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MicroRNAs play an important role in regulating oogenesis

Researchers at Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University have found that a recently described class of molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating oogenesis, the process by which females make eggs.

9 Aug 2005

Researchers develop new diagnostic methods to better detect future monkeypox or smallpox outbreaks

The research also sheds new light on the 2003 monkeypox outbreak in the Midwest - monkeypox is closely related to smallpox. This new information suggests that the 2003 outbreak was larger than the 72 cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

9 Aug 2005

DDT resistance in flies carries no cost

For those concerned with the troublesome effects of genetic resistance to drugs and pesticides, the conventional wisdom of evolution offers a reassuring word: In the absence of the original chemical threat, most resistance mutations would cause a disadvantage to their hosts and might be expected to quickly leave the genetic landscape once the use of a drug or insecticide is suspended or withdrawn.

9 Aug 2005

Supplements of multivitamins and minerals don't prevent infections in the elderly

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, say giving daily supplements of multivitamins and minerals do not prevent respiratory, stomach, skin and other types of infections in the elderly.

8 Aug 2005

Factors inhibiting the brain's natural self-healing process identified

Factors that inhibit the brain's natural self-healing process and that may offer new insights into how to prevent brain damage in premature babies have been identified by a team of researchers supported in part by the March of Dimes.

7 Aug 2005

Protein p53 is the "guardian" of our genome

When DNA damage is present, p53 stops cell division and gives the cell enough time to repair it. If the damage is irreparable, the protein sets off programmed cell death and protects the cells from degeneration.

7 Aug 2005

Hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer

A woman's risk of developing breast cancer while taking hormone replacement therapy may be lower than we think, suggest researchers in this week’s British Medical journal (BMJ).

4 Aug 2005

BMA response to BMJ article "Challenges to implementing the national programme for information technology"

Commenting on research published in today's (5/8/05) BMJ, which finds that the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has failed to properly engage NHS staff, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, said:

4 Aug 2005

Discovery may lead to new diagnostic tests for immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)

Defects in a single gene can result in two immune system disorders that leave affected individuals vulnerable to frequent or unusually severe infections, according to new findings reported in the August issue of Nature Genetics.

4 Aug 2005

Australian researchers have found a toxin that plays an important role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease

The research, which is led by two University of New South Wales academics, is significant because drugs that are in the advanced developmental phase for other conditions might be able to be used on Alzheimer's patients, to halt the disease progressing.

4 Aug 2005

Early warning aigns of Alzheimer's show up across cognitive areas years before official diagnosis

By combing through dozens of Alzheimer's disease (AD) studies, psychologists have gained a clear picture of cognitive problems in people who will develop the degenerative brain disease.

4 Aug 2005

Natural killer cells help understand responses to bone marrow transplants

Scientists have discovered that a group of important immune system cells has a surprising resemblance to cinematic British superspy James Bond: the cells receive a "license" that allows them to unleash their most potent attacks on enemies.

4 Aug 2005

MDMA/Ectasy could lead to new treatments for Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Duke University have revealed new clues about Parkinson's disease which might one day lead to new treatments.

4 Aug 2005

New breast cancer genes detected using cutting edge technology

Scientists in the UK say they have detected four new genes believed to be involved in the development of breast cancer.

4 Aug 2005

New insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors

A Penn State researcher is part of the team that developed techniques that have generated insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors, allowing scientists to better understand the evolutionary path that led to the modern-day diets that humans consume.

3 Aug 2005

Researchers pinpoint specific cause of defects in motor learning in Fragile X patients

While researchers have long known the genetic defect underlying Fragile X syndrome, they are still tracing how that defect creates the complex mix of mental retardation, hyperactive behavior, attention deficits, and other problems in the disorder.

3 Aug 2005

Scientist have found an unexpected effect of the interaction of PTEN and p53 genes in early stage prostate cancer

Prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States, is caused by changes in several tummor suppressor genes including PTEN and p53. Up to 70 percent of men with prostate cancer have lost one copy of the PTEN gene at the time of diagnosis, and p53 is absent in a high number of patients with advanced prostate cancer.

3 Aug 2005

Melanoma is being overdiagnosed

New research published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) today (Thursday 4 August 2005) suggests that melanoma is being overdiagnosed in the United States.

3 Aug 2005

Alcohol linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer

Researchers looking for the potential biochemical basis for this link have focused on acetaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen formed as the body metabolizes alcohol.

3 Aug 2005

Obesity's effects on mortality may have been over-estimated

New research shows that obese adults who reach the age of 70 are at no greater risk of dying than their non-obese counterparts, but they do have a much greater probability of spending their remaining years disabled. The data supporting this is reported in the August 2005 issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, No. 4).

3 Aug 2005

Medical Research News

MicroRNAs play an important role in regulating oogenesis

Researchers develop new diagnostic methods to better detect future monkeypox or smallpox outbreaks

DDT resistance in flies carries no cost

Supplements of multivitamins and minerals don't prevent infections in the elderly

Factors inhibiting the brain's natural self-healing process identified

Protein p53 is the "guardian" of our genome

Hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer

BMA response to BMJ article "Challenges to implementing the national programme for information technology"

Discovery may lead to new diagnostic tests for immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)

Australian researchers have found a toxin that plays an important role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Early warning aigns of Alzheimer's show up across cognitive areas years before official diagnosis

Natural killer cells help understand responses to bone marrow transplants

MDMA/Ectasy could lead to new treatments for Parkinson's disease

New breast cancer genes detected using cutting edge technology

New insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors

Researchers pinpoint specific cause of defects in motor learning in Fragile X patients

Scientist have found an unexpected effect of the interaction of PTEN and p53 genes in early stage prostate cancer

Melanoma is being overdiagnosed

Alcohol linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer

Obesity's effects on mortality may have been over-estimated

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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