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Brain may be hard-wired to treat fairness as a reward

The human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate, UCLA scientists report. Being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry.

21 Apr 2008

Researchers describe key molecule responsible for the immature state of the tumor vasculature

Immune therapies are considered very promising in cancer medicine: Tumor-fighting immune cells are supposed to invade tumor tissue and eliminate cancer cells right there. Although this works well in the test tube, clinical application often fails because immune cells are unable to get into the tumor tissue from the bloodstream in sufficient numbers.

21 Apr 2008

Discovery of fundamental mechanism of how tumour cells communicate

A new fundamental mechanism of how tumour cells communicate has just been discovered by the team of Dr. Janusz Rak at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in collaboration with Dr Guha from the University of Toronto.

21 Apr 2008

British volunteers needed to help bring cure for cancer closer

Researchers, who are in the process of developing a blood test that may diagnose breast cancer up to four years earlier than a mammogram, need the help of thousands of people living in the East Midlands.

21 Apr 2008

Peripheral arterial disease linked to too little vitamin D

According to the results of the latest research peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be linked to low levels of vitamin D.

21 Apr 2008

Chronic inflammation triggers cell fusions that could protect neurons

Chronic inflammation triggers bone marrow-derived blood cells to travel to the brain and fuse with a certain type of neuron up to 100 times more frequently than previously believed, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

20 Apr 2008

GRK5 polymorphism that inhibits beta-adrenergic receptor signaling is protective in heart failure

About 40 percent of African-Americans have a genetic variant that can protect them after heart failure and prolong their lives, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions.

20 Apr 2008

A genetic variation mimics effect of heart failure medications - may explain why beta-blockers do not work for all patients

A genetic variation, found predominantly in African Americans, protects some people with heart failure, enabling them to live longer than expected. That's the conclusion of a research team led by investigators at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 Apr 2008

Hypertension all about what you eat and drink

Scientific research on human metabolism based on people from around the world has revealed compounds in urine indicate surprising differences affecting blood pressure.

20 Apr 2008

U.S. military to take the lead in tissue regeneration research

The Defense Department in the United States says $250 million has been pledged for research into dealing with soldiers returning from the war zones with multiple traumatic injuries.

20 Apr 2008

Drinking and smoking brings dementia on earlier

The latest research from the U.S. suggests that people who are heavy drinkers and smokers develop Alzheimer's disease six to seven years earlier than those who do not smoke or drink.

20 Apr 2008

Report examines how social, economic factors contribute to health disparities in Alameda County

Higher rates of illness among low-income individuals and people of color in Alameda County, Calif., can be attributed to social, economic, transportation, housing, education and other inequalities, according to a report released on Thursday by the Alameda County Public Health Department, the Oakland Tribune reports.

18 Apr 2008

New technique for improving medical diagnosis for cancer patients

Researchers from the UPM's School of Computing and another researcher from Holland’s Radboud University Nijmegen have published an article in the Decision Support Systems journal proposing a technique for improving decision making in medical environments.

18 Apr 2008

Discovery of method for clamping down on a cancer-promoting enzyme

There are many pathways that allow an errant gene to turn a cell cancerous, and a number of these pathways go through a single enzyme called the p21-activated kinase 1, or PAK1.

18 Apr 2008

Mature B cells reprogrammed to stem-cell-like state

Fully mature, differentiated B cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, without the use of an egg, according to a study published in the April 18 issue of Cell.

18 Apr 2008

Constraint induced therapy causes increase in gray matter

A rehabilitation therapy developed by a UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) neuroscientist produces changes in the structure of the brain, the first evidence of actual brain remodeling resulting from a rehabilitation therapy.

17 Apr 2008

Life Sciences Discovery Fund awards $2.2 million to support new solid-tumor research program

The state's Life Sciences Discovery fund has awarded $2.2 million to establish a formal phase 1 clinical-trials program to test new therapies for solid tumors at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Announced this evening, the grant is among the first funded by Washington's $350 million tobacco-lawsuit-settlement bonus.

17 Apr 2008

Yale researchers identify, characterize and clone ovarian cancer stem cells

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified, characterized and cloned ovarian cancer stem cells and have shown that these stem cells may be the source of ovarian cancer’s recurrence and its resistance to chemotherapy.

17 Apr 2008

Inherited cancer gene mutation more common than formerly believed

A gene mutation responsible for the most common form of inherited colon cancer is older and more common than formerly believed, according to a recent study.

17 Apr 2008

New clues to cataract formation

It is the No. 1 line-item cost of Medicare reimbursement and affects more than 20 million people in the United States. Cataracts, which can have devastating effects on the eye, affect 42 percent of the population between the ages of 70 and 80, and 68 percent of the population over the age of 80, according to the National Eye Institute.

17 Apr 2008