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Rapamycin improves function and extends survival in mice with DCM and rare muscular dystrophies

Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug used in a variety of disease indications and under study in aging research labs around the world, improved function and extended survival in mice suffering from a genetic mutation which leads to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and rare muscular dystrophies in humans.

26 Jul 2012

Vitamin B12 supplements and hepatitis C treatment: an interview with Gerardo Nardone and Alba Rocco

Since its discovery in 1989, hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been recognized as a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The most recent WHO estimate of the prevalence of HCV infection is 2%, representing . about 150 million people. Every year, 3–4 million new people are infected with the hepatitis C virus, of those, approximately 60–80% develop chronic hepatitis, and 30% of them progress to cirrhosis and to end-stage liver disease.

26 Jul 2012

Two Ottawa researchers take innovative approaches to improve virus-based cancer therapy

Two Ottawa researchers are taking innovative approaches to improving virus-based cancer therapy with new funding from the Canadian Cancer Society.

26 Jul 2012

ZOLOFT holds promise against cryptococcal meningitis

New research conducted by biologists at Texas A&M University suggests that ZOLOFT, one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world, also packs a potential preventative bonus - potent mechanisms capable of inhibiting deadly fungal infections.

26 Jul 2012

Molecular explanation for increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in malnutrition

More than one billion people in poor countries are starving, and malnutrition remains a major problem even in rich countries, making it a leading cause of death in the world. For over a hundred years, doctors have known that a lack of protein in the diet or low levels of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, can lead to symptoms like diarrhoea, inflamed intestines and other immune system disorders, which weaken the body and can be fatal. However, the molecular mechanism which explains how malnutrition causes such severe symptoms has been largely unexplored.

26 Jul 2012

AAQ chemical temporarily restores vision in blind mice

A team of University of California, Berkeley, scientists in collaboration with researchers at the University of Munich and University of Washington in Seattle has discovered a chemical that temporarily restores some vision to blind mice, and is working on an improved compound that may someday allow people with degenerative blindness to see again.

26 Jul 2012

Combination of two stress hormones shuts down brain activity for goal-directed behaviour

Cognition psychologists at the Ruhr-Universit-t together with colleagues from the University Hospital Bergmannsheil (Prof. Dr. Martin Tegenthoff) have discovered why stressed persons are more likely to lapse back into habits than to behave goal-directed. The team of PD Dr. Lars Schwabe and Prof. Dr. Oliver Wolf from the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have mimicked a stress situation in the body using drugs.

26 Jul 2012

AHAF announces glaucoma and macular degeneration research grants

The American Health Assistance Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a history of funding breakthrough research on age-related vision diseases, announced today that it has awarded 21 new grants totaling $2.1 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world.

26 Jul 2012

Researchers discover new cause of congenital myopathy

University of Michigan researchers have discovered a new cause of congenital myopathy: a mutation in a previously uncharacterized gene, according to research published this month in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

26 Jul 2012

How an opportunistic fungal pathogen knows when to attack

The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans inconspicuously lives in our bodies until it senses that we are weak, when it quickly adapts to go on the offensive. The fungus, known for causing yeast and other minor infections, also causes a sometimes-fatal infection known as candidemia in immunocompromised patients. An in vivo study, published in mBio, demonstrates how C. albicans can distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy host and alter its physiology to attack.

25 Jul 2012

Cepheid launches new Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor test

Cepheid today announced the release of an updated Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor test, now incorporating lot-specific standardization using the WHO (World Health Organization) BCR-ABL standards.

25 Jul 2012

NIH grants aim at creating 3-D tissue chips to help identify drug safety signals

Seventeen National Institutes of Health grants are aimed at creating 3-D chips with living cells and tissues that accurately model the structure and function of human organs such as the lung, liver and heart. Once developed, these tissue chips will be tested with compounds known to be safe or toxic in humans to help identify the most reliable drug safety signals - ultimately advancing research to help predict the safety of potential drugs in a faster, more cost-effective way.

25 Jul 2012

MASL protein from plant's seeds may halt spread of melanoma

An international team of scientists led by Gary Goldberg, PhD, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM), has found that a protein from the seeds of a plant used for centuries in traditional medicines may be able to halt the spread of melanoma, a lethal form of skin cancer.

25 Jul 2012

Scientists use inactive, fat rats to study juvenile obesity

Childhood obesity has nearly tripled in the past three decades, and by 2009, 17 percent of those 2-19 years of age were classified as obese. If actions against childhood obesity do not take place it is likely that today's children could be the first generation in over a century to experience a decline in life expectancy due to the epidemic of childhood obesity which leads to complications in later life.

25 Jul 2012

Human neutrophil peptide 1 effectively prevents HIV entry into cells in multiple ways

Human defensins, aptly named antimicrobial peptides, are made in immune system cells and epithelial cells (such as skin cells and cells that line the gut). One of these peptides, human neutrophil peptide 1, under certain circumstances hinders HIV infection, but exactly how it works remains unclear.

25 Jul 2012

WASC accredits Cedars-Sinai PhD program in biomedical sciences and translational medicine

The Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine at Cedars-Sinai has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an affirmation that the PhD-awarding educational effort meets the most rigorous standards of higher learning.

25 Jul 2012

Rutgers cell biologist to receive Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Fewer than 100 researchers nationwide are chosen each year to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and this year Dr. Nihal Altan-Bonnet is one of the 96 to receive this honor.

25 Jul 2012

Study uncovers pathways by which yoga impacts biological processes

Six months ago, researchers at UCLA published a study that showed using a specific type of yoga to engage in a brief, simple daily meditation reduced the stress levels of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer's and dementia. Now they know why.

25 Jul 2012

Insights into link between fat-hoarding genes and ancient diet

Why do Native Americans experience high rates of diabetes? A common theory is that they possess fat-hoarding "thrifty genes" left over from their ancestors - genes that were required for survival during ancient cycles of feast and famine, but that now contribute to the disease in a modern world of more fatty and sugary diets.

25 Jul 2012

Researchers discover important link between sodium and calcium

The scientific community has always wanted to know why people who eat high-salt diets are prone to developing medical problems such as kidney stones and osteoporosis.

25 Jul 2012

Medical Science News

Rapamycin improves function and extends survival in mice with DCM and rare muscular dystrophies

Vitamin B12 supplements and hepatitis C treatment: an interview with Gerardo Nardone and Alba Rocco

Two Ottawa researchers take innovative approaches to improve virus-based cancer therapy

ZOLOFT holds promise against cryptococcal meningitis

Molecular explanation for increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in malnutrition

AAQ chemical temporarily restores vision in blind mice

Combination of two stress hormones shuts down brain activity for goal-directed behaviour

AHAF announces glaucoma and macular degeneration research grants

Researchers discover new cause of congenital myopathy

How an opportunistic fungal pathogen knows when to attack

Cepheid launches new Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor test

NIH grants aim at creating 3-D tissue chips to help identify drug safety signals

MASL protein from plant's seeds may halt spread of melanoma

Scientists use inactive, fat rats to study juvenile obesity

Human neutrophil peptide 1 effectively prevents HIV entry into cells in multiple ways

WASC accredits Cedars-Sinai PhD program in biomedical sciences and translational medicine

Rutgers cell biologist to receive Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Study uncovers pathways by which yoga impacts biological processes

Insights into link between fat-hoarding genes and ancient diet

Researchers discover important link between sodium and calcium

Innovating for impact: Jordi Labs on aligning methodologies with FDA expectation

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

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