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Study finds common gene variant in African Americans increases risk of kidney disease

In African Americans with kidney disease related to hypertension (high blood pressure), a common gene variant is associated with a sharply increased risk of progressive kidney disease, according to a study presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition. End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) associated with hypertension occurs in the African American population at a rate 13.1 times greater than that of their white counterparts.

22 Nov 2010

Research indicates possible danger of cancerous tissue development by using stem cells

Research work carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem arouses a cautionary warning in the growing field of the development of stem cells as a means for future treatment of patients through replacement of diseased or damaged tissues by using the patient's own stem cells. The research indicates a possible danger of cancerous tissue development in the use of such cells.

22 Nov 2010

SHARP study shows cholesterol-lowering effective for patients with kidney disease

Around a quarter of all heart attacks, strokes, and operations to open blocked arteries could be avoided in people with chronic kidney disease by using the combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin to lower blood cholesterol levels. That's the conclusion from the world's largest ever randomized trial in kidney disease.

22 Nov 2010

Researchers discover common genetic variants influence early puberty, body fat

Researchers at King's College London's Department of Twin Research have discovered, as part of a large international consortium, 30 new genes that control the age of sexual maturation in women, the Journal Nature Genetics publishes today.

22 Nov 2010

Researchers reconstitute first step of break repair in cancerous cells

What prompts normal cells to transform themselves into cancerous cells. Researchers from Texas institutions, including the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, have identified factors in the very first step of the process and reconstituted this first step in the test tube. The latter accomplishment was reported Sunday [Nov. 21] in the top-tier journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

22 Nov 2010

Inexpensive intervention helps patients with hypertension-associated kidney disease

In patients with kidney disease, the Western diet produces an acidic environment in the body that has numerous negative effects and worsens with age as kidney function declines.

21 Nov 2010

Presence of albumin in urine predicts cognitive decline: Study

A new study has found that low amounts of albumin in the urine, at levels not traditionally considered clinically significant, strongly predict faster cognitive decline in older women.

21 Nov 2010

German researchers use binocular rivalry to interpret mechanism of brain functions

Researchers around Andreas Bartels at the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN) and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany used this phenomenon to decipher a key mechanism of the brain functions that contributes to conscious visual perception.

20 Nov 2010

CSU invents artificial body parts that look, feel, behave, and bleed like real skin, muscles and vessels

In the last 50 years, modern medicine has made astounding advances in surgery, yet many of today's veterinary and human medicine students still hone basic surgical and suturing skills on carpet pads and pig's feet before transitioning to a live patient. An invention by Colorado State University veterinarians provides students with artificial body parts that look, feel, behave, and even bleed just like real skin, muscles and vessels.

20 Nov 2010

K.U.Leuven researchers receive ERC Advanced Grants

K.U.Leuven researchers Peter Carmeliet and Bart De Strooper have both been awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council. ERC Advanced Grants are the most prestigious European research grants, spanning a period of 5 years. Peter Carmeliet of the VIB Vesalius Research Centre, K.U.Leuven, will receive approximately 2.5 million euro for research focused on stopping the energy supply into blood vessels.

20 Nov 2010

Genetic differences impact winter vitamin D status

Vitamin D is somewhat of an unusual "vitamin," because it can be made in the body from sunlight and most foods do not contain vitamin D unless added by fortification. Synthesis of vitamin D in the body requires exposure to ultraviolet light and can be influenced by genetics, skin color, and sun exposure.

20 Nov 2010

Scientists discover Notch pathway may play a role in alcohol's protective effects

Many studies support the assertion that moderate drinking is beneficial when it comes to cardiovascular health, and for the first time scientists have discovered that a well-known molecule, called Notch, may be behind alcohol's protective effects. Down the road, this finding could help scientists create a new treatment for heart disease that mimics the beneficial influence of modest alcohol consumption.

20 Nov 2010

Study sheds light on poorly understood aspect of interaction of HIV with natural killer cells

Natural killer cells are major weapons in the body's immune system. They keep the body healthy by knocking off tumors and cells infected with viruses, bombarding them with tiny lethal pellets. But natural killer cells are powerless against HIV, a fact that has bedeviled science for over 20 years.

20 Nov 2010

Study refocuses on rare group of neutralizing antibodies against HIV

Although people infected with HIV produce many antibodies against the protein encapsulating the virus, most of these antibodies are strangely ineffective at fighting the disease. A new study suggests why some of the most common of these antibodies don't work: they target the protein in a form it takes after the virus has already invaded the cell, when it's too late, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues.

20 Nov 2010

New I-SPY 2 study to evaluate effectiveness of medical treatment for breast cancer

A clinical trial that aims to speed up the study of new treatments for certain subtypes of breast cancer now has a designated study site at the Diane O'Connor Thompson Breast Center at the University of Colorado Hospital.

20 Nov 2010

Scientists identify gene variants associated with eating disorder

Scientists at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have identified both common and rare gene variants associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.

20 Nov 2010

Abnormal levels of circulating auto-antibodies found in blood of COPD patients

Moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be an auto-immunity problem, according to researchers in Spain, who studied the presence of auto-antibodies in patients with COPD and compared them to levels of control subjects. They found that a significant number of patients with COPD had significant levels of auto-antibodies circulating in their blood, about 5 to 10 times the level in controls.

20 Nov 2010

Scientist suggests functional amino acids play a critical role in human health

Functional amino acids play a critical role in the development of both animals and humans, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

20 Nov 2010

High CRP and low protein albumin levels associated with increased risk of death after PEG-operations

The combination of high CRP and low levels of the protein albumin in the blood, is associated with an increased risk of death after a PEG-operation; implantation of a nutritional catheter into the stomach through the abdominal wall. This was shown in a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet, published in the scientific journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Of the PEG patients in the study that showed both current indicators, 20 percent died within 30 days.

20 Nov 2010

UH physicists study workings of PGK enzyme that may cause Alzheimer's, cancer

University of Houston physicists are using complex computer simulations to illuminate the workings of a crucial protein that, when malfunctioning, may cause Alzheimer's and cancer.

20 Nov 2010

Medical Science News

Study finds common gene variant in African Americans increases risk of kidney disease

Research indicates possible danger of cancerous tissue development by using stem cells

SHARP study shows cholesterol-lowering effective for patients with kidney disease

Researchers discover common genetic variants influence early puberty, body fat

Researchers reconstitute first step of break repair in cancerous cells

Inexpensive intervention helps patients with hypertension-associated kidney disease

Presence of albumin in urine predicts cognitive decline: Study

German researchers use binocular rivalry to interpret mechanism of brain functions

CSU invents artificial body parts that look, feel, behave, and bleed like real skin, muscles and vessels

K.U.Leuven researchers receive ERC Advanced Grants

Genetic differences impact winter vitamin D status

Scientists discover Notch pathway may play a role in alcohol's protective effects

Study sheds light on poorly understood aspect of interaction of HIV with natural killer cells

Study refocuses on rare group of neutralizing antibodies against HIV

New I-SPY 2 study to evaluate effectiveness of medical treatment for breast cancer

Scientists identify gene variants associated with eating disorder

Abnormal levels of circulating auto-antibodies found in blood of COPD patients

Scientist suggests functional amino acids play a critical role in human health

High CRP and low protein albumin levels associated with increased risk of death after PEG-operations

UH physicists study workings of PGK enzyme that may cause Alzheimer's, cancer

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

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