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GABA disrupts working memory in neurofibromatosis type 1 patients

Imagine if your brain lost its working memory - the ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind's eye. That's the plight faced by millions of people with neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1. The genetic condition affects one in 3,500 people and is the most common cause of learning disabilities.Now a UCLA research team has uncovered new clues about how NF1 disrupts working memory. Published in the July 12 online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings suggest a potential drug target for correcting NF1-related learning disabilities.

17 Jul 2010

Lorillard calls upon FDA TPSAC to employ dispassionate science in evaluation of menthol in cigarettes

With the words of Food and Drug Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on the screen beside him, a Lorillard Tobacco Company scientist today called upon the FDA's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to employ a "truly science-based, data-driven" process in its evaluation of menthol in cigarettes. Earlier this week Hamburg made headlines when she told an FDA science panel to "Follow the science wherever it leads and the rest will fall into place."

17 Jul 2010

AMPK may regulate epigenetic mechanism: Research

AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK, is a master regulator protein of metabolism that is conserved from yeast to humans. When a cell is low on fuel, AMPK shuts down processes that use energy and turns on processes that produce energy.Biologists have been studying how AMPK works for several decades and know that once it is activated, AMPK turns on a large number of genes by passing the "make more energy" message through numerous signaling cascades in the cell. What was not known, until now, was that AMPK also works via an epigenetic mechanism to slow down or stop cell growth.

17 Jul 2010

Resveratrol concentration impacts cancer risk mitigation: Study

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Thomas Wang, who specializes in cancer prevention research, has reported evidence that for some dietary compounds, length of exposure over time may be key to whether or not ingestion leads to a beneficial, or detrimental, effect.Scientists do not know exactly why one person develops cancer and another does not. But they do know that certain nutrients might increase or decrease cancer risk. There are "layers" of factors involved in the development of cancer, and Wang is studying the layers involving peoples' diet complexity and gene expression.

17 Jul 2010

ICON opens purpose-built clinical pharmacology unit within CMFT campus

ICON plc,, a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced the official opening of a purpose-built clinical pharmacology unit within the Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust (CMFT) campus in Manchester, UK. Initial studies in the unit utilising translational medicine methodologies to expedite drug development projects began in June, and already 110 volunteers have participated in studies there.

17 Jul 2010

Cage type affects laboratory mice brain

Researchers at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus have found the brains of mice used in laboratories worldwide can be profoundly affected by the type of cage they are kept in, a breakthrough that may require scientists to reevaluate the way they conduct future experiments.

17 Jul 2010

Researchers discover potential way to stop tumor growth

Washington State University researchers have discovered a way to help cancer cells age and die, creating a promising avenue for slowing and even stopping the growth of tumors. "Hopefully, we can make cancer cells die like normal cells," says Weihang Chai, an assistant professor in the WSU School of Molecular Biosciences and WWAMI medical education program in Spokane. "Basically, you make the cancer cell go from immortal to mortal."

17 Jul 2010

Research findings may help identify human TOR kinase inhibitors

A parasite estimated to afflict as many as 12 million people worldwide relies on a family of genes that should make it vulnerable to compounds developed to treat cancer and other disorders, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

17 Jul 2010

Best practices for increasing clinical trial site and patient recruitment

PRA International, a leading Clinical Research Organization, will host an audio conference on the best practices for increasing clinical trial site and patient recruitment on 22 July 2010 at 11:30 am (EDT). PRA's senior vice president of Scientific and Medical Affairs, Kent Thoelke, will be the presenter.

16 Jul 2010

Largest effort to find gene-environment interactions underlying schizophrenia risk

At the 23rd ECNP Congress 2010 in Amsterdam, Professor Dr. Jim van Os, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology at Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands, will present the EU-GEI project, involving more than 7,500 patients and their families, which brings together a multidisciplinary research team from 15 countries in the largest effort to date to find gene-environment interactions underlying schizophrenia risk.

16 Jul 2010

Report identifies gaps in research for 20 suspected carcinogens

A new report from the American Cancer Society and other world-leading health groups identifies gaps in research for 20 suspected carcinogens whose potential to cause cancer is as yet unresolved. The report is designed to prioritize agents for additional research, and to lead to well-planned epidemiologic or mechanistic studies leading to more definitive classification of these agents.

