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Whitehead Institute scientists identify novel Parkinson's disease drug target

Using a discovery platform whose components range from yeast cells to human stem cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have identified a novel Parkinson's disease drug target and a compound capable of repairing neurons derived from Parkinson's patients.

25 Oct 2013

New report explains occurrence of breast cancer in women with normal BRCA genes

Since 1994, many thousands of women with breast cancer from families severely affected with the disease have been tested for inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. The vast majority of those patients were told that their gene sequences were normal.

25 Oct 2013

HIV-positive patients with high CD4 cell counts are not at increased risk for heart attacks

Patients who are HIV-positive and have high CD4 cell counts - or have a high number of white blood cells that fight infections - aren't at an increased risk for heart attacks compared to patients who are HIV-negative, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in the current online issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

25 Oct 2013

Scientists identify link between rare mutations in RINT1 gene and early onset breast cancer risk

An international team of scientists has identified an association between heritable, rare mutations in the RINT1 gene and increased risk of early onset breast cancer, according to research reported today (Oct. 24) at the American Society of Human Genetics 2013 annual meeting in Boston.

25 Oct 2013

Study identifies gene that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating red or processed meat

A common genetic variant that affects 1 in 3 people significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer from the consumption of red meat and processed meat, according to a study presented today at the annual American Society of Human Genetics 2013 meeting, the largest gathering of human geneticists in the world.

25 Oct 2013

Researchers discover novel genetic cause of severe obesity

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a novel genetic cause of severe obesity which, although relatively rare, demonstrates for the first time that genes can reduce basal metabolic rate - how the body burns calories.

25 Oct 2013

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

A new University of Sydney study has found that having Type 1 diabetes alters the normal communication between the human central nervous system and bone marrow, causing inflammatory effects and further disease.

24 Oct 2013

LCSB researchers publish current knowledge about the genetic, molecular causes of PD

Parkinson's disease continues to puzzle physicians and biologists alike - even though it is well-established that symptoms like muscle tremors, rigidity, and, during the final stages, immobility can all be traced back to the death of a certain type of brain cell called a dopaminergic neuron. The underlying cause of this cellular death is a complex web of interrelated genetic molecular processes as well as external factors, most of the details of which are well-known. But how the various factors correlate and influence each other continues to elude the scientific community.

24 Oct 2013

Study reveals that tumors factors inhibit repair of damaged muscle fibers during cancer wasting

A new study reveals that tumors release factors into the bloodstream that inhibit the repair of damaged muscle fibers, and that this contributes to muscle loss during cancer wasting.

24 Oct 2013

Study shows oxytocin hormone enhances placebo response in analgesia model

The hormone oxytocin may mediate processes such as empathy, trust, and social learning. These are key elements of the patient-physician relationship, which is an important mediator of placebo responses, according to background information in a Research Letter appearing in the October 23/30 issue of JAMA.

24 Oct 2013

Study shows plant sterols appear to prevent onset of Alzheimer's disease

It's no secret that many of the phytochemicals in fruit and vegetables have a positive effect on our health. For instance, plant sterols (also known as phytosterols) help to lower cholesterol levels. According to a new study by researchers at Saarland University, they also appear to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

24 Oct 2013

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have, for the first time, taken chimpanzee and bonobo skin cells and turned them into induced pluripotent stem cells, a type of cell that has the ability to form any other cell or tissue in the body.

24 Oct 2013

Leukemia drug reverses symptoms of colitis in lab tests

A drug currently on the market to treat leukemia reversed symptoms of colitis in lab tests, according to recently published findings by medical researchers with the University of Alberta.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers reveal why sleep deprivation increases risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes

The fact that sleep deprivation has an impact on the function of the human immune system is well known. In their latest study, the University of Helsinki research group Sleep Team has now discovered new biological links between sleep loss and the immune system. The results provide at least a partial explanation of why sleep deprivation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

24 Oct 2013

Unique approach to help discover how cell changes shape in response to topographies

Cells in the human body change shape as they crawl, split, or cling to other surfaces, but while the scientific literature is filled with examples of how cell shapes shift in response to things they touch, little is known about the rules that govern these changes. And there has been no high-throughput way to systematically test different topologies against different types of cells to optimize the surface of something like a medical implant.

24 Oct 2013

BUSM researchers capture images of channels that direct proteins to right place in cell membranes

Similar to passengers on an urban transit system, every protein made in the cell has a specific destination and function. Channels in cell membranes help direct these proteins to their appropriate target. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and their colleagues have now captured images of these channels as they open to allow proteins to pass through a membrane, while the proteins are being made.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers use nanopores to smuggle DNA or proteins across membranes

A living cell is built with barriers to keep things out - and researchers are constantly trying to find ways to smuggle molecules in.‬ ‪Professor Giovanni Maglia (Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, KU Leuven) and his team have engineered a biological nanopore that acts as a selective revolving door through a cell's lipid membrane. The nanopore could potentially be used in gene therapy and targeted drug delivery.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

24 Oct 2013

Nanometric scale diamond particles offer new way to detect cancer far earlier

Real-time monitoring of cancer cell processes could soon be possible thanks to nanometric scale diamonds used as biosensors.

24 Oct 2013

Activation mechanism of protective protein in ocular lens resolved

The lens of the human eye is made up of a highly concentrated protein solution that imparts the eye its high refractive power. Yet, despite this high protein content the ocular lens must remain clear and transparent.

24 Oct 2013

Biocompatible compounds can be used to develop customized implant designs with 3-D printing

Researchers from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Laser Zentrum Hannover have discovered that a naturally-occurring compound can be incorporated into three-dimensional (3-D) printing processes to create medical implants out of non-toxic polymers.

24 Oct 2013

Medical Science News

Whitehead Institute scientists identify novel Parkinson's disease drug target

New report explains occurrence of breast cancer in women with normal BRCA genes

HIV-positive patients with high CD4 cell counts are not at increased risk for heart attacks

Scientists identify link between rare mutations in RINT1 gene and early onset breast cancer risk

Study identifies gene that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating red or processed meat

Researchers discover novel genetic cause of severe obesity

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

LCSB researchers publish current knowledge about the genetic, molecular causes of PD

Study reveals that tumors factors inhibit repair of damaged muscle fibers during cancer wasting

Study shows oxytocin hormone enhances placebo response in analgesia model

Study shows plant sterols appear to prevent onset of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Leukemia drug reverses symptoms of colitis in lab tests

Researchers reveal why sleep deprivation increases risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes

Unique approach to help discover how cell changes shape in response to topographies

BUSM researchers capture images of channels that direct proteins to right place in cell membranes

Researchers use nanopores to smuggle DNA or proteins across membranes

Nanometric scale diamond particles offer new way to detect cancer far earlier

Activation mechanism of protective protein in ocular lens resolved

Biocompatible compounds can be used to develop customized implant designs with 3-D printing

Considerations for taking ASO discovery programs into animal models

Neurofilament light as a translational biomarker

How can machine learning accelerate neuroscience behavior studies?

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