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Nervous system integrity could play a central role in preventing prion diseases

A new study shows that nervous system integrity and axonal properties may play a key role in prion diseases. The findings, from researchers at the Rudolf Virchow Center and the Institute of Virology of the University of W-rzburg, expand our understanding of the development of prion disease and suggest novel targets for therapeutic and diagnostic approaches in its early stages.

24 Aug 2009

Chemist+Druggist survey reveals deteriorated conditions of patients due to medicine shortages

Medicine shortages have left patients extremely distressed, with some seeing their conditions deteriorate and even being admitted to hospital, a Chemist+Druggist (C+D) survey has found.

24 Aug 2009

Increased BAT function could prevent obesity

Exciting research into Brown adipose tissue (BAT) — brown fat, which is found in abundance in hibernating animals and newborn babies — could lead to new ways of preventing obesity.

24 Aug 2009

Gene discovery unveils a new protein that protects against hearing loss

Discovery of a deafness-causing gene defect in mice has helped identify a new protein that protects sensory cells in the ear, according to a study by University of Iowa and Kansas State University researchers. The findings appear in the August 21 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

24 Aug 2009

Discovery of mutation in AIP gene associated with acromegaly

An indigenous family living in a mountainous area of Malaysian Borneo helped Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers to discover information about genetic mutations associated with acromegaly, a form of gigantism that often results in enlarged hands, feet, and facial features.

24 Aug 2009

American Council on Exercise reveals fitness and nutrition tips for students

As students all across the country flock to college campuses this month, The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America's leading authority on fitness and one of the largest fitness certification, education and training organizations in the world, today revealed its top ten fitness and nutrition tips for remaining in good health for the 2009 school year.

22 Aug 2009

PTSD could be treated with Craniosacral therapy according to a research study

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is impacting people worldwide. In the United States alone, more than five million people will suffer from PTSD this year. There are major emotional, financial, and negative health implications associated with PTSD making it a timely priority.

21 Aug 2009

Clinical grade stem cells to be manufactured by Stemedica as it awaits FDA approval of an IND to commence clinical trials

Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc. USA, a leader in adult stem cell research and manufacturing, has requested a pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") to discuss a proposed IND to use Stemedica's proprietary line of allogeneic mesenchymal bone marrow cells (adult human) as a treatment for ischemic stroke.

21 Aug 2009

Cannabis chemicals stop prostate cancer growth

Active chemicals in cannabis have been shown to halt prostate cancer cell growth according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

21 Aug 2009

Night home hemodialysis offers similar benefits as kidney transplants

For the first time, it has been shown that patients who receive night home hemodialysis live just as long as those who receive kidney transplants from deceased donors.

21 Aug 2009

Max-Planck scientists show that people really walk in circles when lost

Scientists in the Multisensory Perception and Action Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in T-bingen, led by Jan Souman and Marc Ernst, have now presented the first empirical evidence that people really walk in circles when they do not have reliable cues to their walking direction. Their study, published today in the journal Current Biology, examined the walking trajectories of people who walked for several hours in the Sahara desert (Tunisia) and in the Bienwald forest area (Germany).

21 Aug 2009

Ends of protein templates useful for arresting growth of cancerous cells

The tail ends of cellular protein templates, regions often thought relatively inconsequential, may actually play a role in preventing normal cells from becoming cancerous. The finding from scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical research is reported in the August 20 edition of Cell.

21 Aug 2009

Results of PCF funded study could impact the standard of care for prostate cancer patients

Twice-yearly intravenous infusion with denosumab, a new targeted therapy to stop bone loss, increased bone density and prevented spinal fractures in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. The report from an international research study, the first to document reduced fracture risk in men receiving the hormone-blocking treatment, was published today in the print edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Both fundamental research on rank ligand (RANKL) in prostate cancer bone metastasis and other molecular factors involved in the denosumab study were supported at Massachusetts General Hospital with funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

21 Aug 2009

MN Community Measurement's quality measure promises improved depression care

Efforts to improve depression care in Minnesota and surrounding areas will benefit from a first-of-its-kind quality measure introduced this week by MN Community Measurement, a nonprofit organization that provides objective information on the quality of health care through its Web site.

21 Aug 2009

Research suggests that nitrates and nitrites in plants may be beneficial to health

A Michigan State University researcher is challenging health standards that consider nitrates and nitrites in food to be harmful.

21 Aug 2009

Study finds that vaccinations to schoolchildren and to their parents helps to control the spread of the seasonal flu and H1N1

Optimal control of the spread of the seasonal flu and H1N1 is achieved by prioritizing vaccinations for schoolchildren and for adults aged 30 to 39 in the United States. Those are the findings of a new study by Clemson University mathematician Jan Medlock and colleague Alison Galvani of the Yale University School of Medicine.

21 Aug 2009

Research study discovers lethal effects of tetracycline and chloramphenicol against certain bacterial strains

By studying the intricate mechanisms at work in protein production, a Princeton-led team has discovered why certain kinds of antibiotics are so effective. In doing so, they also have discovered how one protein protects against cell death, shedding light on a natural cancer-fighting process.

21 Aug 2009

Chinese scientists present study on oxycholesterol's cholesterol-boosting effects at 238th ACS meeting

Health-conscious people know that high levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the so-called "bad" cholesterol) can increase the risk of heart attacks. Now scientists are reporting that another form of cholesterol called oxycholesterol - virtually unknown to the public - may be the most serious cardiovascular health threat of all. Scientists from China presented one of the first studies on the cholesterol-boosting effects of oxycholesterol here today at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. The researchers hope their findings raise public awareness about oxycholesterol, including foods with the highest levels of the substance and other foods that can combat oxycholesterol's effects.

21 Aug 2009

New findings to prevent urinary tract infections

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center may have a new way to stop and even prevent the urinary tract infections (UTIs) that plague more than a third of all adults, some of them repeatedly.

21 Aug 2009

Researchers develop new ways for splitting dangerous pair of cancer proteins

A research team led by U of T Mississauga scientists has developed a new way to split up a dangerous pair of cancer proteins, a finding that could ultimately lead to chemotherapy that is more effective and has fewer side effects.

21 Aug 2009