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Diet sodas and artificial sweeteners may not be healthy alternatives

In the constant battle to lose inches or at least stay the same, we reach for the diet soda. Two studies presented June 25 and 27 at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in San Diego suggest this might be self-defeating behavior.

29 Jun 2011

Impulsivity linked to superstitions in pathological gamblers

Research led by the University of Cambridge has found a link between impulsivity and flawed reasoning (such as believing in superstitious rituals and luck) in problem gamblers.

29 Jun 2011

Rodent olfaction and the chemistry of instinct

The mechanics of instinctive behavior are mysterious. Even something as simple as the question of how a mouse can use its powerful sense of smell to detect and evade predators, including species it has never met before, has been almost totally unknown at the molecular level until now.

29 Jun 2011

Prototype small molecule drugs could suppress hepatitis C

Targeted multi-drug treatments for hepatitis C patients that could stop the virus in its tracks have come a step closer, thanks to researchers at the University of Leeds, UK.

29 Jun 2011

Combination therapies inhibiting P7 could prevent spread of HCV

British researchers have identified specific resistance mutations for two classes of p7 inhibitor, which may explain their lack of effectiveness in clinical trials combined with current standard of care.

29 Jun 2011

Researchers discover herpes virus-associated disease in monkeys

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a naturally occurring disease in monkeys that is very much like multiple sclerosis in humans - a discovery that could have a major impact on efforts to understand the cause of multiple sclerosis.

29 Jun 2011

Nuvilex to continue development of acquired live-cell encapsulation technology

Nuvilex, Inc. announced its plans to continue development of the live-cell encapsulation technology obtained with its recent acquisition of SG Austria, to carry out the pancreatic cancer clinical trial, to maintain and expand customers utilizing the encapsulation technology, and to establish itself as an active participant in the stem cell arena. The stem cell market was estimated to be $21.5 billion globally in 2010 and is forecast to reach $63.8 billion by 2015.

29 Jun 2011

GABA corrects both known causes of Type 1 diabetes

A chemical produced by the same cells that make insulin in the pancreas prevented and even reversed Type 1 diabetes in mice, researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found.

29 Jun 2011

New concepts for how evolutionary change occurs

At a recent Kavli Futures Symposium, 19 experts from a diverse range of fields discussed the promise of using the lab to understand and exploit the evolution of organisms -- progress that may one day lead to new vaccines or other biotechnology products.

29 Jun 2011

Physical activity can positively affect cells in intervertebral discs

Physical exercise has a positive effect on the formation of cells in the intervertebral discs. This is shown by a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), which is currently taking place in Gothenburg.

29 Jun 2011

Genetic tools that enable cell type-specific delivery hold promise for combating incurable neurologic diseases

Novel tools and methods for delivering therapeutic genes to cells in the central nervous system hold great promise for the development of new treatments to combat incurable neurologic diseases. Five of the most exciting developments in this rapidly advancing field are presented in a series of articles in the June issue of Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..

29 Jun 2011

Insufficient sleep can reduce benefit of hormones released during sleep

Nearly half of all Americans reported having difficulty sleeping. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that about 35% of people surveyed in 12 states said they slept less than 7 hours a night on average.

29 Jun 2011

New insights into 'sundowning' syndrome

New research provides the best evidence to date that the late-day anxiety and agitation sometimes seen in older institutionalized adults, especially those with dementia, has a biological basis in the brain.

28 Jun 2011

454 Life Sciences launches new GS FLX+ System for high-throughput sequencing

454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, announced today the launch and immediate availability of the new GS FLX+ System, an instrument capable of generating extra-long sequencing reads up to 1,000 by in length.

28 Jun 2011

AMRI, Proteros ink new partnership

AMRI and Proteros Biostructures GmbH announced today that they have signed an agreement for a joint offering to the life sciences industry. Proteros, an expert in the field of protein crystallization and X-ray structural analysis, provides services that complement AMRI's existing drug discovery capabilities in chemistry, in vitro biology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics services.

28 Jun 2011

Federal Ministry of Health supports radionuclide production at Research Neutron Source

The German Federal Ministry of Health has awarded more than one million euros in research and development funding for the efficient production of an important cancer diagnostic agent at the research neutron source FRM II. In a 2009 feasibility study, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen demonstrated that due to the high neutron flux the neutron source in Garching can produce about half of the European demand of the radioisotope molybdenum-99.

28 Jun 2011

Protein c-JUN protects both tumour accelerating gene and tumour suppressor gene

The process of cell division is tightly regulated, as mistakes may lead to cancer. The so-called c-JUN protein has been fingered as causing tumours in both skin and liver. It has long been known to have a direct role in reducing the expression of a gene (p53) that leads to the death of abnormal cells and to activate transcription of a further gene (CyclinD1) that directly promotes cell division.

28 Jun 2011

Inefficiency of activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase is good for the immune system

Why is antibody diversity important? Think about it like this, said Myron Goodman, who is an author on the paper: "Why don't you die when I sneeze? It's because you have a powerful immune system. And the way to get a decent immune system is for your body to have a way to respond to insults it has never seen before."

28 Jun 2011

RCSI researchers identify novel drug target for osteomyeltitis

New research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has identified a novel drug target for the treatment of infection in bone.

28 Jun 2011

Three research organisations to support open-access journal for biomedical, life sciences

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society and the Wellcome Trust announced today that they are to support a new, top-tier, open access journal for biomedical and life sciences research.

28 Jun 2011