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UC Denver researcher awarded NIH grant to study PAH

A disease that has no cure in young children and adults is getting closer attention, thanks to a University of Colorado Denver Bioengineering assistant professor and a five year National Heart Lung and Blood Institute/National Institutes of Health grant. Kendall Hunter, PhD, will perform research to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension in children and adults with approximately $700,000 over a five-year period.

10 Sep 2010

Researches discover reducing tau protein level can prevent Αβ protein transport in Alzheimer’s disease

Amyloid beta (Αβ) proteins, widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD), block the transport of vital cargoes inside brain cells. Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have discovered that reducing the level of another protein, tau, can prevent Aβ from causing such traffic jams.

10 Sep 2010

Researchers to develop image analysis techniques for melanoma classification

Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer varies in size, shape and severity, and although pathologists and researchers often intuitively differentiate between types of melanomas, the variations have never been formally quantified and documented. A project involving RENCI and researchers in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the departments of computer science and statistics and operations research aims to change that by using image analysis techniques to improve melanoma classification.

10 Sep 2010

Researchers find risk prediction model for VTE in cancer patients

For cancer patients, who have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to a hyperactive blood coagulation system, there is now an enhanced risk model to predict their chance of developing blood clots, according to a recent study published today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

10 Sep 2010

Researchers discover mechanism that prevents stem cell from becoming another cell type

Johns Hopkins researchers have determined why certain stem cells are able to stay stem cells.The report in the June 4 issue of Cell Stem Cell reveals that an enzyme that changes the way DNA is packaged in cells allows specific genes to be turned on and off, thereby preventing a stem cell from becoming another cell type.

10 Sep 2010

Kennedy Krieger Institute receives grant for Alzheimer's disease research in Down syndrome patients

Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be difficult to distinguish from the normal aging process in any older adult. For adults with Down syndrome, who are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease, it is even more so. Because effective intervention needs to begin as early in the disease process as possible, prior to the onset of the irreversible impacts on the brain that are characteristic of this devastating disease, early diagnosis is of critical importance. To address crucial gaps in knowledge about Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome, the Kennedy Krieger Institute has been awarded an $8.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

10 Sep 2010

Wealthy patients beat cancer better than poorer counterparts: Survey

Cancer survival rates have improved across England, according to two new reports from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).But the reports also reveal that there are still gaps in survival, with patients from wealthy areas having a better chance of beating cancer than their poorer counterparts.

10 Sep 2010

Specific feedback signals from fMRI controls brain regions: Study

There is new evidence that people can learn to control the activity of some brain regions when they get feedback signals provided by functional magnetic resonance brain imaging (fMRI).

10 Sep 2010

Researchers to develop two-way fiber optic communication between prosthetic limbs and peripheral nerves

Lightning fast connections between robotic limbs and the human brain may be within reach for injured soldiers and other amputees with the establishment of a multimillion-dollar research center led by SMU engineers.

10 Sep 2010

UK researchers discover new tactic used by cancer cells to cheat death

Cancer Research UK scientists have uncovered a new strategy that could be used by cancer cells to side step the body's normal safety checks and become immortal a key step for a cancer cell according to a study published in Nature today (Thursday).

10 Sep 2010

Obesity key lies in the brain: Study

According to a new international study led in Australia by the Monash Obesity and Diabetes Institute (MODI) at Monash University, high fat diets that lead to obesity and weight gain make the brain immune to signals that tell the body to stop eating and to burn energy.

9 Sep 2010

BioMedTracker launches Thought Leader Opinions service for drug information

BioMedTracker, a product of Sagient Research Systems, the leading provider of competitive intelligence and investment analytics on the biotech/pharmaceutical sector, today announced the recent launch of its new service, Thought Leader Opinions (TLO). This service provides its subscribers with direct access to the latest expert opinions in the disease areas that they follow within the intuitive BioMedTracker drug information platform.

9 Sep 2010

Study suggests PTSD symptoms common in Second Generation population

In groups with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as the survivors of the Nazi Death Camps, the adjustment problems of their children, the so called "Second Generation", have received attention by researchers. Studies suggested that some symptoms or personality traits associated with PTSD may be more common in the Second Generation than the general population.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers investigate familial prosopagnosia to recognize faces

In our dynamic 3D world, we can encounter a familiar face from any angle and still recognize that face with ease, even if the person has, for example, changed his hair style. This is because our brain has used the 2D snapshots perceived by our eyes (like a camera) to build and store a 3D mental representation of the face, which is resilient to such changes.

9 Sep 2010

Study suggests high cortisol levels may increase cardiovascular mortality risk

High levels of the stress hormone cortisol strongly predict cardiovascular death among both persons with and without pre-existing cardiovascular disease according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

9 Sep 2010

NIH awards $6.5M for pharmacogenomics study of key mood-stabilizing drug for bipolar disorder

An international team, led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has been awarded a $6.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the pharmacogenomics of a key mood-stabilizing drug used to treat bipolar disorder.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists develop new strategy for quicker detection of biomarkers that indicate disease

Scientists at the UK's National Physical Laboratory have developed a new strategy for quicker and more precise detection of biomarkers - proteins which indicate disease. The work could pave the way for new tools to detect early stages of Alzheimer's and cancer at the molecular level.

9 Sep 2010

Study results may point way to effective weight loss maintenance

Many people have experienced the frustration that comes with regaining weight that was lost from dieting. According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), the levels of appetite hormones in the body prior to dieting may serve as a predictor of weight regain after dieting.

9 Sep 2010

AACR, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network accept applications for 2011 research grants program

The American Association for Cancer Research in partnership with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is now accepting applications for the 2011 research grants program. The program is administered using the AACR's rigorous peer-review system to ensure that the highest quality science is supported.

9 Sep 2010

SMA researchers receive grant for Spinal Muscular Atrophy research

Brian Kaspar, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, along with a team of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) researchers and clinicians, recently received a $250,000 grant for SMA research and clinic development from Sophia's Cure Foundation via the Pepsi Refresh Project.

9 Sep 2010