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Study shows molecular imaging benefits treatment planning for wide spectrum of cancers

A series of studies published in the September Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) show that molecular imaging plays a critical role in the evaluation and treatment planning for a broad spectrum of cancers, including thyroid cancer and lymphoma.

3 Sep 2010

Study finds source of tetracycline from bone analysis of Nubians

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. The finding is the strongest evidence yet that the art of making antibiotics, which officially dates to the discovery of penicillin in 1928, was common practice nearly 2,000 years ago.

3 Sep 2010

Study reveals factors linked to cognitive impairment in Type 2 diabetes

Older adults with diabetes who have high blood pressure, walk slowly or lose their balance, or believe they're in bad health, are significantly more likely to have weaker memory and slower, more rigid cognitive processing than those without these problems, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

3 Sep 2010

Research on motor neuron subtype may provide useful therapy for neuron diseases

Scientists have devised a method for coaxing mouse embryonic stem cells into forming a highly specific motor neuron subtype. The research, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides new insight into motor neuron differentiation and may prove useful for devising and testing future therapies for motor neuron diseases.

3 Sep 2010

Discovery of omega-3 fatty acid molecular mechanism paves way for development of dietary remedy for diabetes

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids so effective in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers discover new class of edible nanostructures for energy storage

Sugar, salt, alcohol and a little serendipity led a Northwestern University research team to discover a new class of nanostructures that could be used for gas storage and food and medical technologies. And the compounds are edible.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers find hair cortisol level can assess chronic stress in heart attack

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have provided the first direct evidence using a biological marker, to show chronic stress plays an important role in heart attacks.

3 Sep 2010

Celsion receives SBIR grant to develop heat sensitive liposomal technology for cancer treatment

Celsion Corporation, a biotechnology drug development company, announced today that it has been awarded a competitive Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support the proposal, "New Thermal Sensitive Carboplatin Liposomes for Cancer".

3 Sep 2010

Cigarette smoke inhibits LTA4H enzyme, regulates body's response to inflammation: Study

Cigarette smoke shuts off a key enzyme in airways that regulates the body's response to inflammation, according to findings from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online today at Science Express.

3 Sep 2010

NIH awards $1.2 million EUREKA grant to study protein misfolding

Three University of Massachusetts Amherst scientists have received a four-year, $1.2 million EUREKA grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study folding and misfolding of secretory proteins in the cell's protein factory, the endoplasmic reticulum, where misfolding can lead to diseases such as cystic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

3 Sep 2010

Capsaicin linked to skin cancer

The September cover story of the nation's leading cancer journal, "Cancer Research," features a new study from The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, that links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer. While the molecular mechanisms of the cancer-promoting effects of capsaicin are not clear and remain controversial, The Hormel Institute has shown a definite connection to formation of skin cancer through various laboratory studies.

3 Sep 2010

Luminal intermediate cells impact basal-like breast cancer origin: Research

New research uncovers a case of mistaken identity that may have a significant impact on future breast cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The study, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, suggests that despite their "stem cell-like" characteristics, most aggressive breast tumors are not derived from normal mammary gland stem cells.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers receive BioBank DNA samples to unveil psoriasis genetics

Millions of Americans struggling with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are one step closer to a cure with the release of the first National Psoriasis Victor Henschel BioBank DNA samples for use in research at the University of Michigan Health System; research that hopes to uncover the unknowns about the genetics of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers discover novel compound to combat drug resistant malaria

Novartis announced today that scientists at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), in collaboration with researchers from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a novel compound that shows promise as a next generation treatment for drug resistant malaria.

3 Sep 2010

Lack of sleep linked to depression and anxiety disorders in young

According to Australian research, youngsters getting inadequate sleep are at risk of mental ailments. Researcher Nicholas Glozier of the University of Sydney said, the increase in incidence of mental ailments in the young has been puzzling health experts. The answer may lie in inadequate sleep.

2 Sep 2010

Researchers discover protein that stimulates production of beta-amyloid

Researchers at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research laboratory today published "Gamma-secretase Activating Protein is a Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer's Disease" in Nature online. Drs. Gen He (lead author) and Paul Greengard have discovered a protein that stimulates the production of beta-amyloid, and therefore represents a major new advance in Alzheimer's disease research.

2 Sep 2010

Mindfulness training increases well-being in adolescents, reports new study

'Mindfulness', the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases well-being in adolescent boys, a new study reports. Researchers from the University of Cambridge analyzed 155 boys from two independent UK schools, Tonbridge and Hampton, before and after a four-week crash course in mindfulness. After the trial period, the 14 and 15 year-old boys were found to have increased well-being, defined as the combination of feeling good (including positive emotions such as happiness, contentment, interest and affection) and functioning well.

2 Sep 2010

Gene mutations that express LRRK2 linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease: Researchers

A significant number of Parkinson's disease patients have a mutation of the enzyme Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Kinase 2 (LRRK2, also known as dardarin). However, little is understood about how it is regulated or functions. In a new paper in the Signal Knowledge Environment of the Biochemical Journal, Dario Alessi and colleagues from the University of Dundee demonstrate that a family of proteins, the 14-3-3 proteins, interact with LRRK2.

2 Sep 2010

Dietary supplement combining zinc, phytase enhances effectiveness of BTX injections: Study

Taking a dietary supplement of organic zinc and the enzyme phytase four days before receiving botulinum toxin injections made the toxin more effective in 93 percent of patients tested in a recent study at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

2 Sep 2010

Researchers clear hurdle on path toward gene-therapy treatment for disease

One of the most difficult aspects of working at the nanoscale is actually seeing the object being worked on. Biological structures like viruses, which are smaller than the wavelength of light, are invisible to standard optical microscopes and difficult to capture in their native form with other imaging techniques.

2 Sep 2010