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Animal study suggests antioxidants during pregnancy may prevent obesity in offspring

New biological research may be relevant to the effects of a mother's high-fat diet during pregnancy on the development of obesity in her children.

15 Mar 2011

Specific inflammatory factor may be responsible for aortic stenosis development

Research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that a specific inflammatory factor may be important in the development of the heart valve disease aortic stenosis. The results suggest that anti-inflammatory medication could be a possible new treatment.

15 Mar 2011

Scientists identify unique function of Twist1 in tumor metastasis

In the early stages of human embryogenesis, a transcription factor called Twist1 plays a key regulatory role in how the embryo assumes form and function. Much later in life, however, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, say Twist1 can re-emerge, taking a darker and more deadly turn.

15 Mar 2011

New findings help explain why toxoplasmosis causes serious disease

Providing clues into why the severity of a common parasitic infection can vary greatly from person to person, a new Johns Hopkins study shows that each one of three strains of the cat-borne parasite Toxoplasma gondii sets off a unique reaction in the nerve cells it invades.

15 Mar 2011

Researchers develop novel system to show how specific mutations can induce glioblastoma

Mutations in three pathways important for suppressing tumors cooperate to launch glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor that strikes children and adults. But new research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists shows those changes alone are not sufficient to cause cancer.

15 Mar 2011

Elevated p21 expression may block key steps in viral life cycle

Elevated levels of p21, a protein best known as a cancer fighter, may be involved in the ability of a few individuals to control HIV infection with their immune system alone.

15 Mar 2011

New insight into neurodegenerative disorders

Research into how the brain transmits messages to other parts of the body could improve understanding of disorders such as epilepsy, dementia, multiple sclerosis and stroke.

15 Mar 2011

Challenge Problems in mathematical cardiology

Did you know that heart attacks can give you mathematics? That statement appears on the web site of James Keener, who works in the mathematics of cardiology. This area has many problems that are ripe for unified attack by mathematicians, clinicians, and biomedical engineers.

15 Mar 2011

Study provides insight into why older adults are so vulnerable to pneumonia

A study featured on the cover of the March 15 Journal of Immunology is providing insight into why the elderly are so vulnerable to pneumonia and other bacterial infections.

15 Mar 2011

New research: Fzd9 receptor can stimulate bone formation

New research shows that the Wnt receptor Frizzled-9 promotes bone formation, providing a potential new target for the treatment of osteoporosis. The study appears online on March 14 in The Journal of Cell Biology.

15 Mar 2011

New study: Two peptide agent combination might block tumor growth

A new study suggests that combining two experimental anticancer peptide agents might simultaneously block formation of new tumor blood vessels while also inhibiting the growth of tumor cells.

15 Mar 2011

Scientists identify strategy for targeted molecular therapy in liver cancer

In a research study appearing in the journal Cancer Cell on March 14, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and four other institutions have identified a strategy for targeted molecular therapy in liver cancer, which currently has limited treatment options and one of the worst one-year survival rates of any cancer type.

15 Mar 2011

New findings may open doors for vaccine development against HIV, tuberculosis

Alum is an adjuvant used in many common vaccines, and Canadian researchers have now discovered how it works. The research by scientists from the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine is published in the March 13 online edition of Nature Medicine.

15 Mar 2011

New animal model helps define molecular processes that lead to PA

Pilocytic astrocytoma is the most common pediatric brain tumor, and there are few medical therapies available to those patients for whom surgery is not curative.

15 Mar 2011

New research may shed light on possible treatments for prion diseases

New research by Chongsuk Ryou, researcher at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in the UK College of Medicine, may shed light on possible treatments for prion diseases.

15 Mar 2011

Nanoscale whiskers could hold key to creating working human muscle tissue

Minute whiskers of nanoscale dimensions taken from sea creatures could hold the key to creating working human muscle tissue, University of Manchester researchers have discovered.

14 Mar 2011

Bonding with mom develops over first few weeks of life in rodent pups

For rodent pups, bonding with mom isn't hard-wired in the womb. It develops over the first few weeks of life, which is achieved by their maturing sense of smell, possibly allowing these mammals a survival advantage by learning to identify mother, siblings, and home.

14 Mar 2011

How male puberty begins

Scientists from Monash University have uncovered a new understanding of how male puberty begins.

14 Mar 2011

Majority of Americans fall short of vitamin D

Well-known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more – from normal muscle function to a healthy immune system. Yet despite the growing research on the power of vitamin D, seven out of 10 Americans still fall short of the recommended vitamin D in their diets each day, according to the recent Dietary Guidelines Committee Advisory report.

14 Mar 2011

Study provides insight into aging immune system

A study featured on the cover of the March 15 Journal of Immunology is providing insight into why the elderly are so vulnerable to pneumonia and other bacterial infections.

14 Mar 2011