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Moving quickly across slippery surfaces reduces chances of falling

Biomechanics researchers Timothy Higham of Clemson University and Andrew Clark of the College of Charleston conclude that moving quickly in a forward, firm-footed stance across a slippery surface is less likely to lead to a fall than if you move slowly. Approaching a slippery surface slowly hinders the necessary task of shifting the center of mass forward once foot contact is made.

25 Mar 2011

Experts to discuss on neuroscience of emotion-related disorders

Can feeling happy in older age weaken cognition? Is the prevailing drug treatment model for mood disorders the only option? Is chronic sleep deprivation behind the meltdowns we have at home and at work?

25 Mar 2011

Two new studies on post-traumatic stress disorder

Two related studies released by this week by Geisinger Health System researchers identify specific genetic risks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and help identify key psychosocial predictors that may lead to PTSD.

25 Mar 2011

Study finds eye movement difference in two different populations

The team, working with Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, investigated eye movements in Chinese and British people to further understanding of the brain mechanisms that control them and how they compare between different human populations.

25 Mar 2011

Scientists identify protein that plays a key role in cancer treatment resistance

Research led by Daitoku Sakamuro, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and the LSUHSC Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, has identified a protein that enables the activation of a DNA-repair enzyme that protects cancer cells from catastrophic damage caused by chemo and radiation therapy.

25 Mar 2011

Behavioural therapy may benefit children with Tourette syndrome

Children with Tourette syndrome could benefit from behavioural therapy to reduce their symptoms, according to a new brain imaging study.

25 Mar 2011

HCG hormone therapy may benefit patients with intractable pain

Results from a small study of intractable pain patients being treated with the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone reported that they had experienced pain free hours in the past month. These results were presented at a poster session at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 27th Annual Meeting.

25 Mar 2011

Study: High intake of omega-3 fats can help prevent obesity-related chronic diseases

A study of Yup'ik Eskimos in Alaska, who on average consume 20 times more omega-3 fats from fish than people in the lower 48 states, suggests that a high intake of these fats helps prevent obesity-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

25 Mar 2011

Study: Short telomeres may predispose people to age-related diabetes

New evidence has emerged from studies in mice that short telomeres or "caps" at the ends of chromosomes may predispose people to age-related diabetes, according to Johns Hopkins scientists.

25 Mar 2011

New findings may make morphine a safer, more effective drug for chronic pain control

An orphan drug originally used for HIV treatment has been found to short-circuit the process that results in additional sensitivity and pain from opioid use. The study by researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine is reported in the March 25, 2011 issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

25 Mar 2011

Study demonstrates bisphenol A effect on animal embryonic development

Bisphenol A, whose impact on reproduction and development is the subject of numerous studies, induces anomalies in the inner ear of embryos of certain vertebrates.

25 Mar 2011

Stemedica begins allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell Phase I/II trial in patients with ischemic stroke

Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc., a leader in adult allogeneic stem cell manufacturing, research and development, announced today that its specially formulated ischemic adult allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells have been successfully used to treat the first patient in an ischemic stroke study conducted at the University of California, San Diego.

25 Mar 2011

New discovery on fat metabolism in worms can lead to novel obesity treatment

Researchers exploring human metabolism at the University of California, San Francisco have uncovered a handful of chemical compounds that regulate fat storage in worms, offering a new tool for understanding obesity and finding future treatments for diseases associated with obesity.

25 Mar 2011

UC Berkeley, UCSF partner to help develop neural prostheses for brain repair

Neuroscientists and engineers at UCSF and UC Berkeley have joined forces to help pioneer a new frontier of brain repair - the development of devices that would allow patients with such conditions as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and Lou Gehrig's disease to control prosthetics through thoughts alone.

25 Mar 2011

Quantum dots allow stem cell therapy monitoring for brain injury

A new technique using "quantum dots" produced through nanotechnology is a promising approach to monitoring the effects of stem cell therapies for stroke and other types of brain damage, reports the April issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

25 Mar 2011

Researchers identify gene that can predict hypersensitivity to epilepsy drug

Research published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. A multinational team of scientists led by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the University of Liverpool has identified a gene that could indicate if epilepsy patients starting a common drug treatment are likely to experience side-effects ranging from a mild skin irritation to the potentially fatal Steven-Johnson Syndrome.

25 Mar 2011

Molecular Devices signs distribution agreement with ChanTest

Molecular Devices, Inc. and ChanTest Corporation, leading providers of ion channel and GPCR drug discovery tools and solutions, have signed an agreement for Molecular Devices to distribute ChanTest's extensive portfolio of ion channel and GPCR cell lines on a non-exclusive basis.

25 Mar 2011