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Salamander research findings bring scientists closer to future regenerative therapies

Tissue regeneration in salamanders and newts seems like it should be the stuff of science fiction. But it happens routinely. Why can't we mammals just re-grow a limb or churn out a few new heart muscle cells as needed? New research suggests there might be a very good reason: Restricting our cells' ability to pop in and out of the cell cycle at will - a prerequisite for the cell division necessary to make new tissue - reduces the chances that they'll run amok and form potentially deadly cancers.

6 Aug 2010

Research shows variations in care that kidney disease patients receive before starting dialysis

The wealth or poverty of kidney disease patients' communities impacts the quality of care patients receive before starting dialysis, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The results suggest that medical professionals need to improve care for patients who have not yet started dialysis.

6 Aug 2010

Adversity-exposure may protect against psychiatric disturbances that occur with CBP: Study

A new study by researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine, to be published in the September issue of the journal Pain, reveals that, for people with chronic back pain, having a little adversity in your life can be protective and beneficial.

6 Aug 2010

Humans unintentionally imitate subtle aspects of each other's mannerisms: Research

Humans are incessant imitators. We unintentionally imitate subtle aspects of each other's mannerisms, postures and facial expressions. We also imitate each other's speech patterns, including inflections, talking speed and speaking style. Sometimes, we even take on the foreign accent of the person to whom we're talking, leading to embarrassing consequences.

6 Aug 2010

Researchers reprogram human embryonic stem cells to iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state-so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells-exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers.The pluripotency of ES cells fueled excitement over their use in regenerative medicine. While ethical hurdles associated with the clinical application of human ES cells appeared to have been overcome with the development of methods to create iPS cells, some recent research has suggested that ES and iPS cells have substantial differences in which sets of genes they express.

6 Aug 2010

Survey reveals need for nutrition education among African Americans for disease prevention, management

Researchers looking for differences in eating habits of African Americans based on whether or not they had Type 2 diabetes uncovered an unexpected result: No matter what the blood sugar level was, the dietary intakes were pretty much the same.African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and 1.4 times more likely to be obese than are non-Hispanic whites, according to federal health agencies. Obesity is a leading risk factor for development of diabetes, a condition that results when the body cannot properly use insulin to transfer sugar from the blood to muscle and fat cells that use glucose for energy.

6 Aug 2010

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Nature describing the discovery and validation of the role of the gene Sort1 in the development of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI). This work was done with collaborators at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Broad Institute. The collaborative effort combined genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and RNAi technology to identify and validate novel genes as targets for new therapies for heart disease.

6 Aug 2010

Study identifies options for restoring knee cartilage lubrication to prevent OA

An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament is fairly common, especially among young athletes. While it can often be corrected through surgery, the injury can lead to increased risk of developing degenerative joint diseases, including osteoarthritis. The problem is that fluid in the knee joint, which lubricates the cartilage, is impacted by the trauma of the injury and begins to deteriorate.

6 Aug 2010

Helmsley Charitable Trust awards $3.15M grant to support UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center

The University of Louisville has received a $3.15 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center and cancer research taking place in Owensboro. The grant will be matched with state "Bucks for Brains" funding to bring more than $4.5 million to the Owensboro Cancer Research Program.

6 Aug 2010

Studies show biological agents play important role in maintaining remission in Crohn's disease

Biological agents may play an important role in maintaining remission in Crohn's disease, according to two new studies in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute.

6 Aug 2010

Eliminating depression, diabetes can reduce levels of dementia: Study

Eliminating diabetes and depression, as well as increasing education and fruit and vegetable consumption, are likely to have the biggest impact on reducing levels of dementia in the coming years, should no effective treatment be found, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.These findings suggest priorities for future public health interventions.While the exact cause of dementia is still unknown, several modifiable risk factors have already been identified. These include vascular risk factors (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol), a history of depression, diet, alcohol consumption, and education level.

6 Aug 2010

Scientists identify genetic variant that increases risk of schizophrenia

A group of scientists has identified a genetic variant that substantially increases the risk for developing schizophrenia in Ashkenazi Jewish and other populations. The study, published by Cell Press on August 5th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, associates a deletion on chromosome 3 with increased incidence of schizophrenia.

