Medical Science News

RSS

Scientists discover sensor in dendritic cells that recognizes HIV

Dendritic cells are the grand sentinels of the immune system, standing guard 24/7 to detect foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, and bring news of the invasion to other immune cells to marshal an attack. These sentinels, however, nearly always fail to respond adequately to HIV, the virus causing AIDS. Now a team of scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center has discovered a sensor in dendritic cells that recognizes HIV, spurring a more potent immune response by the sentinels to the virus.

9 Sep 2010

Quercetin and ferulic acid antioxidants aggravate kidney cancer in severely diabetic rats

Scientists are calling for more research on the possibility that some supposedly healthful plant-based antioxidants - including those renowned for their apparent ability to prevent cancer - may actually aggravate or even cause cancer in some individuals. Their recommendation follows a study in which two such antioxidants - quercetin and ferulic acid - appeared to aggravate kidney cancer in severely diabetic laboratory rats. The study appears in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists develop new strategy for quicker detection of biomarkers that indicate disease

Scientists at the UK's National Physical Laboratory have developed a new strategy for quicker and more precise detection of biomarkers - proteins which indicate disease. The work could pave the way for new tools to detect early stages of Alzheimer's and cancer at the molecular level.

9 Sep 2010

EMRs aid study of genetic variants influencing human susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease

Scientific research published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) reports on a study of genetic variants that influence human susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), made possible by leveraging electronic medical records (EMRs; also called EHRs or electronic health records).

9 Sep 2010

Two genes linked to ovarian clear cell carcinoma

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have identified two genes whose mutations appear to be linked to ovarian clear cell carcinoma, one of the most aggressive forms of ovarian cancer. Clear cell carcinoma is generally resistant to standard therapy.

9 Sep 2010

Zebrafish DCs discovery provide researchers to investigate mammalian immune system

Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified dendritic antigen presenting cells in zebrafish, opening the possibility that the tiny fish could become a new model for studying the complexities of the human immune system.

9 Sep 2010

New gene required for memory formation identified

A team led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist has for the first time identified a new gene that is required for memory formation in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. The gene may have similar functions in humans, shedding light on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or human learning disabilities.

9 Sep 2010

Cachexia reduces function and changes muscle structure of heart in mice with colon cancer

The wasting disease associated with some cancers that is typically seen affecting skeletal muscles can also cause significant damage to the heart, new research in mice suggests.

9 Sep 2010

UCLA plans nanotechnology collaboration with Hamamatsu Photonics

The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has announced plans to collaborate with Hamamatsu Photonics Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of photon detectors and camera systems, to apply nanoscience and nanotechnology to projects having global importance in health, medicine, energy and the environment.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists discover over-expression of C35 gene in HER2 positive tumours

UK scientists have discovered that a gene called C35 can work together with other cancer-promoting genes to drive the growth and invasion of breast cancer cells in the lab.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists discover molecular gatekeeper for arthritis

Elimination of a molecular gatekeeper leads to the development of arthritis in mice, scientists report in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The newly discovered gatekeeper is a protein that determines the fate survival or death of damaging cells that mistakenly attack the body's own tissues and lead to autoimmune disorders such as arthritis.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists suggest aggressive forms of breast cancer develops from intermediary cells

A UK research team has taken an important step forward in improving our understanding of the origins of breast cancer. Scientists at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London have found evidence suggesting that aggressive forms of breast cancer are likely to develop from intermediary slightly more developed cells, rather than from stem cells.

9 Sep 2010

Low carbohydrate diet rich in plant-based fats and proteins associated with lower risk of mortality

Those who adhered to a diet low in carbohydrates but rich in animal-based fats and proteins increased their risk of death – especially by cancer, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, led by Simmons College nutrition professor Teresa Fung, Sc. D.

9 Sep 2010

Bilirubin identified in Bird of Paradise plant

A research team led by Cary Pirone from the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University has identified bilirubin in the popular Bird of Paradise plant. The breakthrough study, published in the September 2010 issue of the American Society for Horticultural Science's journal HortScience, provides new insights into color production in this iconic tropical plant.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers unveil protection mechanism of telomeres from DNA repair

In the latest issue of the journal Nature, Miguel Godinho Ferreira, Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) in Portugal, lead a team of researchers to shed light on a paradox that has puzzled biologists since the discovery of telomeres, the protective tips of chromosomes: while broken chromosome ends generated by DNA damage (such as radiation or cigarette smoke) are quickly joined together, telomeres are never tied to each other, thus allowing for the correct segregation of the genetic material into all cells in our body.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers demonstrate how insulin prepares cells for glucose uptake

Using high-resolution microscopy, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have shown how insulin prompts fat cells to take in glucose in a rat model. The findings were reported in the Sept. 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers reveal surface protein alteration mechanism of mycoplasma bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria have evolved a variety of mechanisms to avoid being killed by the immune systems of the humans and animals they invade. Among the most sophisticated is that practised by mycoplasmas, which regularly change their surface proteins to confuse the immune system. Recent work in the group of Renate Rosengarten and Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has revealed surprising new details of the way they do so and at the same time raised important evolutionary questions.

9 Sep 2010

Micro-RNAs programmed cells can lead to malignant growth

Cancer becomes life threatening when tumor cells start leaving their primary site. They travel through the lymph and blood streams to other tissues where they grow into metastases. This transition to malignancy is associated with characteristic changes in the cancer cells. The activity of several genes is reprogrammed and, thus, the production of proteins anchoring cells to a tissue is reduced. On the other hand, the amount of surface markers which make a cancer cell mobile increases.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers discover low levels of DHA associated with chronic neurodegenerative disease

UC Irvine researchers have discovered that markedly depleted amounts of an omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue samples from Alzheimer's patients may be due to the liver's inability to produce the complex fat, also contained in fish-oil supplements.Low levels of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, have been associated with the chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of Americans, but no cause had been identified.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists discover natural mechanism to discard amyloid protein

Chemists at the University of California, San Diego, have identified how a protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease interferes with the ability of cells to get rid of debris. They also found a natural mechanism by which this protein, amyloid beta, itself may be discarded.

9 Sep 2010

Medical Science News

Scientists discover sensor in dendritic cells that recognizes HIV

Quercetin and ferulic acid antioxidants aggravate kidney cancer in severely diabetic rats

Scientists develop new strategy for quicker detection of biomarkers that indicate disease

EMRs aid study of genetic variants influencing human susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease

Two genes linked to ovarian clear cell carcinoma

Zebrafish DCs discovery provide researchers to investigate mammalian immune system

New gene required for memory formation identified

Cachexia reduces function and changes muscle structure of heart in mice with colon cancer

UCLA plans nanotechnology collaboration with Hamamatsu Photonics

Scientists discover over-expression of C35 gene in HER2 positive tumours

Scientists discover molecular gatekeeper for arthritis

Scientists suggest aggressive forms of breast cancer develops from intermediary cells

Low carbohydrate diet rich in plant-based fats and proteins associated with lower risk of mortality

Bilirubin identified in Bird of Paradise plant

Researchers unveil protection mechanism of telomeres from DNA repair

Researchers demonstrate how insulin prepares cells for glucose uptake

Researchers reveal surface protein alteration mechanism of mycoplasma bacteria

Micro-RNAs programmed cells can lead to malignant growth

Researchers discover low levels of DHA associated with chronic neurodegenerative disease

Scientists discover natural mechanism to discard amyloid protein

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves

Latest News