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Reading can boost brain function, finds neuroscience research

Many people can recall reading at least one cherished story that they say changed their life. Now researchers at Emory University have detected what may be biological traces related to this feeling: Actual changes in the brain that linger, at least for a few days, after reading a novel.

5 Jan 2014

Researchers observe mating for the first time in microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness

Caught in the act! Researchers from the University of Bristol have observed mating for the first time in the microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness. This tropical disease is caused by trypanosomes, single-celled parasites that are found in the blood of those afflicted.

5 Jan 2014

Dysfunction in MADD gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found that dysfunction in a single gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia, one of the major symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Their findings were reported online in the journal Diabetes.

5 Jan 2014

Uneven distribution of cellular organelles during cell division may enhance bacterial population's survival

Although a population of bacteria may be genetically identical, individual bacteria within that population can act in radically different ways.

3 Jan 2014

Study explains how brain training improves performance on a given task

Search for "brain training" on the Web. You'll find online exercises, games, software, even apps, all designed to prepare your brain to do better on any number of tasks. Do they work? University of Oregon psychologists say, yes, but "there's a catch."

3 Jan 2014

Discovery opens new pathways for treatment of toxoplasmosis and malaria

A newly identified protein and other proteins it interacts with could become effective targets for new drugs to control the parasite that cause toxoplasmosis, researchers led by investigators at Indiana University School of Medicine have reported.

3 Jan 2014

Study suggests that ROR1 could be an important therapeutic target for patients with CLL

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that an oncogene dubbed ROR1, found on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells but not normal adult tissues, acts as an accelerant when combined with another oncogene, resulting in a faster-developing, more aggressive form of CLL in mice.

3 Jan 2014

Molecule produced by brain acts as natural defence mechanism against cannabis

Two INSERM research teams led by Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Giovanni Marsicano (INSERM Unit 862 "Neurocentre Magendie" in Bordeaux) recently discovered that pregnenolone, a molecule produced by the brain, acts as a natural defence mechanism against the harmful effects of cannabis in animals.

3 Jan 2014

Scientists discover new class of cells expressing olfactory receptors in human airways

Your nose is not the only organ in your body that can sense cigarette smoke wafting through the air. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Iowa have showed that your lungs have odor receptors as well.

3 Jan 2014

Study finds extraordinary link between narcolepsy and specific gene variant

A new study conducted across Europe found an extraordinary association between narcolepsy and a specific gene variant related to the immune system.

2 Jan 2014

Cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin is mediated through mitochondrial iron accumulation

Doxorubicin is a widely used as a component of chemotherapy regimes; however, the use of doxorubicin is associated with severe cardiotoxicity. It is unclear exactly how doxorubicin promotes cardiotoxicity, but it has been proposed that doxorubicin-associated cardiomyopathy develops as the result of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and iron accumulation.

2 Jan 2014

Macrophages invade diabetic pancreatic tissue during early stages of type 2 diabetes

As people's waistlines increase, so does the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Now scientists have a better understanding of exactly what happens in the body that leads up to type 2 diabetes, and what likely causes some of the complications related to the disease. Specifically, scientists from Denmark have found that in mice, macrophages, a specific type of immune cell, invade the diabetic pancreatic tissue during the early stages of the disease.

2 Jan 2014

Computer algorithm developed to identify genes that could be transformed to stop aging process

Restricting calorie consumption is one of the few proven ways to combat aging. Though the underlying mechanism is unknown, calorie restriction has been shown to prolong lifespan in yeast, worms, flies, monkeys, and, in some studies, humans.

2 Jan 2014

New research shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat gets reduced

As most people resolve themselves to lose weight this New Year, here's why it seems to get easier and easier to pack on unwanted pounds: New research published in the January 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat is reduced. Brown fat is a "good" fat located in the backs of our necks that helps burn "bad" white fat around our bellies. Additionally, the researchers also discovered a possible metabolic on/off switch that could reactivate brown fat.

2 Jan 2014

Research confirms superior antitumor activity of novel anticancer agent FL118

A team led by Fengzhi Li, PhD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute has reported significant new findings regarding the chemical structure of the novel anticancer agent FL118. The research, which included comparative analysis of the agent and several similar compounds, confirms the broad, superior antitumor activity of FL118 and suggests promising directions for further studies.

2 Jan 2014

Study reveals potential links to the underlying causes of cancers

New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links to the underlying causes of many cancers.

2 Jan 2014

Researchers identify two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas

Stand Up To Cancer, the charitable initiative supporting ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, announces that Jeffrey A. Sosman, M.D., a Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Dream Team investigator, William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., a 2009 Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant recipient and colleagues identified two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas previously considered to be negative for molecular targets, and that melanomas with these fusions were found to be potentially sensitive to anticancer drugs called MEK inhibitors, according to a study recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jan 2014

Innovative therapy offers new hope to breast cancer patients

A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast tumor cells and prevents cancer development in mice, could one day provide a new way to treat early stages of the disease without resorting to surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, a multi-institutional team led by researchers from the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University reported January 1 in Science Translational Medicine.

2 Jan 2014

Study shows good night's sleep may be critical for maintaining brain health

A new study from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that one night of sleep deprivation increases morning blood concentrations of NSE and S-100B in healthy young men. These molecules are typically found in the brain.

2 Jan 2014

Research findings could shed light on how testosterone acts in human brain to regulate speech

For the male canary, the ability to sing a pitch-perfect song is critical to wooing female canaries. As the seasons change, so does song quality and frequency. The hormone testosterone plays a role in this changing song behavior.

31 Dec 2013

Medical Science News

Reading can boost brain function, finds neuroscience research

Researchers observe mating for the first time in microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness

Dysfunction in MADD gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia

Uneven distribution of cellular organelles during cell division may enhance bacterial population's survival

Study explains how brain training improves performance on a given task

Discovery opens new pathways for treatment of toxoplasmosis and malaria

Study suggests that ROR1 could be an important therapeutic target for patients with CLL

Molecule produced by brain acts as natural defence mechanism against cannabis

Scientists discover new class of cells expressing olfactory receptors in human airways

Study finds extraordinary link between narcolepsy and specific gene variant

Cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin is mediated through mitochondrial iron accumulation

Macrophages invade diabetic pancreatic tissue during early stages of type 2 diabetes

Computer algorithm developed to identify genes that could be transformed to stop aging process

New research shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat gets reduced

Research confirms superior antitumor activity of novel anticancer agent FL118

Study reveals potential links to the underlying causes of cancers

Researchers identify two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas

Innovative therapy offers new hope to breast cancer patients

Study shows good night's sleep may be critical for maintaining brain health

Research findings could shed light on how testosterone acts in human brain to regulate speech

Microphysiological systems in drug discovery

Considerations for taking ASO discovery programs into animal models

Neurofilament light as a translational biomarker

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