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New VAAST software tool can identify disease-causing mutations in rare genetic disorders

Harnessing the new generation of rapid, highly accurate gene-sequencing techniques, a research team has identified the disease-causing mutation in a newly characterized rare genetic disease, by analyzing DNA from just a few individuals.

24 Jun 2011

Lithium can prevent aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss linked with Parkinson's

Lithium profoundly prevents the aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in a mouse model of the condition.

24 Jun 2011

Researchers identify novel viral sensor complex

Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival.

24 Jun 2011

Ketogenic diet reduces seizures in mice through adenosine A1 receptors

Some individuals with epilepsy fail to respond to treatment with conventional drugs but benefit from consuming a ketogenic diet - a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet similar to the more commonly known Atkins diet.

24 Jun 2011

New research helps explain how memories are stored at synapses

Have a tough time remembering where you put your keys, learning a new language or recalling names at a cocktail party? New research from the Lisman Laboratory at Brandeis University points to a molecule that is central to the process by which memories are stored in the brain. A paper published in the June 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience describes the new findings.

24 Jun 2011

ITG researchers uncover unexpected sex between two different parasites

What we anxiously fear in the influenza virus - a cross between two strains, resulting in a new variant we have no resistance against - has occurred in another pathogen, the Leishmania parasite. This was uncovered by researchers of the Institute of Tropical Medicine.

24 Jun 2011

Hunger hormone likely to cause stress-linked complex eating behaviors

We are one step closer to deciphering why some stressed people indulge in chocolate, mashed potatoes, ice cream and other high-calorie, high-fat comfort foods. UT Southwestern Medical Center-led findings, in a mouse study, suggest that ghrelin - the so-called "hunger hormone" - is involved in triggering this reaction to high stress situations.

24 Jun 2011

Idera presents IMO-3100 data on preclinical model of arthritis at FOCIS 2011

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the presentation of IMO-3100 mechanism of action data in a preclinical model of arthritis.

24 Jun 2011

CBMi creates iPad app for exploring human genomic information

Navigating the human genome with software that you can view on an iPad® sounds pretty impressive, until perhaps you reflect that nature has already encoded trillions of copies of this in your chromosomes. Then again, printing that data using ink and paper would produce a mind-staggering pile of pages—so viewing it on an iPad® may be impressive after all.

24 Jun 2011

Copenhagen chemist reveals mechanism behind deadly infections

Anthrax, septicemia and meningitis are some of the planet's most deadly infections. In part because doctors lack basic insights to prevent and cure diseases caused by so called Gram-positive bacteria. Now, a chemist from the University of Copenhagen has revealed the mechanism behind these deadly infections.

24 Jun 2011

Potential new approach for treating myelofibrosis

A new study conducted by a team of researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) sheds light on a possible new approach to treat the bone marrow disease known as myelofibrosis by inhibiting an enzyme that connects extracellular fibers.

24 Jun 2011

Scientists discover sleep switch in fruit fly's brain

Rather than count sheep, drink warm milk or listen to soothing music, many insomniacs probably wish for a switch they could flick to put themselves to sleep.

24 Jun 2011

Researchers discover new mechanism for origin of Barrett's esophagus

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism for the origin of Barrett's esophagus, an intestine-like growth in the esophagus that is triggered by chronic acid reflux and often progresses to esophageal cancer.

24 Jun 2011

Majority of cancers are due to epigenetic influences

Dr. Ajay Goel, Ph.D., Director of Epigenetics and Cancer Prevention at the Gastrointestinal Research Center at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX, has announced plans for a series of upcoming studies to continue to unlock the mechanisms by which curcumin prevents cancer via its influence on epigenetic activity.

23 Jun 2011

New proteomics-based approach to analyze bone quality

A new technique developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute allows researchers to collect large amounts of biochemical information from nanoscale bone samples.

23 Jun 2011

Resveratrol may make old age more tolerable, but not prevent it

A University of Florida review of research finds the polyphenol compound known as resveratrol found in red wine, grapes and other fruits may not prevent old age, but it might make it more tolerable.

23 Jun 2011

GUMC neuroscientists: Speech perception must have evolved from animals

Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have defined, for the first time, three different processing stages that a human brain needs to identify sounds such as speech - and discovered that they are the same as ones identified in non-human primates.

23 Jun 2011

Fat substituted snack foods may contribute to weight gain

Fat substitutes used in popular snack foods to help people control weight may have the opposite effect, according to Purdue University research.

23 Jun 2011

Insights into type I diabetes

A new signal pathway that renders the insulin-releasing beta cell more sensitive to high levels of blood glucose has been discovered by researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. A second new study reveals a possible way to delay the disease by inhibiting a lipoprotein.

23 Jun 2011

SNP identification may help predict patients’ susceptibility to postoperative nausea and vomiting

There are several anesthetic complications that may have a hereditary background, including postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Past observations have shown PONV to occur in blood relatives as far back as two to three generations.

23 Jun 2011