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Targeting glucagon action: A new frontier for regulating diabetes

For the first time, scientists at the Toronto General Research Institute showed that targeting glucagon action in the brain may be a new frontier for regulating diabetes.

20 May 2013

Promising method to distinguish pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis - two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic "juices" can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows.

20 May 2013

Joint replacement surgery might be avoidable in the future, suggest scientists

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage.

20 May 2013

Certain varieties of clay have ability to kill MRSA, says ASU researcher

In the race to protect society from infectious microbes, the bugs are outrunning us. The need for new therapeutic agents is acute, given the emergence of novel pathogens as well as old foes bearing heightened antibiotic resistance.

20 May 2013

Students receive Addiction Science Award at 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

An exploration of electronic "screen time" and sleep on mood, memory and learning was given the top Addiction Science Award at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair - the world's largest science competition for high school students.

20 May 2013

Researchers examine new zinc-based bioabsorbable stents

In 2012, more than 3 million people had stents inserted in their coronary arteries. These tiny mesh tubes prop open blood vessels healing from procedures like a balloon angioplasty, which widens arteries blocked by clots or plaque deposits. After about six months, most damaged arteries are healed and stay open on their own. The stent, however, is there for a lifetime.

20 May 2013

Keystone molecules in chemical communication, defense have dominant consequences in nature

Naturally occurring "keystone" molecules that have powerful behavioral effects on diverse organisms often play large but unrecognized roles in structuring ecosystems, according to a theory proposed in the June issue of BioScience.

20 May 2013

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation, shown to improve memory.

20 May 2013

Understanding the role of dsRNA in antiviral host defense systems

Animals, insects, and plants use a variety of sensing mechanisms to detect invading pathogens such as viruses. One complex and effective antiviral defense system they share is based on recognition of double-stranded RNA, often produced when a virus invades a host cell.

20 May 2013

Leslie G. Ungerleider to receive Andrew Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences from Carnegie Mellon

Carnegie Mellon University will award the first Andrew Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences to Leslie G. Ungerleider, chief of the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition at the National Institute of Mental Health.

20 May 2013

Research: Women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status

New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.

18 May 2013

Innovative X-ray method advances new treatments for genetic diseases

An international team of scientists using a new X-ray method recorded the internal structure and cell movement inside a living frog embryo in greater detail than ever before.

18 May 2013

Study: VEGF inhibitor appears to improve glaucoma surgical outcomes

The most common cause of failure after glaucoma surgery is scarring at the surgical site, so researchers are actively looking for ways to minimize or prevent scar formation. Previous work had suggested that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) activates fibrosis, whereas VEGF inhibition results in reduced scar formation and better surgical results.

18 May 2013

LGBT Health journal presents in-depth perspective on gender diagnoses

LGBT Health, a new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, launching in fall 2013, presents a timely and in-depth perspective on several key controversies surrounding gender diagnoses.

18 May 2013

RUCDR Infinite Biologics creates new Genomics Technology Center

RUCDR Infinite Biologics, the world's largest university-based biorepository, has completed an $11.8 million renovation project to create a new Genomics Technology Center, comprising 12,500 square feet of laboratory, office, and storage space on the Busch Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

18 May 2013

Authors urge importance of patients' rights in genome sequencing

Informed consent is the backbone of patient care. Genetic testing has long required patient consent and patients have had a "right not to know" the results. However, as 21st century medicine now begins to use the tools of genome sequencing, an enormous debate has erupted over whether patients' rights will continue in an era of medical genomics.

18 May 2013

Spontaneous brain activity in amygdala higher among combat veterans with PTSD

Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or under-react in response to stressful tasks, such as recalling a traumatic event or reacting to a photo of a threatening face.

18 May 2013

Transcranial random noise stimulation allows the brain to work more efficiently, say researchers

In the future, if you want to improve your ability to manipulate numbers in your head, you might just plug yourself in. So say researchers who report in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 16 on studies of a harmless form of brain stimulation applied to an area known to be important for math ability.

18 May 2013

AGA announces new grant to study relationship between gut microbiota, digestive disease

The AGA Research Foundation announced a new grant that intends to stimulate research into the relationship between the gut microbiota, one of today's most exciting areas of science, and digestive health and disease.

18 May 2013

Research findings could lead to new therapies for stroke and other brain diseases

Scientists investigating the interaction of a group of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve cells from damage have identified a new target that could increase cell survival.

18 May 2013