Medical Science News

RSS

Study suggests zinc supplementation may reduce pneumonia risk

A high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations during an observational study funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Aging. The scientists found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations.

11 Aug 2010

ACT signs agreement to select novel clinical candidates for two cancer metabolic programs

Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), a privately held company dedicated to bringing new anti-cancer therapies to market, today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement to leverage the translational research expertise of Dr. Jason Chesney, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown Cancer Center), to identify new clinical candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancers against two key cancer metabolic targets.

11 Aug 2010

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

Research at the Babraham Institute, investigating how white blood cells known as B cells develop, has revealed that genes from the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase family of enzymes are critical in enabling the B cells to produce antibodies in the spleen and lymph nodes.

10 Aug 2010

Analysis finds no evidence that inclusion of retinyl palmitate in sunscreens can cause cancer

Despite previous concerns about the cancer-causing potential of sunscreens containing retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), an independent analysis published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology determined that there is no evidence that the inclusion of retinyl palmitate in sunscreens can cause cancer in humans.

10 Aug 2010

Children of incarcerated parent likely to be incarcerated

It comes as no surprise that many children suffer when a parent is behind bars. But as rates of incarceration grew over the past 30 years, researchers were slow to focus on the collateral damage to children.

10 Aug 2010

ROCK2 protein may be a good therapeutic target for autoimmune disorders: Research

Autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), occur when an individual's immune system turns on other cells in the body. Inappropriate and excessive production of the soluble immune mediators IL-17 and IL-21 have been linked to several autoimmune disorders. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this aberrant production might identify new therapeutic targets.

10 Aug 2010

New method for tracing brain circuits

The brain has been mapped to the smallest fold for at least a century, but still no one knows how all the parts talk to each other.

10 Aug 2010

Scientists identify compound to inhibit wild-type HIV-1 protease

Drug resistance remains a major problem in combating HIV infection, but a different approach to drug development could be the answer.Current viral inhibitors target the HIV-1 protease function with a competitive mechanism. Writing in the BJ ChemBio Knowledge Environment of the Biochemical Journal, Max Chang and colleagues from the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, suggest that pharmaceutical companies look at compounds that use an allosteric non-competitive mechanism of inhibition.

10 Aug 2010

Study finds 'grid cells' that help brain map locations outside hippocampus

"Grid cells," which help the brain map locations, have been found for the first time outside of the hippocampus in the rat brain, according to new research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The finding should help further our understanding of how the brain generates the internal maps that help us remember where we have been and how to get to where we want to go.

10 Aug 2010

FDA approves human embryonic stem cells clinical trial for spinal cord injury treatment

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc.: Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration gave their highly-anticipated approval for the first clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), which are the type of cells that can develop into all tissues of the body. Geron Corporation of Menlo Park, California, received the green light from the US FDA to use cells derived from hESCs to treat people with acute spinal cord injuries. Ten people will receive injections into the injury site of hESC-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, which stimulate the growth of new and severed nerves and recoat damaged nerves with myelin. The hope is that the injections will help people recover function lost through injury, as seen in rodent studies in 2005.

10 Aug 2010

Epitherix identifies potent and selective multiple chemical scaffolds against colorectal carcinoma

Epitherix, LLC, a privately held company focused on the discovery and development of novel Wnt pathway small molecule inhibitors for epithelial and leukemic cancers, today announced that it has identified multiple chemical scaffolds that are potent and selective against colorectal carcinoma. "We're very encouraged by our in vitro and in vivo data, especially considering the difficulty in drugging this pathway to date," said Dr. Osman Kibar, CEO of Epitherix.

10 Aug 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals reports significant progress in discovery of novel technologies for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The University of British Columbia (UBC), AlCana Technologies, Inc., and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, presented results from multiple ongoing research efforts regarding the discovery of novel technologies for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

10 Aug 2010

Cancer Research Technology grants Scancell licence to use 105AD7 human antibody

Scancell Holdings Plc,, the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, and Cancer Research Technology Ltd - Cancer Research UK's commercialisation and development arm - today announce that they have signed an agreement under which Scancell has been granted a licence to use a human antibody known as 105AD7.

