Medical Science News

RSS

Scientists investigate specific role of IT neurons in 3D perception

The incredible ability of our brain to create a three-dimensional (3D) representation from an object's two-dimensional projection on the retina is something that we may take for granted, but the process is not well understood and is likely to be highly complex. Now, new research published by Cell Press in the January 12 issue of the journal Neuron provides the first direct evidence that specific brain areas underlie perception of different 3D structures and sheds light the way that the primate brain reconstructs real-world objects.

11 Jan 2012

Research into ground-breaking treatment for bowel cancer

Research into a ground-breaking treatment for bowel cancer at Queen's University Belfast has received a massive funding boost from Cancer Research UK.

11 Jan 2012

Researchers study fusion plasmas to understand fast dynamics of networks in the human brain

Fusion plasma researchers at the University of Warwick have teamed up with Cambridge neuroscientists to apply their expertise developed to study inaccessible fusion plasmas in order to significantly improve the understanding of the data obtained from non-invasive study of the fast dynamics of networks in the human brain.

11 Jan 2012

Researchers analyze microorganisms in human gut as a complex, integrated biological system

For the first time, researchers have analyzed the multitude of microorganisms residing in the human gut as a complex, integrated biological system, rather than a set of separate species. Their approach has revealed patterns that correspond with excess body weight.

11 Jan 2012

Findings on cell working could lead to test and therapy for kidney failure caused by E. coli

New findings by St. Michael's researchers about the way cells work could lead to a test and therapy for kidney failure caused by E. coli

11 Jan 2012

Chemical preservative in cosmetics can interrupt neurological development

Scientists, health officials, and manufacturers already know that a chemical preservative found in some products, including cosmetics, is harmful to people and animals in high concentrations, but a new Brown University study in tadpoles reports that it can also interrupt neurological development even in very low concentrations.

11 Jan 2012

Novel nanosensors can lead to fewer experiments on animals

Countless mice, rats and rabbits die every year in the name of science - and the situation is getting worse. While German laboratories used some 2.41 million animals for scientific research in 2005, by 2009 this number had grown to 2.79 million. One third were destined for fundamental biology research, and the majority were used for researching diseases and developing medical compounds and devices.

11 Jan 2012

Inhibiting glutaminase can curb growth of B cell cancers

Cancer cells have been long known to have a "sweet tooth," using vast amounts of glucose for energy and for building blocks for cell replication.

11 Jan 2012

Intestinal worm infections may not be bad

Intestinal worm infections may not be all bad, according to a new study by William C. Gause, PhD, and colleagues at UMDNJ- New Jersey Medical School. The researchers have found cytokines that help oust intestinal worm infections in mice also soothe associated lung injury and inflammation.

11 Jan 2012

Experts recommend vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women

A group of experts has prepared a report on vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women after it was revealed that Europeans have suffered an alarming decrease in their levels of this vitamin. In their opinion, the ideal would be to maintain blood levels above 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D is essential to the immune system and processes such as calcium absorption.

11 Jan 2012

Erlotinib better for treatment of non-small cell lung cancers

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that DNA changes in a gene that drives the growth of a form of lung cancer can make the cancer's cells resistant to cancer drugs.

11 Jan 2012

Human health depends on mosquito's immune response to pathogens

As mosquito-borne viral diseases like West Nile fever, dengue fever, and chikungunya fever spread rapidly around the globe, scientists at Virginia Tech are working to understand the mosquito's immune system and how the viral pathogens that cause these diseases are able to overcome it to be transmitted to human and animal hosts.

11 Jan 2012

Bladder cancer is one of the top 10 most common forms of cancer in the US

Bladder cancer, most frequently caused by smoking and exposure to carcinogens in the workplace, is one of the top 10 most common forms of cancer in men and women in the U.S. More than 70 percent of bladder cancers are diagnosed in stage T1 or less and have not invaded the muscle layer.

11 Jan 2012

Inherited breast and ovarian cancer drug trial re-launched in tablet form

Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office has re-launched a trial of a promising drug to treat inherited breast and ovarian cancer - but this time taken as a tablet by outpatients.

11 Jan 2012

Disruption of circadian rhythms cause accelerated neurodegeneration and premature death

New research at Oregon State University provides evidence for the first time that disruption of circadian rhythms - the biological "clocks" found in many animals - can clearly cause accelerated neurodegeneration, loss of motor function and premature death.

11 Jan 2012

New possibilities for effective treatment of psoriasis

Researchers at Link-ping University in Sweden are now launching a plan to effectively treat psoriasis.

11 Jan 2012

Study examines impact of maternal obesity on inflammatory responses

A number of different immunological mechanisms ensure the successful establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Imbalance in these mechanisms is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

11 Jan 2012

Research identifies several new means to potentially target cancer

Scientists at the University of Leicester have opened up a whole new approach to the therapeutic intervention for a family of anti-cancer drug targets, thanks to a completely new and unexpected finding.

11 Jan 2012

Foundation Medicine, Sanofi enter strategic collaboration for cancer genome analysis

Foundation Medicine, Inc., a molecular information company that brings comprehensive cancer genome analysis to routine clinical care, today announced the initiation of a strategic collaboration with Sanofi.

11 Jan 2012

UCLA researchers identify chemical changes in brains of patients with early-onset Alzheimer's

With a lack of effective treatments for Alzheimer's, most of us would think long and hard about whether we wanted to know years in advance if we were genetically predisposed to develop the disease. For researchers, however, such knowledge is a window into Alzheimer's disease's evolution.

11 Jan 2012