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Researchers find structural deficits in gray matter may be associated with daytime sleepiness

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may blame their daytime difficulties on simple sleepiness, but new research suggests that their brains may be to blame. Specifically, their cognitive challenges may be caused by structural deficits in gray matter, brought on by the intermittent oxygen deprivation that comes with OSA. The good news is that these deficits may be partially or fully reversible with early detection and treatment, according to Italian researchers

15 Nov 2010

Scientists find sleep helps consolidate memories

Scientists have found that sleep helps consolidate memories, fixing them in the brain so we can retrieve them later. Now, new research is showing that sleep also seems to reorganize memories, picking out the emotional details and reconfiguring the memories to help you produce new and creative ideas, according to the authors of an article in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

15 Nov 2010

Research may lead to new treatment options for spinal cord injuries

A study led by researchers in the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows unexpected and extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury in primates. The findings, to be published November 14 in the advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience, may one day lead to the development of new treatments for patients with spinal cord injuries.

15 Nov 2010

Scientists uncover DNA sequence variations associated with cardiac electrical activity

Scientists studying genetic data from nearly 50,000 people have uncovered several DNA sequence variations associated with the electrical impulses that make the heart beat. The findings, reported in Nature Genetics, may pave the way for a greater understanding of the mechanisms for abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.

15 Nov 2010

New findings on HIV can help validate structure-based drug design approach

The development of new drugs to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS depends on understanding the basic biology of how the virus infects human cells. For 25 years, researchers supported primarily by NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) have been generating the structures of key viral proteins, revealing important insights into the virus's mechanisms and, more importantly, its Achilles' heels.

15 Nov 2010

Researchers improvise fruit fly as a model system to study brain development, disorders

VIB researchers attached to the K.U.Leuven have improved the fruit fly as a model for studying the connections between brain cells. The researchers developed a specific marker for a part of the fly's nerve cell which had previously been difficult to distinguish. Their discovery will not only contribute to gaining a better insight into brain development but also makes the fruit fly into a better model system for studying brain development and brain disorders.

15 Nov 2010

Acute sleep deprivation increases inflammation: Research

People who sleep poorly or do not get enough sleep have higher levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, researchers have found.

15 Nov 2010

Acne, acne medicine and mental health: Study

Acne drug Accutane (isotretinoin) has been plagued by serious controversies with some linking it to suicidal tendencies. Now the latest research finds that severe acne itself increases the risk for suicidal thoughts and actions, raising more questions about the role of the drug, if any, in suicide.

14 Nov 2010

Heart break fatal: Study

In the latest research scientists have found that it is really possible to die of a broken heart. The study shows that the immense grief of losing a loved one means that many people die within three years of their husband or wife.

14 Nov 2010

Denial is top reason for patients to delay treatment for skin cancer

If detected early, nonmelanoma skin cancers (primarily basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common forms of skin cancer) can be easily treated. But when left untreated, these skin cancers can grow and even spread, causing considerably more harm than if they were treated upon initial detection. Now, a new study finds that denial is the top reason why patients delay seeking treatment for skin cancer and shows that this delay results in larger, more serious, skin cancers.

12 Nov 2010

Amorfix second quarter net loss decreases to $25,728

Amorfix Life Sciences, a product development company focused on the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for misfolded protein diseases, today announced its operational and financial results for the three and six months ended September 30, 2010.

12 Nov 2010

CytomX awarded $488,000 as grant under QTDP Program

CytomX Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of proteolytically activated antibodies, today announced the receipt of two grants totaling more than $488,000 from the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Program. The grants are directed toward the company's lead preclinical programs targeting colon, head and neck, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancers and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

12 Nov 2010

Transgenomic awarded $1,070,453 grant under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a research and development grant totaling $1,070,453.32 from the U.S. government under HR: 3590 – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "Act") in immediately available funds. This is among the largest awards for any one company under the Act.

12 Nov 2010

Alcohol consumption among young Spaniards linked to night-time violence

Night-time violence among young Spaniards is becoming ever more common, according to a research study carried out by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention. The study shows that 5.2% of young people carry weapons when they go out at night, 11.6% have been attacked or threatened, and 23% have got into a fight at some time.

12 Nov 2010

Bioethics in pharmaceutical industry, regenerative medicine, and public health

To celebrate 40 years of pioneering bioethics publication, the Hastings Center Report, the world's first bioethics journal, looked to the future, asking young scholars to write about what the next generation of bioethicists should take up. Out of 195 compelling submissions, four of the best essays were selected for publication in the November-December issue.

12 Nov 2010

Dreaded cod liver oil in a variety of flavours

The stomachs of the generation of 50 year olds and above, will be churning at the thought of their parents and grandparents serving up spoonfuls of the much dreaded cod liver oil. As a practice, parents giving their children cod liver oil has all but died, and yet, as a population, we have seen more and more inflammatory conditions effect people's lives, which are due in no small part to the 'modern day diet', which many of us live.

12 Nov 2010

Research output from Asia and Europe surpasses that of the US

A study from Thomson Reuters released today shows that the US is no longer the "colossus of science" that it was and has not kept pace with the increased output from European and Asia-Pacific nations.

12 Nov 2010

New findings shed light on biology of neuropsychiatric diseases

The biggest surprise to me was that we could rescue the autistic phenotype [in the human cells] to something close to normal, said Alysson Muotri of the University of California San Diego.

12 Nov 2010

Equation to calculate energetic cost of walking

Any parent that takes their kid out for a walk knows that children tire more quickly than adults, but why is that? Do kids and small adults walk differently from taller people or do they tire faster for some other reason? Peter Weyand from Southern Methodist University, USA, is fascinated by the effect that body size has on physiological function.

12 Nov 2010

Scientists unveil mechanism of liver regeneration

The liver's unique ability among organs to regenerate itself has been little understood. Now Weill Cornell Medical College scientists have shed light on how the liver restores itself by demonstrating that endothelial cells the cells that form the lining of blood vessels play a key role.

12 Nov 2010