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Researchers identify regulatory protein that can inhibit cancer metastasis

A protein capable of halting the spread of breast cancer cells could lead to a therapy for preventing or limiting the spread of the disease.

5 May 2011

Amygdala predicts spontaneous behavior: Study

A pianist is playing an unknown melody freely without reading from a musical score. How does the listener's brain recognise if this melody is improvised or if it is memorized? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig investigated jazz musicians to discover which brain areas are especially sensitive to features of improvised behaviour.

4 May 2011

Study finds greater weight management support in pistachio snackers

When it comes to healthy snacking and weight management, a new study bolsters the long-held view that not all calories are created equal. According to nutrition researchers at UCLA, choosing to snack on pistachios rather than pretzels as part of a healthy diet not only supports your body mass index (BMI) goals, but can support heart health too.

4 May 2011

Cocaine and nicotine employ similar mechanisms to induce synaptic plasticity in brain

The effects of nicotine upon brain regions involved in addiction mirror those of cocaine, according to new neuroscience research.

4 May 2011

New genetic discovery in megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts

White matter disease covers a large group of disorders that affect the white matter, or myelin. In children these disorders are commonly genetic and often go undiagnosed. In new research, a team led by Raúl Estévez, a lecturer from the Department of Physiological Sciences II, based at the UB's Bellvitge Health Sciences Campus, working with the researcher Marjo van der Knaap, from the University Medical Centre at VU University Amsterdam, have identified mutant GLIALCAM as responsible for 25% of cases of megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts, a rare genetic disease affecting cerebral myelin.

4 May 2011

Breakthrough research offers hope for new obesity treatment

By knocking down the expression of a protein in rat brains known to stimulate eating, Johns Hopkins researchers say they not only reduced the animals' calorie intake and weight, but also transformed their fat into a type that burns off more energy. The finding could lead to better obesity treatments for humans, the scientists report.

4 May 2011

Scientists discover new mitochondria regulation mechanism

Scientists have discovered a new component of mitochondria that plays a key part in their function. The discovery, which is presented in the journal Cell Metabolism, is of potential significance to our understanding of both inherited and age-related diseases.

4 May 2011

Global climate change could increase future heat wave mortality

Global climate change is anticipated to bring more extreme weather phenomena such as heat waves that could impact human health in the coming decades.

4 May 2011

New research sheds light on origins of cryptococcal fungal infection

New research has shed light on the origins of a fungal infection which is one of the major causes of death from AIDS-related illnesses. The study, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the BBSRC, shows how the more virulent forms of Cryptococcus neoformans evolved and spread out of Africa and into Asia.

4 May 2011

Low salt intake may increase risk of cardiovascular events

In a study conducted to examine the health outcomes related to salt intake, as gauged by the amount of sodium excreted in the urine, lower sodium excretion was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death, while higher sodium excretion did not correspond with increased risk of hypertension or cardiovascular disease complications, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

4 May 2011

Confusing research on salt and heart: Study

According to the latest European study, people who ate lots of salt were not more likely to get high blood pressure, and were less likely to die of heart disease than those with a low salt intake. This is contrary to what has been known till date. The U.S. guidelines recommend that Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams of salt daily - 1,500 mg in certain people who are more at risk for high blood pressure or heart disease.

4 May 2011

WWP2 protein appears to play a key role in tumor survival

A protein known as WWP2 appears to play a key role in tumor survival, a research team headed by a scientist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in an advance online publication of Nature Cell Biology.

4 May 2011

Regular dose of sunshine could help prevent falls

Regular exposure to sunshine to maintain adequate vitamin D levels could help prevent falls in the elderly.

3 May 2011

Patients with LEP less likely to receive home health care referral

Among children whose parents and other primary caregivers have limited English proficiency, there is an associated increased length of hospital stay and decreased number of home health care referrals for pediatric inpatients with infections requiring long-term antibiotics, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 May 2011

Busy brain cells can both contribute to and prevent Alzheimer's

Higher levels of cell chatter boost amyloid beta in the brain regions that Alzheimer's hits first, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report. Amyloid beta is the main ingredient of the plaque lesions that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's.

3 May 2011

Belly fat predicts heart-disease risk better than BMI: Study

According to the latest study the fat around the belly is the chief culprit in the link between obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study raises the possibility that people can be overweight without significantly raising their heart risk, so long as they carry the extra fat in places other than their belly. In fact, a few extra pounds may even lower the risk of death from heart disease, researchers found.

3 May 2011

U.Va, Coulter Foundation partner for translational research in biomedical engineering

The University of Virginia and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation have teamed to create a $20 million endowment to foster research collaboration between biomedical engineers and clinicians, with the goal of developing new technologies to improve patient care and human health.

3 May 2011

Asthma research on its way to help sufferers

The University of Newcastle is now conducting a nationwide research program to help people with asthma better control their condition. This study will be testing the effectiveness of combining antibiotics with commonly used treatments in asthmatics. This news comes today on the World Asthma Day. Statistics show that commonly prescribed treatments and medications do not relieve the symptoms for about 10 per cent of asthma patients. It's thought about 80% of people with the condition suffer numerous symptoms, yet 80% say they believe they have it under control.

3 May 2011

Military members with prior mental health disorders are more likely to develop PTSD

Military service members who screened positive for mental health disorders before deployment, or who were injured during deployment, were more likely to develop post-deployment posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms than their colleagues without these risk factors, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 May 2011

Coronary artery disease patients with high BMI may face higher risk of death

One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index.

3 May 2011