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Researchers solve failed vaccine mystery

Research led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center scientists has figured out why a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine used in 1966 to inoculate children against the infection instead caused severe respiratory disease and effectively stopped efforts to make a better one.

15 Dec 2008

Mouse model shows blood stem cells in action

Over a period of five years, scientists at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have managed to create a genetically modified mouse in which the activity of the blood stem cells can be tracked.

15 Dec 2008

Fatherhood gene determines if it's a boy or a girl

According to recent research whether men are likely to father a boy or a girl is determined by a "fatherhood gene".

15 Dec 2008

Sarcasm - a diagnostic tool for dementia

Scientists say sarcasm, sometimes referred to as the lowest form of wit, might be a useful tool in diagnosing a certain type of dementia.

15 Dec 2008

Carbon monoxide used to protect mouse nerve cells from damage

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that brain damage was reduced by as much as 62.2 percent in mice who inhale low amounts of carbon monoxide after an induced stroke.

15 Dec 2008

Lung cancer screening feasibility study funded

A study to assess the feasibility of undertaking a UK-based screening trial for lung cancer has been commissioned by the National institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme. Lung cancer kills more people worldwide than any other malignancy accounting for around 1.4 million deaths each year, and around 38,000 individuals are diagnosed with the disease in the UK each year.

15 Dec 2008

Later school start times may improve sleep in teens and decrease risk of auto accidents

Research in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that after a one-hour delay of school start times, teens increased their average nightly hours of sleep and decreased their "catch-up sleep" on the weekends, and they were involved in fewer auto accidents.

15 Dec 2008

Continuous positive airway pressure improves sleeping glucose levels in type 2 diabetics with obstructive sleep apnea

A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that screening type 2 diabetes patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and treating those who have OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy could improve the management of their hyperglycemia and might favorably influence their long-term prognosis.

15 Dec 2008

New form of cognitive behavioural therapy shows potential to treat majority of cases of eating disorders

Wellcome Trust researchers have developed a new form of psychotherapy that has been shown to have the potential to treat more than eight out of ten cases of eating disorders in adults, a study out today reports.

15 Dec 2008

GUMC researchers find gene inactivated in two aggressive cancers

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found a gene they say is inactivated in two aggressive cancers - malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, and glioblastoma multiforme, a lethal brain tumor.

15 Dec 2008

New understanding of mechanism that regulates DNA methylation

Researchers in a University of Oregon lab have shed more light on the mechanism that regulates DNA methylation, a fundamental biological process in which a methyl group is attached to DNA, the genetic material in cells of living organisms.

14 Dec 2008

Tau protein expression predicts breast cancer survival in an unexpected way

Expression of the microtubule-binding protein Tau is not a reliable means of selecting breast cancer patients for adjuvant paclitaxel chemotherapy, according to research led by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

14 Dec 2008

Study reveals clues to how we forget over short-term

Even though forgetting is such a common occurrence, scientists have not reached a consensus as to how it happens.

14 Dec 2008

Research aims to reduce scarring from heart attacks

A heart damaged by heart attack is usually broken, at least partially, for good.

14 Dec 2008

Discovery of seven new sites in the human genome found to influence obesity

In one of the largest studies of its kind, a multinational team led by scientists from deCODE genetics has reported the discovery of common variations at seven new sites in the human genome found to influence obesity.

14 Dec 2008

Research suggests that immunity is stronger at night

The immune system's battle against invading bacteria reaches its peak activity at night and is lowest during the day.

14 Dec 2008

Exciting cancer discovery

Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumours at distant sites.

14 Dec 2008

Overactive brain enzyme may play role in preventing weight gain and obesity

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that overactivity of a brain enzyme may play a role in preventing weight gain and obesity.

14 Dec 2008

Six new gene variations linked to increased BMI

A genetic study of more than 90,000 people has identified six new genetic variants that are associated with increased Body Mass Index (BMI), the most commonly used measure of obesity.

14 Dec 2008

Possible new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer

A possible new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, the most lethal form of human cancer, has been identified in the proteins whose DNA recipe comes from gene, "Seven-In-Absentia," according to researchers at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17, 2008 in San Francisco.

14 Dec 2008