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Depressed and suicidal individuals linked to low levels of stress hormone cortisol

Depressed and suicidal individuals have low levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood and saliva. They also have substances in their spinal fluid that suggest there is increased inflammation in the brain. These findings could help to develop new methods for diagnosing and treating suicidal patients.

29 Nov 2010

BioTime, CIRM enter agreement for GMP-grade hES cell lines

BioTime, Inc. today announced an agreement with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to make five clinical-grade human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines available to California-based researchers. CIRM is the stem cell agency created when California voters supported a $3 billion funding measure for stem cell-related research and clinical translation.

29 Nov 2010

Marcus evans Summit highlights potential growth, innovation in drug discovery

Drug discovery scientists need to broaden their approaches to pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) and Medicinal Chemistry, to take advantage of untapped opportunities, says Torsten Hoffmann, Head Discovery Chemistry at F. Hoffmann La Roche, Basel, Switzerland. Chemical Biology allows room for innovation, but is often overlooked by scientists in the industry.

29 Nov 2010

Study finds association between DGKK gene and hypospadias

Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation of the male external genitalia, affecting 1 in 375 boys. In hypospadias patients, the urethral opening is not located at the tip of the penis, but somewhere halfway, at the base of the penis, or even in the scrotum.

29 Nov 2010

Researchers identify effects of endurance running

Using a mobile MRI unit, researchers followed runners for two months along a 4,500-kilometer course to study how their bodies responded to the high-stress conditions of an ultra-long-distance race, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

29 Nov 2010

Overexposure to triclosan may negatively influence immune system: Study

Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests.

29 Nov 2010

Walking may slow cognitive decline in adults with MCI, Alzheimer's disease

Walking may slow cognitive decline in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, as well as in healthy adults, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

29 Nov 2010

Superantigens can disrupt immune system, can cause more illnesses

Superantigens, the toxins produced by staphylococcus bacteria, are more complex than previously believed, reveals a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg in an article published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Their discovery shows that the body's immune system can cause more illnesses than realised.

29 Nov 2010

New strategy to prevent memory deficits in mouse model with AD

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

28 Nov 2010

Stem cell treatment may help treat low back pain

Lower back pain affects many people and may be caused by degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae. Treatment for the condition using stem cells may be an alternative to today's surgical procedures. This is the conclusion of a thesis presented at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

28 Nov 2010

ESF report: Reduced male fertility may contribute to low birth rates

Reduced male fertility may be making it even harder for couples to conceive and be contributing to low birth rates in many countries, reveals a new European Science Foundation (ESF) report launching today at the IPSEN meeting in Paris.

28 Nov 2010

Serono Symposium to review options available for optimizing Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Serono Symposia International Foundation will gather a team of leading international experts meeting on November 26th in Montreal in order to review the different options currently available to optimize ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) outcomes during the event "Treating the Ovary to Obtain Better Eggs".

26 Nov 2010

NIH awards $6.7M to establish Membrane Protein Structural Biology Consortium

Dr. Michael G. Malkowski, Hauptman-Woodward senior research scientist, has received a $6.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in support of his work to establish the Membrane Protein Structural Biology Consortium (mpsbc.org) as one of nine centers in the United States responsible for determining membrane protein structures within a larger NIH biology-based initiative.

26 Nov 2010

EHNA treatment blocks spontaneous differentiation of stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells have enormous potential for use in pharmaceutical development and therapeutics; however, to realize this potential there is a requirement for simple and reproducible cell culture methods that provide adequate numbers of cells of suitable quality.

26 Nov 2010

Temporal gating can form basis for selecting alternative options in brain

In every waking minute, we have to make decisions sometimes within a split second. Neuroscientists at the Bernstein Center Freiburg have now discovered a possible explanation how the brain chooses between alternative options. The key lies in extremely fast changes in the communication between single nerve cells.

26 Nov 2010

New findings provide insight into brain development

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified key components of a signaling pathway that controls the departure of neurons from the brain niche where they form and allows these cells to start migrating to their final destination. Defects in this system affect the architecture of the brain and are associated with epilepsy, mental retardation and perhaps malignant brain tumors.

25 Nov 2010

Use of aspirin and statins can reduce depression: Study

A study that appears in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics addresses the association between use of aspirin and statins and the risk of major depression.

25 Nov 2010

Subconscious change of heart could happen in response to failure in a competitive situation

You may think of your love for your mate as the noble emotion of a pure heart, but some primitive parts of your brain are taking a decidedly more pragmatic approach to the subject, according to Stanford biologists.

25 Nov 2010

Immunity-enhancing probiotics may be the best line of defense for good health

Good bacteria, bad bacteria, billions of bacteria—sounds downright germy. But the truth is that research in gut health is germinating more insight into the role bacteria, also known as "probiotics," play in our overall health and wellness.

25 Nov 2010

Researchers explain molecular mechanism that induces HER2+ tumours to ignore cell signals

About 30% of breast cancer patients have tumours that show rapid growth and invasion through the body. A common denominator in all of these cases is the presence of a large number of Her2 proteins in tumour cellular membranes. Consequently, these aggressive tumours are referred to as HER2+. Scientists working in the Metastasis Laboratory (MetLab) at IRB Barcelona headed by ICREA researcher Roger Gomis, have described the molecular mechanism that induces HER2+ tumours to ignore the signals that protect cells from excessive growth.

25 Nov 2010