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Study finds no effect of siblings on social skills

Growing up without siblings doesn't seem to be a disadvantage for teenagers when it comes to social skills, new research suggests.

16 Aug 2010

Scientists identify genes associated with aggressive breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have for the first time identified 12 genes that could be associated with aggressive breast tumours. The discovery could result in more reliable prognoses and better treatment strategies for patients.

16 Aug 2010

Abnormalities in certain genes may cause autism: Research

Together with colleagues from an international research group, autism researcher Christopher Gillberg of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has found in a new study that autism can be partially explained by abnormalities in certain genes. The group's results could, in the long run, pave the way for more appropriate treatments for autism.

16 Aug 2010

MeCP2 protein regulates properties of psychostimulant drugs: Research

When a certain protein is mutated or missing, symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome arise, causing a gradual loss of brain function during early development.This fact led Duke University Medical Center researchers to test a theory that the protein might also contribute to nerve-cell connection (synapse) changes in a fully formed adult mouse brain when exposed to psychostimulant use.

16 Aug 2010

Scientists replace human gene to preserve photoreceptor function in retinal degeneration

The easy accessibility of the eye and the established link between specific genetic defects and ocular disorders offer hope for using gene therapy to provide long-term therapeutic benefit. Two reports in the current issue of Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., describe the effective replacement of a human gene to preserve photoreceptor function in a mouse model of severe retinal degeneration. The articles are available free online.

16 Aug 2010

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

Clinical trials using patients' own immune cells to target tumors have yielded promising results. However, this approach usually works only if the patients also receive large doses of drugs designed to help immune cells multiply rapidly, and those drugs have life-threatening side effects. Now a team of MIT engineers has devised a way to deliver the necessary drugs by smuggling them on the backs of the cells sent in to fight the tumor. That way, the drugs reach only their intended targets, greatly reducing the risk to the patient.

16 Aug 2010

Adverse effects in childhood lead to immune impairment later in life

The emotional pains we suffer in childhood can lead to weakened immune systems later in life, according to a new study.Based on this new research, the amount of this immune impairment even enhances that caused by the stress of caregiving later in life."What happens in childhood really matters when it comes to your immune response in the latter part of your life," explained Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University. She explained her work at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego.

16 Aug 2010

Researchers develop screening tool to observe nanoparticle reaction inside the body

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a method for predicting the ways nanoparticles will interact with biological systems - including the human body. Their work could have implications for improved human and environmental safety in the handling of nanomaterials, as well as applications for drug delivery.

16 Aug 2010

Scientists discover new signaling pathway to reduce tumour growth in glioblastoma multiforme

Malignant gliomas are the most common subtype of primary brain tumor - and one of the deadliest. Even as doctors make steady progress treating other types of solid tumor cancers, from breast to prostate, the most aggressive form of malignant glioma, called a glioblastoma multiforme or GBM, has steadfastly defied advances in neurosurgery, radiation therapy and various conventional or novel drugs. But an international team of scientists, headed by researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, reports in the August 15 issue of Genes & Development that they have discovered a new signaling pathway between GBM cells - one that, if ultimately blocked or disrupted, could significantly slow or reduce tumor growth and malignancy.

16 Aug 2010

Researchers discover genetic alterations responsible for Kabuki syndrome

Using a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing the entire human genome, the new approach sequences just the exome, the 1-2 percent of the human genome that contains protein-coding genes.

16 Aug 2010

Study shows early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation reduces risk of stroke

The earlier that patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation obtain the correct treatment, the lower is the risk of serious secondary effects such as stroke. A thesis presented at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that a well-established measurement score can easily assess the risks for this patient group.

16 Aug 2010

MeCP2 regulatory protein determines vulnerability to cocaine addiction: Research

A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

16 Aug 2010

Common genetic variation in HLA region associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease: Research

A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson's disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. "Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease" appears online in Nature Genetics.

16 Aug 2010

CD31 positive cells have potential for treating peripheral artery disease: Research

Isolating cells from a patient's blood or bone marrow that nourish blood vessels may be a safer and less arduous route to treatment of cardiovascular disease than obtaining rare stem cells, according to research from Emory University School of Medicine. In recent clinical trials, doctors in several countries have tested the ability of a patient's bone marrow cells to repair damage, such as heart attacks and peripheral artery disease, created by problems of blood flow.

16 Aug 2010

Cox Business light-speed computer connection provides TGen with fastest supercomputer link

A Cox Business light-speed computer connection coupled with advanced, military-grade technology now provides Translational Genomics Research Institute with the nation's fastest supercomputer link among life-sciences facilities.

13 Aug 2010

Legal scholar calls for FDA to regulate all health-related genetic tests

An opinion piece by a legal scholar from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in this week's issue of Nature calls for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate all health-related genetic tests — whether available directly to consumers or through a health care provider — using an approach that imposes requirements proportionate to a test's level of risk.

13 Aug 2010

Researchers identify second type of complete sporadic disease

A new sporadic prion protein disease has been discovered. Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy, as it has been named, is the second type of complete sporadic disease to be identified since Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was reported in the 1920s. The landmark finding from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University is published in the August issue of Annals of Neurology.

13 Aug 2010

DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours repair associated with poor response to chemotherapy: Research

A Link between the level of active DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours and the effectiveness of chemotherapy for skin cancer patients has been established for the first time by a team of scientists.The study, part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Clinical Cancer Research today (Friday), found that higher levels of DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours were associated with a poorer response to chemotherapy.

13 Aug 2010

UMass Memorial selects McKesson's CytoCare robot to automate compounding of hazardous IV drugs

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Massachusetts has selected the CytoCare™ robot from McKesson to automate the compounding of intravenous (IV) drugs. The robotic technology will enable the 830-bed facility to more safely prepare hazardous IVs, protecting both their patients and their staff from exposure risks.

13 Aug 2010

Neurologix second-quarter net loss increases to $4.5 million

Neurologix, Inc., a biotechnology company developing innovative gene therapies for the brain and central nervous system, today reported its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

13 Aug 2010

Medical Science News

Study finds no effect of siblings on social skills

Scientists identify genes associated with aggressive breast cancer

Abnormalities in certain genes may cause autism: Research

MeCP2 protein regulates properties of psychostimulant drugs: Research

Scientists replace human gene to preserve photoreceptor function in retinal degeneration

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

Adverse effects in childhood lead to immune impairment later in life

Researchers develop screening tool to observe nanoparticle reaction inside the body

Scientists discover new signaling pathway to reduce tumour growth in glioblastoma multiforme

Researchers discover genetic alterations responsible for Kabuki syndrome

Study shows early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation reduces risk of stroke

MeCP2 regulatory protein determines vulnerability to cocaine addiction: Research

Common genetic variation in HLA region associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease: Research

CD31 positive cells have potential for treating peripheral artery disease: Research

Cox Business light-speed computer connection provides TGen with fastest supercomputer link

Legal scholar calls for FDA to regulate all health-related genetic tests

Researchers identify second type of complete sporadic disease

DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours repair associated with poor response to chemotherapy: Research

UMass Memorial selects McKesson's CytoCare robot to automate compounding of hazardous IV drugs

Neurologix second-quarter net loss increases to $4.5 million

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

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