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Research on motor neuron subtype may provide useful therapy for neuron diseases

Scientists have devised a method for coaxing mouse embryonic stem cells into forming a highly specific motor neuron subtype. The research, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides new insight into motor neuron differentiation and may prove useful for devising and testing future therapies for motor neuron diseases.

3 Sep 2010

Discovery of omega-3 fatty acid molecular mechanism paves way for development of dietary remedy for diabetes

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids so effective in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

3 Sep 2010

Stem Cell Assurance announces $1M agreement with private funding source

Stem Cell Assurance, Inc., a leader in stem cell collection and storage services for personal applications ranging from breast augmentation and facial rejuvenation procedures to Stem Cellutrition skincare products, today announced a $1M agreement with a private funding source.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers discover new class of edible nanostructures for energy storage

Sugar, salt, alcohol and a little serendipity led a Northwestern University research team to discover a new class of nanostructures that could be used for gas storage and food and medical technologies. And the compounds are edible.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers find hair cortisol level can assess chronic stress in heart attack

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have provided the first direct evidence using a biological marker, to show chronic stress plays an important role in heart attacks.

3 Sep 2010

Cigarette smoke inhibits LTA4H enzyme, regulates body's response to inflammation: Study

Cigarette smoke shuts off a key enzyme in airways that regulates the body's response to inflammation, according to findings from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online today at Science Express.

3 Sep 2010

Scientists develop direct method to detect gene doping

Scientists at the universities in Tübingen and Mainz have developed a test that can provide conclusive proof of gene doping. "For the first time, a direct method is now available that uses conventional blood samples to detect doping via gene transfer and is still effective if the actual doping took place up to 56 days before," Professor Perikles Simon, MD, PhD from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany explained on Thursday.

3 Sep 2010

Capsaicin linked to skin cancer

The September cover story of the nation's leading cancer journal, "Cancer Research," features a new study from The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, that links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer. While the molecular mechanisms of the cancer-promoting effects of capsaicin are not clear and remain controversial, The Hormel Institute has shown a definite connection to formation of skin cancer through various laboratory studies.

3 Sep 2010

Luminal intermediate cells impact basal-like breast cancer origin: Research

New research uncovers a case of mistaken identity that may have a significant impact on future breast cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The study, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, suggests that despite their "stem cell-like" characteristics, most aggressive breast tumors are not derived from normal mammary gland stem cells.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers receive BioBank DNA samples to unveil psoriasis genetics

Millions of Americans struggling with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are one step closer to a cure with the release of the first National Psoriasis Victor Henschel BioBank DNA samples for use in research at the University of Michigan Health System; research that hopes to uncover the unknowns about the genetics of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

3 Sep 2010

CaPre drug candidate shows promising result on CRP level reduction

Acasti Pharma Inc., a subsidiary of Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. reports significant results on the effects of its anti-dyslipidemic investigational drug candidate CaPre on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a biomarker of CardioVascular Disease risk (CVD) and associated with diabetes and obesity.

3 Sep 2010

Cedric – the Tasmanian devil - dies of facial tumors

Cedric, a captive born Tasmanian devil climbed to fame in 2007 when it was shown that he was genetically resistant to facial tumors. Initially he and his half-brother Clinky were given a vaccine of sorts containing dead tumor cells and later “challenged” with live tumor cells by the University of Tasmania researchers in 2007. Clinky developed the cancer, but Cedric did not - starting hopes that he had an immunity that could help scientists develop a vaccine.

2 Sep 2010

Biologists find daily exercise as a heritable trait

Biologists at the University of California, Riverside have found that voluntary activity, such as daily exercise, is a highly heritable trait that can be passed down genetically to successive generations.

2 Sep 2010

New antibacterial peptide effective against infections in burn or blast wounds

An antibacterial peptide developed by Laszlo Otvos, a research professor of biology in Temple's College of Science and Technology, looks to be a highly-effective therapy against infections in burn or blast wounds suffered by soldiers.

2 Sep 2010

Researchers discover protein that stimulates production of beta-amyloid

Researchers at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research laboratory today published "Gamma-secretase Activating Protein is a Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer's Disease" in Nature online. Drs. Gen He (lead author) and Paul Greengard have discovered a protein that stimulates the production of beta-amyloid, and therefore represents a major new advance in Alzheimer's disease research.

2 Sep 2010

Short sleep duration increases risk of psychological distress

Young adults who get fewer than eight hours of sleep per night have greater risks of psychological distress, a combination of high levels of depressive and anxious symptoms, according to a study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

2 Sep 2010

Achievement of sufficient night sleep needed in obesity prevention and weight-management programs

A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that teens who slept less than eight hours per weeknight ate higher proportions of fatty foods and snacks than adolescents who slept eight hours or more. The results suggest that short sleep duration may increase obesity risk by causing small changes in eating patterns that cumulatively alter energy balance, especially in girls.

2 Sep 2010

Halozyme initiates Ultrafast Insulin combination Phase 2 studies with rHuPH20

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the initiation of two Phase 2 Ultrafast Insulin treatment studies that utilize its rHuPH20 hyaluronidase enzyme (PH20) in combination with the two leading commercially available mealtime analogs: insulin aspart, the active ingredient in NovoLog®, and insulin lispro, the active ingredient in Humalog®.

2 Sep 2010

Benefit of delaying cognitive decline comes at the cost of more rapid dementia progression

New research shows that mentally stimulating activities such as crossword puzzles, reading and listening to the radio may, at first, slow the decline of thinking skills but speed up dementia later in old age. The research is published in the September 1, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Sep 2010

Gene mutations that express LRRK2 linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease: Researchers

A significant number of Parkinson's disease patients have a mutation of the enzyme Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Kinase 2 (LRRK2, also known as dardarin). However, little is understood about how it is regulated or functions. In a new paper in the Signal Knowledge Environment of the Biochemical Journal, Dario Alessi and colleagues from the University of Dundee demonstrate that a family of proteins, the 14-3-3 proteins, interact with LRRK2.

2 Sep 2010