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Cancer researchers investigate free radicals

The University of Leicester has been selected as the hub of a worldwide network of researchers to investigate one of the causes of cancer.

11 Oct 2007

Research shows how stem cells decide to become either skeletal or smooth muscle

Researchers have discovered a key protein that controls how stem cells "choose" to become either skeletal muscle cells that move limbs, or smooth muscle cells that support blood vessels, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

11 Oct 2007

New understanding of stem cell aging

The Stowers Institute's Xie Lab has published recent findings that reveal some of the factors underlying the aging of stem cells.

11 Oct 2007

Researchers identify brain circuits used in sensation of touch

The ability to tactually recognize fine spatial details, such as the raised dots used in braille, is especially important to those who are blind.

11 Oct 2007

New genetic understanding of multiple sclerosis patients response to Copaxone

A group of Israeli scientists from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have recently identified genes responsible for the positive response of many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to the drug Copaxone.

11 Oct 2007

Researchers reveal repressor protein blocks neural stem cell development

A protein known to repress gene transcription at the molecular level in a variety of processes also blocks embryonic neural stem cells from differentiating into neurons, according to a study by University of California, San Diego and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers published online October 10 in Nature.

10 Oct 2007

Immune system protein shows potential as early warning system for lung cancer

An immune system protein could act as an early warning system for lung cancer, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Thorax.

10 Oct 2007

Brookhaven's D-peptides halt HIV entry into cells

Based in part on protein structures determined at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists at the University of Utah have developed new peptides that appear to be significantly more effective at blocking HIV's entry into cells than other drugs in their class.

10 Oct 2007

Behavior of drug-dependent offenders

Researchers at the University of Leicester have worked with Northamptonshire Police's Scientific Support Unit to research whether or not drug-dependent offenders were more likely to be apprehended through forensic science techniques than those who were not.

10 Oct 2007

Obese people six times more likely to develop oesophageal cancer

Rates of oesophageal cancer have been rising rapidly, and in some countries, they have risen faster than those of every other major cancer, say the authors.

10 Oct 2007

Better understanding of environmental influences on the aging process of stem cells

A stem cells' immediate neighborhood, a specialized environment also known as the stem cell niche, provides crucial support needed for stem cell maintenance.

10 Oct 2007

Feline virus, antiviral drug studied to understand drug resistance

Researchers at Ohio State will spend the next two years testing their theories about just how an AIDS-like virus in cats is able to resist the powerful medicines that are thrown against it.

10 Oct 2007

Bacteria reveal targets of immune responses quick and direct identification of antigens

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a widespread herpes virus that infects more than 90 per cent of the worldwide human population.

10 Oct 2007

Adult stem cells lack key pluripotency regulator

The protein Oct4 plays a major role in embryonic stem cells, acting as a master regulator of the genes that keep the cells in an undifferentiated state.

10 Oct 2007

Public misled and confused about exercise

The researchers from Exeter and Brunel Universities found in a survey of nearly 1,200 people that half of the men and three quarters of the women involved thought moderate exercise conferred the greatest health benefits.

10 Oct 2007

British teens clueless when it comes to a healthy diet

A survey by a large supermarket chain in Britain has revealed that a third of teenage girls are on a diet or have recently tried to lose weight.

10 Oct 2007

Thin stay thin while fat get fatter

The average weight among people who are overweight or obese has increased dramatically in the last 10 years.

10 Oct 2007

Stress is a contributing factor in human disease

In a review of the scientific literature on the relationship between stress and disease, Carnegie Mellon University psychologist Sheldon Cohen has found that stress is a contributing factor in human disease, and in particular depression, cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS.

10 Oct 2007

New research warns of the lack of specialization when judging individuals with mental disorders

Research carried out by the Department of Criminal Law of the University of Granada has analysed for the first time all the criminal sentences passed in Spain since 1870 in which the defendant was acquitted of the charge or the sentence was reduced on account of mental disorder.

10 Oct 2007

First animal model of age-related macular degeneration

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have created the first animal model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) caused by a mutation known to produce disease in people, an important first step in developing treatments.

10 Oct 2007