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Cellular discovery may lead to targeted treatment for rare form of anemia

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified the specific biological mechanisms believed to lead to a rare and incurable blood disease known as Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA).

15 Mar 2009

Blocking the dual leucine zipper kinase gene may help ease painful nerve condition

Scientists have identified the first gene that pulls the plug on ailing nerve cell branches from within the nerve cell, possibly helping to trigger the painful condition known as neuropathy.

15 Mar 2009

Alzheimer's disease therapeutic prevents long-term damage from TBI in pre-clinical studies

A class of Alzheimer's disease drugs currently studied in clinical trials appears to reduce damage caused by traumatic brain injury in animals, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center report in an upcoming advance online publication of Nature Medicine.

15 Mar 2009

Disparities in stroke outcomes between black and white patients still great

In Florida, black young adults are hospitalized for stroke at a rate three times higher than their white and Hispanic peers, a new study by University of South Florida researchers reports.

15 Mar 2009

Moderate alcohol consumption related to stronger bones

The devastating effects of excessive alcohol consumption are undisputable, although some data suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may impart some health benefits.

15 Mar 2009

One virus particle is enough to cause infectious disease

Can exposure to a single virus particle lead to infection or disease? Until now, solid proof has been lacking. Experimental research with insect larvae at Wageningen University and Simon Fraser University in Canada has shown that one virus particle is theoretically enough to cause infection and subsequent disease.

15 Mar 2009

Summary of the latest research into how blood pressure is controlled

The problem of high blood pressure has reached pandemic proportions, causing premature death through heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease in a third of the UK population. For decades, scientists have battled at length over its cause yet still cannot agree; is the kidney or the brain to blame?

15 Mar 2009

Scientists show how 'dormant virus' causes cancer

Cancer Research UK scientists have revealed how a dormant virus triggers a type of cancer found in young people, according to research published in PLoS Pathogens.

15 Mar 2009

Discovery of master regulator of motor neuron firing

When the Human Genome Project was complete, DNA bowed out of the limelight and gave way to RNA as a major player in genetic regulation.

15 Mar 2009

Weighing the options after life-altering stroke

Choosing to have aggressive brain surgery after suffering a severe stroke generally improves the patients' lives and allows them to live longer, according to research by neurologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

12 Mar 2009

Researchers shed new light on dyslexia

By peering into the brains of people with dyslexia compared to normal readers, a study published online on March 12th in Current Biology , a Cell Press publication, has shed new light on the roots of the learning disability, which affects four to ten percent of the population.

12 Mar 2009

Stem cell infusion and hyperbaric oxygen treatment improve islet function in diabetes

A study to determine if patients with type 2 diabetes can benefit from a combination of autologous (patient self-donated) stem cell infusions (ASC) and hyperbaric (above the normal air pressure of ) oxygen treatment (HBO) before and after ASC has found "significant benefits" in terms of "improvements in glycemic control" along with "reduced insulin requirements."

12 Mar 2009

A model of melanoma generates hope for the use of targeted therapies

Researchers have developed a new mouse model that allows them to replicate normal pigment cells at the earliest stages of conversion to malignant skin cancer in humans.

12 Mar 2009

Researchers look at genetic dynamics of inbreeding depression

Researchers have taken a first look at the broad genetic changes that accompany reproductive declines in inbred populations.

12 Mar 2009

Patients who wake up with stroke may be candidates for clot-busters

Giving clot-busting drugs to patients who wake up with stroke symptoms appears to be as safe as giving it to those in the recommended three-hour window, according to researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

12 Mar 2009

Parkinson's-linked mutation makes neurons vulnerable to calcium-induced death

A new study reveals the mechanism by which a genetic mutation linked with Parkinson's disease (PD) renders dopamine neurons particularly vulnerable to cell injury and death.

12 Mar 2009

Seniors with 1 type of heart failure may receive little or no benefit from drugs

People over 80 years of age suffering from a certain type of heart failure do not appear to benefit from most commonly prescribed heart medications, according to a study conducted at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and published in the March 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

12 Mar 2009

Lack of vitamin D in the diet could mean too much fat on adolescents

Too little vitamin D could be bad for more than your bones; it may also lead to fatter adolescents, researchers say.

12 Mar 2009

New investigational therapy for the treatment of bladder cancer

A team of researchers, led by Columbia University Medical Center faculty, has identified a new investigational therapy for the treatment of bladder cancer.

12 Mar 2009

Multiple route bone marrow stem cell injections show promise to treat spinal cord injury

Researchers from DaVinci Biosciences, Costa Mesa, California, in collaboration with Hospital Luis Vernaza in Ecuador, have determined that injecting a patient's own bone marrow-derived stem cells (autologous BMCs) directly into the spinal column using multiple routes can be an effective treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) that returns some quality of life for SCI patients without serious adverse events.

12 Mar 2009