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Leaky membranes: Another sign of old age

As parts of us age, even the membrane bound nuclei , which house the genetic instructions for life that are "written" in our DNA, begin to show considerable wear and tear, suggests a new report in the January 23rd issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.

23 Jan 2009

Discovery of key protein regulator of inflammation and cell death

Reporting in the journal Nature , researchers led by Emad Alnemri, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, discovered a key protein component involved in inflammation.

23 Jan 2009

Inflammation worsens danger due to atherosclerosis

Current research suggests that inflammation increases the risk of plaque rupture in atherosclerosis.

23 Jan 2009

Implants mimic infection to rally immune system against tumors

Bioengineers at Harvard University have shown that small plastic disks impregnated with tumor-specific antigens and implanted under the skin can reprogram the mammalian immune system to attack tumors.

23 Jan 2009

Genetic interactions are the key to understanding complex traits

In recent years, genetic studies have uncovered hundreds of DNA variations linked to common diseases, such as cancer or diabetes, raising the prospect that scientists can gauge disease risk based on information in an individual's genome.

23 Jan 2009

Gene provides hope for restoring injured nerves

University of Utah scientists identified a worm gene that is essential for damaged nerve cells to regenerate, and showed they could speed nerve regeneration by over-activating the gene - a step toward new treatments for nerves injured by trauma or disease

23 Jan 2009

First '3D movie' of tumour protein gives new drug hope

First '3D movie' of tumour protein gives new drug hope CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have created the first complete model of a molecule which captains a key cell signalling network to prevent cancer - and exposed the secret of how a highly selective drug can intervene to control its activity, according to a study published in PLoS Biology.

23 Jan 2009

Morbidity rates increased substantially after Hurricane Katrina

In the year following Hurricane Katrina, the health of survivors 65 and over declined nearly 4 times that of a national sample of older adults not affected by the disaster, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

23 Jan 2009

Can cognitive behavioural therapy help defeat depression?

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depression will be examined by researchers at the University of Bristol as part of the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.

22 Jan 2009

BK Medical introduces the Pro Focus UltraView ultrasound system

BK Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Analogic Corporation, launches its new, full-featured ultrasound system, the Pro Focus UltraView, for the surgical and urological ultrasound markets.

22 Jan 2009

Call for rethink of trend to bar smokers from employment

The increasing trend for employers, particularly in the US, to bar smokers from applying for jobs or staying in post should be stopped, until the appropriateness of such policies has been properly evaluated, argue experts in an essay published in Tobacco Control.

21 Jan 2009

When less attention improves behavior

A new study conducted at the Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience of the University of Bologna, and published by Elsevier in the February 2009 issue of Cortex shows that, in confabulating patients, memory accuracy improves when attentional resources are reduced.

21 Jan 2009

Topical treatment wipes out herpes with RNAi

Whether condoms or abstinence, most efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases have a common logic: keep the pathogen out of your body altogether.

21 Jan 2009

The drug treatment of heart failure is influenced by the gender of the patient and of the physician

While the treatment of heart failure has improved over the past two decades, a new study reported in the European Journal of Heart Failure finds that "the use of evidence-based treatments appears to be imbalanced according to the gender of the patient".

21 Jan 2009

Discovery could lead to novel arrhythmia treatments

Abnormal heart rhythms - arrhythmias - are killers. They strike without warning, causing sudden cardiac death, which accounts for about 10 percent of all deaths in the United States.

21 Jan 2009

Slices of living human brain tissue are helping scientists identify new stroke therapies

Slices of living human brain tissue are helping scientists learn which drugs can block the waves of death that engulf and engorge brain cells following a stroke.

21 Jan 2009

First genetic map of obesity

The first genetic map of obesity has been constructed using DNA microarray technology.

21 Jan 2009

Lou Gehrig's disease in humans has genetic links to degenerative myelopathy in dogs

An incurable, paralyzing disease in humans is now genetically linked to a similar disease in dogs.

21 Jan 2009

Protease inhibitor found to aid diabetic retinopathy treatment

Researchers from Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, and ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Francisco, announced today that they have demonstrated that a specific inhibitor of the protease plasma kallikrein, ASP-440, developed by ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals, may provide a new therapeutic approach for treatment of diabetic retinopathy, the most common eye-related complication of diabetes.

21 Jan 2009

Socially excluded people may act aggresively toward others

People who feel socially rejected are more likely to see others' actions as hostile and are more likely to behave in hurtful ways toward people they have never even met, according to a new study.

21 Jan 2009