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Scientists are a step closer to developing drug targets to treat fungal meningitis

Scientists are a step closer to developing drug targets to treat fungal meningitis -- the infection linked to at least three deaths on Vancouver Island -- thanks to the sequencing of two Cryptococcus genomes by an international team that included researchers at the University of British Columbia and the BC Cancer Agency's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver.

17 Jan 2005

Molecular pathway turns a juvenile heart into an adult heart

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered the molecular sequence of events in mice that turn a juvenile heart into an adult heart capable of responding to increased workloads.

17 Jan 2005

Doctors fail to recognise depressive symptoms in more than 40 per cent of older patients

Dr Jeff Looi, a Senior Lecturer at the ANU Medical School, said that while 15 per cent of Australians over 65 have depression, many are not diagnosed by their GP.

17 Jan 2005

Sex hormones modulate brain damage in multiple sclerosis

Abnormalities in sex hormone levels may contribute to the damage to brain tissue typical of multiple sclerosis, indicates research in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

16 Jan 2005

How do you remember your own name?

How do you remember your own name? Is it possible ever to forget it? The memory trace, or engram, "feels" like it is stored permanently in the brain and it will never be forgotten.

16 Jan 2005

Tobacco smoke triggers the production of COX-2

Tobacco smoke triggers the production of COX-2, a cellular protein linked to the development and progression of cancer, according to research published in the January 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

16 Jan 2005

Discovery offers promise for treatment of age-related hearing loss

Researchers have discovered that deletion of a specific gene permits the proliferation of new hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear -- a finding that offers promise for treatment of age-related hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is caused by aging, disease, certain drugs, and the cacophony of modern life. It is the most common cause of hearing loss in older people.

13 Jan 2005

Researchers shed new light on the development of cancers, particularly breast and prostate cancer

Researchers at Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital have shed new light on the activation of a protein key to the development of cancers, particularly breast and prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.

13 Jan 2005

New figures highlight trends in drug and alcohol misuse

New figures published by Dr Foster* in this week's BMJ outline drug and alcohol related harm in the population of England.

13 Jan 2005

Low carbohydrate diet may prevent Alzheimer's disease

Researchers found that a low carbohydrate diet that reduced total caloric intake by 30% prevented the development of a fundamental feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mice genetically engineered to develop the disease. The diet eliminated amyloid plaque development, which is the underlying pathology in AD.

12 Jan 2005

Gene transfer used to deliver antibodies to fight Anthrax

Using gene transfer technology, investigators were able to immunize mice against anthrax in just 12 hours, according to new research featured in the February 2005 issue of Molecular Therapy, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT).

12 Jan 2005

Pancreatic beta-cells play an important role in the existence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Researchers have discovered that pancreatic beta-cells, which are responsible for insulin secretion, play an important role in the existence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that affects up to 10 percent of reproductive aged women.

12 Jan 2005

Scientists uncover new evidence to help explain statins’ effects in Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists at Jefferson Medical College and the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have taken another step in understanding the potential effects of anti-cholesterol drugs on Alzheimer’s disease.

12 Jan 2005

Euro funding for diabetes and exercise research

Researchers at The University of Nottingham are among a network of European scientists who have been awarded €12.7 million (around £8.7 million) for a study into the relationship between lack of exercise and the development of diabetes — and the health benefits of regular exercise in its prevention and cure.

12 Jan 2005

Research into the physical basis of beliefs and subjective experience

A multidisciplinary research centre at the University of Oxford will examine all types of beliefs, from those that make children think their stockings are filled by Santa Claus to the faith that drives fundamentalist terrorism.

12 Jan 2005

More research needed to explore links between physical activity and built environment

Australian scientists to become key players in international health research

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott announced that Australian researchers now have the opportunity to access A$70 million in international research funding each year and to lead international research teams as part of the Human Frontier Science Program.

12 Jan 2005

Researchers to test new leukemia drug

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant cancer of the blood that affects people of all ages. While treatment is available for most of these patients, approximately 20 percent of them do not respond to it. Researchers at McGill teaching hospitals will soon study the effects of a new alternative therapy.

12 Jan 2005

New tool to detect Alzheimer's early

Doctors have long known that smell is one of the first senses to fail as Alzheimer's begins its slow and incurable progression. Tracking the process whereby a person loses their ability to smell could play a pivotal role in early detection and treatment of Alzheimer's. And now researchers at Columbia have developed a tool that will aid early detection.

12 Jan 2005

A little anxiety can be a good thing when it comes to cancer symptoms

A little anxiety can be a good thing when it comes to cancer symptoms according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They report that people with low overall anxiety levels were more apt to ignore symptoms of rectal cancer for long periods of time, thereby delaying treatment.

12 Jan 2005