Medical Science News

RSS

Robotics and machine-brain interface may benefit paraplegics

A ballet dancer grasps her partner's hand to connect for a pas de deux. Later that night, in the dark, she reaches for her calf to massage a sore spot. Her brain is using different "maps" to plan for each of these movements, according to a new study at UC Santa Barbara.

4 Dec 2010

Closer to restoring vision loss due to optic nerve damage

Damage to the optic nerve, connecting the eye with the brain, is a major cause of blindness. The most common culprit is glaucoma, estimated to affect more than 4 million Americans. There is currently no way to restore the lost vision, because the optic nerve, like other nerves in the mature central nervous system (CNS), cannot regenerate. Now, scientists at Children's Hospital Boston report achieving the greatest regeneration to date in the mammalian optic nerve.

4 Dec 2010

Music benefits patients on mechanical ventilation

The benefits of listening to music for patients on mechanical ventilation was revealed in a systematic review by a team of Cochrane researchers led by Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions associate professor Dr. Joke Bradt. The review found that listening to music may relax patients and potentially result in fewer complications.

4 Dec 2010

Chaperone protein study could lead to effective therapies for Alzheimer's, neurological disorders

Dynamic regulation of the chaperone protein Hsp27 was required to get rid of abnormally accumulating tau in the brains of mice genetically modified to develop the memory-choking tau tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease, a University of South Florida-led study found.

4 Dec 2010

Researchers decipher mechanism responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth

The Groningen professors Bauke Dijkstra and Lubbert Dijkhuizen have deciphered the structure and functional mechanism of the glucansucrase enzyme that is responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth. This knowledge will stimulate the identification of substances that inhibit the enzyme. Just add that substance to toothpaste, or even sweets, and caries will be a thing of the past. The results of the research have been published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

4 Dec 2010

EHSI announces acquisition of Rotary Cell Culture System

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. announced today that it has acquired a Rotary Cell Culture System, or bioreactor, developed using revolutionary NASA research in the field of microgravity.

4 Dec 2010

New clues into mechanisms underlying antiphospholipid syndrome

Thanks to findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers, individuals with a potentially life-threatening condition predisposing them to blood clots, or thrombosis, might someday receive therapy to prevent the condition.

4 Dec 2010

Exposure to nicotine during pregnancy may cause learning disabilities in children: Research

Exposure to nicotine during pregnancy leads to a decrease in adult stem cells and a change in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of the offspring, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego in November.

4 Dec 2010

Gene mutation can lead to different mental illnesses when influenced by same environmental factor

Male mice born with a genetic mutation that's believed to make humans more susceptible to schizophrenia develop behaviors that mimic other major psychiatric illnesses when their mothers are exposed to an assault to the immune system while pregnant, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

4 Dec 2010

Alteration in gene causes male embryos to develop as females

Scientists have discovered that the alteration of a single gene could cause some male embryos to develop as females.

4 Dec 2010

Research findings could provide breakthrough for development of effective therapies for NSCLC

Research at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center led by Charles E. Chalfant, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular Biology, discovered a previously unknown mechanism in non-small cell lung cancer cells that contributes to their ability to maintain and grow tumors. Narrowing in on this mechanism could provide a breakthrough for the development of effective therapies for NSCLC and other cancers.

4 Dec 2010

SuperGen to present SGI-110 data for MDS, AML at ASH annual meeting

SuperGen, Inc. today announced that a summary of preclinical efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics data of SGI-110 will be presented at the American Society of Hematology in Orlando on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 5:30 pm ET.

3 Dec 2010

Does saturated fat contribute to development of heart disease?

For over three decades, saturated fat has been accused of significantly contributing to the development of heart disease. However, more and more studies suggest this theory to be false.

3 Dec 2010

Progress in developing new pig breeds with a desirable combination of both leanness and flavor

Perhaps you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but scientists are reporting progress in pulling off the same trick with the notoriously bland flavor of pork. They are reporting new insights into the biochemical differences in the meat of an Italian swine renowned for its good flavor since the ancient Roman Empire and the modern "Large White" or Yorkshire hog, whose roots date back barely 125 years. Their study appears in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research.

3 Dec 2010

Exposure to polluted air leads to accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, according to new research.

3 Dec 2010

Appropriate approach to death is key to children's health and personality

People with a university degree fear death less than those at a lower literacy level. In addition, fear of death is most common among women than men, which affects their children's perception of death. In fact, 76% of children that report fear of death is due to their mothers avoiding the topic. Additionally, more of these children fear early death and adopt unsuitable approaches when it comes to deal with death.

3 Dec 2010

New book on managing worry, anxiety and fear

Americans' danger detectors are cranked up way too high these days, but we don't have to be held hostage by our anxiety, according to a new book on coping with stress by a Northwestern Medicine psychologist.

3 Dec 2010

3M announces availability of TLR compounds for nonvaccine use in pharmaceutical industry

3M announces the availability of immune response modifier compounds for nonvaccine use in the pharmaceutical industry. The toll-like receptor (TLR) compounds, that activate through TLR7 and TLR8, show promise for the treatment of conditions including cancer, dermatologic diseases and atopic diseases, such as allergy and asthma.

3 Dec 2010

Scripps scientists find way to transform mature human cells into stem cells

Scripps Research Institute scientists have made a significant leap forward in the drive to find a way to safely reprogram mature human cells and turn them into stem cells, which can then change into other cell types, such as nerve, heart, and liver cells. The ability to transform fully mature adult cells such as skin cells into stem cells has potentially profound implications for treating many diseases.

3 Dec 2010

UCLA findings could lead to enhanced health supplements, progress on Parkinson's

The discovery by UCLA biochemists of a new method for preventing oxidation in the essential fatty acids of cell membranes could lead to a new class of more effective nutritional supplements and potentially help combat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and perhaps Alzheimer's.

3 Dec 2010

Medical Science News

Robotics and machine-brain interface may benefit paraplegics

Closer to restoring vision loss due to optic nerve damage

Music benefits patients on mechanical ventilation

Chaperone protein study could lead to effective therapies for Alzheimer's, neurological disorders

Researchers decipher mechanism responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth

EHSI announces acquisition of Rotary Cell Culture System

New clues into mechanisms underlying antiphospholipid syndrome

Exposure to nicotine during pregnancy may cause learning disabilities in children: Research

Gene mutation can lead to different mental illnesses when influenced by same environmental factor

Alteration in gene causes male embryos to develop as females

Research findings could provide breakthrough for development of effective therapies for NSCLC

SuperGen to present SGI-110 data for MDS, AML at ASH annual meeting

Does saturated fat contribute to development of heart disease?

Progress in developing new pig breeds with a desirable combination of both leanness and flavor

Exposure to polluted air leads to accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Appropriate approach to death is key to children's health and personality

New book on managing worry, anxiety and fear

3M announces availability of TLR compounds for nonvaccine use in pharmaceutical industry

Scripps scientists find way to transform mature human cells into stem cells

UCLA findings could lead to enhanced health supplements, progress on Parkinson's

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

Latest News