10 Aug 2010

Scientists develop life long hip joint replacement device

Total knee and hip joint replacement devices that last a lifetime are closer to reality thanks to recent breakthroughs in Department of Physics laboratories at the University of Alabama at Birmingham involving specialized nanodiamonds a billionth of a meter in size.

10 Aug 2010

Loyola University forms new institute for molecular level disease research

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine has formed a new research institute dedicated to understanding the molecular causes of cancer, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease and several other illnesses.

10 Aug 2010

Ratios between males and females affect human longevity: Study

"Love stinks!" the J. Geils band told the world in 1980, and while you can certainly argue whether or not this tender and ineffable spirit of affection has a downside, working hard to find it does. It may even shorten your life.

10 Aug 2010

New scaffold supports growth, integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells

These days people usually don't die from a heart attack. But the damage to heart muscle is irreversible, and most patients eventually succumb to congestive heart failure, the most common cause of death in developed countries.Stem cells now offer hope for achieving what the body can't do: mending broken hearts. Engineers and physicians at the University of Washington have built a scaffold that supports the growth and integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells. A description of the scaffold, which supports the growth of cardiac cells in the lab and encourages blood vessel growth in living animals, is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Aug 2010

New insight into protein transport mechanism can improve chemotherapy treatments

A new study conducted in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Tel Aviv University (TAU) elucidates the way in which toxic, yet essential, copper ions enter human cells. As a chemotherapy drug presumably enters the cells in a similar manner, the results of this study pave the way for the development of improved chemotherapeutic drugs. The groundbreaking work was published in the leading American scientific journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

10 Aug 2010

Research on role of ADAM12 gene in breast cancer

A microscopic gene may play a gigantic role when it comes to cancerous tissue in the human body, according to one Kansas State University research team.The team is investigating mutation within the ADAM12 gene of the A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease family, or ADAM family, and its role in breast cancer."We want to know whether ADAM12 is a good guy or a bad guy in breast cancer," said Anna Zolkiewska, associate professor of biochemistry and research team leader.

10 Aug 2010

Sound sleepers show distinct pattern of spontaneous brain rhythms: Research

Ever wonder why some people can sleep through just about anything, while others get startled awake at each and every bump in the night? A new report in the August 10th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers some insight: sound sleepers show a distinct pattern of spontaneous brain rhythms.We found that by measuring brain waves during sleep, we could learn a lot about how well a person's brain can block the negative effects of sounds; the more sleep spindles your brain produces, the more likely you'll stay asleep, even when confronted with noise, said Jeffrey Ellenbogen of Harvard Medical School.

10 Aug 2010

Medical Science News

Study suggests zinc supplementation may reduce pneumonia risk

ACT signs agreement to select novel clinical candidates for two cancer metabolic programs

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

Analysis finds no evidence that inclusion of retinyl palmitate in sunscreens can cause cancer

Children of incarcerated parent likely to be incarcerated

ROCK2 protein may be a good therapeutic target for autoimmune disorders: Research

New method for tracing brain circuits

Scientists identify compound to inhibit wild-type HIV-1 protease

Study finds 'grid cells' that help brain map locations outside hippocampus

FDA approves human embryonic stem cells clinical trial for spinal cord injury treatment

Epitherix identifies potent and selective multiple chemical scaffolds against colorectal carcinoma

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals reports significant progress in discovery of novel technologies for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Cancer Research Technology grants Scancell licence to use 105AD7 human antibody

Scientists develop life long hip joint replacement device

Loyola University forms new institute for molecular level disease research

Ratios between males and females affect human longevity: Study

New scaffold supports growth, integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells

New insight into protein transport mechanism can improve chemotherapy treatments

Research on role of ADAM12 gene in breast cancer

Sound sleepers show distinct pattern of spontaneous brain rhythms: Research

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

Latest News