Medical Science News

RSS

Scientists solve receptor structure that responds to neurotransmitter dopamine

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has solved the structure of one of the receptors that responds to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Although dopamine transmission is essential to normal brain functioning, the biological assembly of the molecules involved in this crucial neuronal interplay had not been known until now.

19 Nov 2010

Scientists discover bone matrix plays a vital role in tissue hardening

Scientists are reporting the first direct evidence that a subtle change in the physical properties of a tissue can affect its function. The finding has immediate implications for understanding several rare hearing disorders, they said, and ultimately could offer insight into such conditions as osteoporosis, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

19 Nov 2010

Alnylam presents data on RNAi technologies at MIT Center Summit

Alnylam Biotherapeutics, a division of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, presented new data at the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation's Biomanufacturing Summit from its platform efforts aimed at developing RNAi technologies for applications in biologics manufacturing.

19 Nov 2010

New findings show promising treatment for MS

Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

19 Nov 2010

Negative stereotype about women leads to gender differences in financial decision making

Last year Nicholas Kristof declared in his New York Times column what banks need to fix their problems: Not just a bailout, but also "women, women, and women." Women are generally thought to be less willing to take risks than men, so he speculated that the banks could balance out risky men by employing more women. Stereotypes like this about women actually influence how women make financial decisions, making them more wary of risk, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

18 Nov 2010

Neural differences may help explain prevalence of mental disorders in boys

Many mental health disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, produce changes in social behavior or interactions. The frequency and/or severity of these disorders is substantially greater in boys than girls, but the biological basis for this difference between the two sexes is unknown.

18 Nov 2010

Nanoparticles in everyday products can affect lungs: Study

Tiny particles used in a range of everyday products from computers to shampoo can adversely affect the lungs in very different ways, a study has shown.

18 Nov 2010

Spleen cells may do more harm than good at site of spinal cord injury

The spleen, an organ that helps the body fight infections, might also be a source of the cells that end up doing more harm than good at the site of a spinal cord injury, new research suggests.

18 Nov 2010

Pericyte cells become key players in shaping blood flow in the brain

Cells in the brain called pericytes that have not been high on the list of targets for treating diseases like Alzheimer's may play a more crucial role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases than has been realized.

18 Nov 2010

Study finds sfrp2 protein may play a role in accelerating heart muscle repair

Heart tissue and stem cells spring into action to begin repairing muscle damaged in a heart attack, and researchers at Duke University School of Medicine found that a protein naturally produced in the body may potentially play a role in accelerating heart muscle repair.

18 Nov 2010

Study finds association between personality, cognitive ability and neuroendocrinal dysfunction in exhaustion syndrome

Exhaustion syndrome, also called burnout and exhaustion depression, leaves objectively measurable changes in the brain including reduced activity in the frontal lobes and altered regulation of the stress hormone cortisol. This is shown in a new dissertation from Umeå University in Sweden.

18 Nov 2010

Researchers use brain images to identify neural signature of achieving 'positive emotional attractor'

Effective coaching can lead to smoothly functioning organizations, better productivity and potentially more profit. In classrooms, better student performance can occur. Doctors or nurses can connect more with patients. So, doing coaching right would seem to be a natural goal, and it has been a major topic of research at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management since 1990.

18 Nov 2010

Gene transfer reduces and stabilizes plaque and decreases inflammation

A plaque-fighting gene - studied in various forms by researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute for 18 years - has now been transferred intravenously to lab mice bred to model atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) in humans. Studies show the gene transfer reduced and stabilized plaque and decreased inflammation, key factors in cutting the risk of heart disease.

18 Nov 2010

New findings identify Sortilin as a potential therapeutic site to alter PGRN pathology in dementia

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) refers to a group of disorders associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Symptoms include dementia, aphasia, and semantic disorders.

18 Nov 2010

Dim light at night linked to depression

Exposure to even dim light at night is enough to cause physical changes in the brains of hamsters that may be associated with depression, a new study shows.

18 Nov 2010

Anti-cancer drug smuggled using a nanocarrier past protective blood-brain barrier into brain tumours

Scientists in Germany have developed a way of smuggling an anti-cancer drug past the protective blood-brain barrier and into brain tumours and metastases using a nanocarrier - a tiny capsule specially designed to pass through cell membranes and deliver its anti-cancer drug to the cancer cell.

18 Nov 2010

Alnylam comments on Roche's corporate restructuring for RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a leading RNAi therapeutics company, commented today on Roche's corporate restructuring and its implications on RNAi therapeutics.

18 Nov 2010

Naurex's antidepressant shares efficacy mechanisms with NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine

Naurex Inc., a company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today reported that data presented at Neuroscience 2010 show that GLYX-13, its clinical-stage candidate for the treatment of depression, shares key mechanistic features associated with the antidepressant efficacy of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine.

18 Nov 2010

Study reveals introspection anchored in specific part of brain

A new study reveals that 'introspection' (thinking about our own thoughts or behaviour) is anchored in a specific part of our brain. The research by scientists from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) examined people's accuracy when reflecting on decisions they had made.

18 Nov 2010

State-of-the-art imaging system helps locate and count myriad connections between brain nerve cells

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, applying a state-of-the-art imaging system to brain-tissue samples from mice, have been able to quickly and accurately locate and count the myriad connections between nerve cells in unprecedented detail, as well as to capture and catalog those connections' surprising variety.

18 Nov 2010