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Obesity in elderly creating a ticking time bomb for health services in developed countries

Research carried out at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England has discovered that obesity in later life does not make a substantial difference to risks of death among older people but that it is a major contributor to increased disability in later life - creating a ticking time bomb for health services in developed countries.

21 Aug 2008

Novel imaging reagents and technology that non-invasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) isn't just for capturing detailed images of the body's anatomy. Thanks to novel imaging reagents and technology developed by Carnegie Mellon University scientist Eric Ahrens, MRI can be used to visualize - with "exquisite" specificity - cell populations of interest in the living body. The ability to non-invasively locate and track cells, such as immune cells, will greatly aid the study and treatment of cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, as well as provide a tool for advancing clinical translation of the emerging field of cellular regenerative medicine, by tracking stem cells for example.

21 Aug 2008

Why hormone therapy for prostate cancer fails

Some of the drugs given to many men during their fight against prostate cancer can actually spur some cancer cells to grow, researchers have found. The findings were published online this week in a pair of papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

21 Aug 2008

Plastic coatings could help medical implants connect with neurons

Plastic coatings could someday help neural implants treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease and macular degeneration.

21 Aug 2008

Australian scientist finds the key to overeating as we age

A Monash University scientist has discovered key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older.

21 Aug 2008

Bath researchers study how cancer cells come unstuck

Scientists in the Department of Biology & Biochemistry at the University of Bath have started a three year study into the junctions that hold cells together, giving insight into how cancer cells can break off and spread to other parts of the body.

21 Aug 2008

A fitness test for DNA

Unusually high levels of physical exertion do cause oxidative stress, but this does not result in any long-term damage to DNA. This is just one of the many outcomes revealed by an extraordinary research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF that are now published. As part of this project, 42 male athletes took part both in a triathlon and an extensive biomedical study, which examined numerous physiological values parameters during the period from two days before to 19 days after the triathlon.

21 Aug 2008

Pre-school age exercises can prevent dyslexia

Atypical characteristics of children's linguistic development are early signs of the risk of developing reading and writing disabilities, or dyslexia. New research points to preventive exercises as an effective means to tackle the challenges children face when learning to read. The results achieved at the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Motivation Research were presented at the Academy of Finland's science breakfast on 21 August.

21 Aug 2008

ICMT enzyme shows potential as target in treating blood cancer

A discovery by a research team with the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in Sweden may lead to new treatments for blood cancer and other diseases. By stopping the production of a specific enzyme, ICMT, researchers were able to alleviate disease symptoms in mice with blood cancer.

21 Aug 2008

Intel's CTO says technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050

Intel Corporation's chief technology officer took a fascinating look at how technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050.

21 Aug 2008

New sleep lab to benefit shift-workers

Two specialist laboratories opening night at the University of Sydney will shed light on the impact of sleep and circadian disruption in medical disorders and shift-workers, and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance abuse and depression.

21 Aug 2008

Scientists uncover molecule that keeps pathogens like salmonella in check

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a potential new way to stop the bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, tularemia and severe diarrhea from making people sick.

21 Aug 2008

Codeine use may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers

Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers, according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.

20 Aug 2008

Brown fat points to new ways to fight obesity

A surprise discovery -- that calorie-burning brown fat can be produced experimentally from muscle precursor cells in mice -- raises the prospect of new ways to fight obesity and overweight, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

20 Aug 2008

New imaging technology provides early diagnosis of osteoarthritis

A newly developed medical imaging technology may provide doctors with a long-awaited test for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), scientists from New York reported today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

20 Aug 2008

Skin odors used to detect basal cell carcinoma

According to new research from the Monell Center, odors from skin can be used to identify basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. The findings, presented at the 236th meeting of the American Chemical Society, may open doors to development of new methods to detect basal cell carcinoma and other forms of skin cancer.

20 Aug 2008

Bone marrow stem cells used to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model.

20 Aug 2008

Hendra virus claims life of Queensland veterinarian

The deadly Hendra virus has claimed the life of yet another victim, this time a human one.

20 Aug 2008

New research suggests inherited diabetes may play a role in rising rates

A new study in the September issue of the Journal of Lipid Research suggests an unusual form of inheritance may have a role in the rising rate of diabetes, especially in children and young adults, in the United States.

20 Aug 2008

New therapeutic approaches to protect neurons from inflammation and toxicity-induced neurodegeneration

New research led by Chu Chen, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides evidence that one of the only naturally occurring fatty acids in the brain that has the ability to interact with the receptors originally identified as the targets of THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana) can help to protect brain cells from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

20 Aug 2008