses assembles, published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Biophysics, shows that the construction of intermediate structures prior to final capsid production (hierarchical assembly) can be more efficient than constructing the capsid protein by protein (direct assembly).

17 Dec 2012

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb announce partnership

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) today announced that Bristol-Myers Squibb has joined the MMRF pre-competitive consortium (PCC) to discover and accelerate new approaches to treating multiple myeloma through the organization's Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI).

15 Dec 2012

IRCM study identifies mechanism responsible for generation of fingers and toes

Dr. Marie Kmita and her research team at the IRCM contributed to a multidisciplinary research project that identified the mechanism responsible for generating our fingers and toes, and revealed the importance of gene regulation in the transition of fins to limbs during evolution.

15 Dec 2012

Aerobic training the best mode of exercise for burning fat

Aerobic training is the best mode of exercise for burning fat, according to Duke researchers who compared aerobic training, resistance training, and a combination of the two.

15 Dec 2012

Research provides broader understanding of processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 35 million people worldwide. It is generally assumed that the clumping of beta-amyloid (Aβ) protein causes neuronal loss in patients.

15 Dec 2012

Consuming whole eggs may improve blood lipids, new research suggests

It is estimated that 34% of Americans are affected by an increasingly prevalent condition known as metabolic syndrome which is a combination of at least three of the following risk factors: large waistline, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar.

15 Dec 2012

Fluidigm, GIS announce establishment of first single-cell genomics research center in Asia

The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), an institute under the umbrella of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and Fluidigm Corporation today announced the establishment of the first research center in Asia exclusively dedicated to accelerating the understanding of how individual cells work, and how diagnosis and treatment might be enhanced through insight derived from single cells.

15 Dec 2012