6 Aug 2010

Vesicular stomatitis virus kills tumour, stimulates immune response against cancer: Research

Cancer Research UK scientists have used the immune system coupled with a virus found in horses and cattle, to hunt and purge cancer cells through the lymphatic system, a study reveals in Nature Medicine.Studying mice, the researchers found that the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), carried by a type of white blood cell called T cells acted as a 'cancer hunter', tracking down tumour cells in the lymph nodes, liver and spleen, and killed them, leaving normal healthy cells unharmed. At the same time, VSV also helped to trigger an immune response against the tumour, significantly improving the anti-cancer effect.

6 Aug 2010

Scientists find molecular cocktail to transform non-muscle cells into cardiac muscle

In heart disease, cardiac muscle gradually dies off and, with little or no way to regenerate those cells, that can ultimately lead the heart to fail. But scientists reporting in the August 6th issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication, might have found a way to fix those losses. They've devised a three-ingredient molecular cocktail that transforms fibroblasts - structural cells that the heart is chock full of - directly into beating heart cells.

6 Aug 2010

Study: Drug control efforts have caused a drop in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Mexico

A study published today in the scientific journal Addiction shows that the Mexican government's recent efforts to control the manufacture of methamphetamine have caused a drop in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Mexico and in neighbouring Texas.

6 Aug 2010

Research on human disease origins to predict, prevent next outbreak

Most infectious diseases infect multiple host species, but to date, efforts to quantify the frequency and outcome of cross-species transmission (CST) of these diseases have been severely limited.This lack of information represents a major gap in knowledge of how diseases emerge, and from which species they will emerge.A paper published this week in the journal Science by a team of researchers led by Daniel Streicker of the University of Georgia has begun to close that gap.

6 Aug 2010

New laboratory to speed up research for melanoma treatment set up at University of Bristol

A new Skin Cancer Research Fund Laboratory has been set up in Bristol to study cancer cells collected from skin cancer patients attending Frenchay Hospital. It is hoped the new facility will speed up research into treatments for malignant melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer. The new laboratory at the Microvascular Research Laboratories at the University of Bristol will be officially opened today (Tuesday August 22nd) by the director of the Skin Cancer Research Fund, Mr Paul Townsend.

6 Aug 2010

Life Technologies, UCSD Moores Cancer Center to use SOLiD 4 technology to study CLL

Life Technologies Corporation and the University of California at San Diego Moores Cancer Center today announced a partnership to use SOLiD 4 genomic analysis technology in a research program to study chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. The CLL research is made possible by funding from the National Institutes of Health and will enable scientists to survey the whole transcriptomes of 96 CLL tumor samples for potential biomarkers.

5 Aug 2010

German Virtual Liver Network aims to grasp whole organ and functions in computer model

The aim of this unique research consortium is to grasp the whole organ and its functions in a computer model

5 Aug 2010

New study on decision making for infants with complex life threatening illnesses

Sharron Docherty understands that medical care for a critically ill infant involves much more than treatments designed to bring about a cure.

5 Aug 2010

Medical Research News

Salamander research findings bring scientists closer to future regenerative therapies

Research shows variations in care that kidney disease patients receive before starting dialysis

Adversity-exposure may protect against psychiatric disturbances that occur with CBP: Study

Humans unintentionally imitate subtle aspects of each other's mannerisms: Research

Researchers reprogram human embryonic stem cells to iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine

Survey reveals need for nutrition education among African Americans for disease prevention, management

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Study identifies options for restoring knee cartilage lubrication to prevent OA

Helmsley Charitable Trust awards $3.15M grant to support UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center

Studies show biological agents play important role in maintaining remission in Crohn's disease

Eliminating depression, diabetes can reduce levels of dementia: Study

Scientists identify genetic variant that increases risk of schizophrenia

Vesicular stomatitis virus kills tumour, stimulates immune response against cancer: Research

Scientists find molecular cocktail to transform non-muscle cells into cardiac muscle

Study: Drug control efforts have caused a drop in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Mexico

Research on human disease origins to predict, prevent next outbreak

New laboratory to speed up research for melanoma treatment set up at University of Bristol

Life Technologies, UCSD Moores Cancer Center to use SOLiD 4 technology to study CLL

German Virtual Liver Network aims to grasp whole organ and functions in computer model

New study on decision making for infants with complex life threatening illnesses

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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