16 Jul 2010

National Trauma Institute launches 'Stop the Bleeding' awareness and giving campaign

The National Trauma Institute (NTI), a non-profit organization dedicated to funding trauma research in the United States, launched a powerful awareness and giving campaign in the heart of New York City today. While the images in the 15-second message may disturb some, trauma surgeon and NTI chairperson Dr. Timothy Fabian said, "We can't ignore the bloody truth—traumatic injury kills more than 170,000 people each year, not counting our soldiers overseas. Action is needed."

16 Jul 2010

Lab-on-Bead technology helps researchers cut years from drug development

New research accepted by the Journal of Molecular Recognition confirms that a revolutionary technology developed at Wake Forest University will slash years off the time it takes to develop drugs - bringing vital new treatments to patients much more quickly.

16 Jul 2010

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Next week the city of Philadelphia will host the 52nd annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology.

16 Jul 2010

Study finds unhappy families unhappy in two distinct ways

Contrary to Leo Tolstoy's famous observation that "happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," a new psychology study confirms that unhappy families, in fact, are unhappy in two distinct ways. And these dual patterns of unhealthy family relationships lead to a host of specific difficulties for children during their early school years.

16 Jul 2010

Study on how cellular defence systems keep themselves in check from damaging cells themselves

When cells are attacked by bacteria they use all means at their disposal to defend themselves. But cellular defence systems can damage the cells themselves and so need to be kept tightly in check. Recent results help us to understand how this is done and give pointers to new ways of combating disease. Matthias Farlik in the group of Thomas Decker at the Centre for Molecular Biology of the University of Vienna (Max F. Perutz Laboratories) and Mathias Müller of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have published these findings in the current issue of the journal "Immunity".

16 Jul 2010

All dementia isn't Alzheimer's disease: Mayo Clinic

Occasional misplaced keys or forgotten names don't mark the beginning of dementia. All dementia isn't Alzheimer's disease. Some dementia symptoms can be reversed. Those facts and many more are covered in Deciphering Dementia, a supplemental Special Report to the July issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource

16 Jul 2010

Agendia to provide testimony on federal regulation of laboratory developed tests

Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, announced today that company CEO Dr. Bernhard Sixt will provide testimony at a public meeting on July 20 in Washington D.C. on the federal regulation of laboratory developed tests (LDTs).

16 Jul 2010

Brain imaging studies can provide biomarkers for depression diagnosis: Study

Depression, known to be a condition with impaired psychosocial functioning that severely impacts the quality of life of patients and families, is actually defined with specific clinical symptoms such as sadness, difficulty to experience pleasure, sleep problems etc., present for at least two weeks. At least 40% of depressed patients actually benefit from an antidepressant treatment, whereas 20-30% of patients may suffer from chronic depression that negatively impacts their quality of life. In order to improve the efficiency of treatment and reduce the burden of depressive disorders, depression needs to be defined at the neurobiological level.

16 Jul 2010

Studying retrovirus assembly can help new drug development for infection control

How a retrovirus, like HIV, reproduces and assembles new viruses is different than previously thought, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. Understanding the steps a virus takes for assembly could allow development of a way to prevent the spread of retroviral diseases. The team studied a chicken virus called Rous sarcoma virus that causes cancer in chickens and is similar to HIV.

16 Jul 2010

Medical Research News

GABA disrupts working memory in neurofibromatosis type 1 patients

Lorillard calls upon FDA TPSAC to employ dispassionate science in evaluation of menthol in cigarettes

AMPK may regulate epigenetic mechanism: Research

Resveratrol concentration impacts cancer risk mitigation: Study

ICON opens purpose-built clinical pharmacology unit within CMFT campus

Cage type affects laboratory mice brain

Researchers discover potential way to stop tumor growth

Research findings may help identify human TOR kinase inhibitors

Best practices for increasing clinical trial site and patient recruitment

Largest effort to find gene-environment interactions underlying schizophrenia risk

Report identifies gaps in research for 20 suspected carcinogens

National Trauma Institute launches 'Stop the Bleeding' awareness and giving campaign

Lab-on-Bead technology helps researchers cut years from drug development

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Study finds unhappy families unhappy in two distinct ways

Study on how cellular defence systems keep themselves in check from damaging cells themselves

All dementia isn't Alzheimer's disease: Mayo Clinic

Agendia to provide testimony on federal regulation of laboratory developed tests

Brain imaging studies can provide biomarkers for depression diagnosis: Study

Studying retrovirus assembly can help new drug development for infection control

The evolution of OCT for retinal imaging and disease intervention

Supercharging Next-Gen Antibody Discovery with AI and High-Throughput Experimentation

Prof. Dr. Kristina Kusche-Vihrog

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