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Sensing and following motion

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have shed new light on how the brain and eye team up to spot an object in motion and follow it, a classic question of human motor control.

29 Jun 2007

Listeria pathogen may be key to understanding cancer development

A research team including University of Central Florida Microbiology Professor Keith Ireton is using the bacterial pathogen Listeria Monocytogenes to understand the mechanisms of cell growth and cancer development.

29 Jun 2007

Therapeutic value of meditation unproven

There is an enormous amount of interest in using meditation as a form of therapy to cope with a variety of modern-day health problems, especially hypertension, stress and chronic pain, but the majority of evidence that seems to support this notion is anecdotal, or it comes from poor quality studies, say Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond, researchers at the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center in Edmonton, Canada.

29 Jun 2007

Surgery more effective than other treatments for common back problem

When it comes to low back pain, physicians generally advise exhausting nonsurgical options before resorting to surgery.

29 Jun 2007

How mentally ill patients' own perceptions affect their well-being

Each year, one in four U.S. adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

29 Jun 2007

Stem cell therapy to prevent heart attacks

The use of stem cell therapy to prevent heart attacks is explored in a Comment published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

29 Jun 2007

High frequency of sperm abnormalities associated with reduced testicular volume in male lupus patients

The prognosis for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that mainly affects women in their reproductive years, has improved recently, prompting a shift toward improving quality of life.

29 Jun 2007

Prevention and control of zoonoses

Over 180 international scientific experts will meet for the next three days near Lucca, Italy, to discuss state-of-the-art advances in infectious diseases transmitted from animals to man, known as zoonoses.

29 Jun 2007

RNA molecules can orchestrate gene activity across vast portions of the human genome

Large, seemingly useless pieces of RNA - a molecule originally considered only a lowly messenger for DNA - play an important role in letting cells know where they are in the body and what they are supposed to become, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered.

29 Jun 2007

Rheumatologists overestimate physical disability of rheumatoid arthritis patients

Rheumatologists substantially overestimate the physical disability of patients with rheumatoid arthritis which may lead to inaccurate evaluations of the patient's ability to work and need for lifestyle modifications, a new study found.

29 Jun 2007

Five distinct subtypes of alcoholism identified

Analyses of a national sample of individuals with alcohol dependence (alcoholism) reveal five distinct subtypes of the disease, according to a new study by scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

29 Jun 2007

Reactive oxygen species mediate a cellular 'memory' of high glucose stress signaling

Researchers at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Medical School have uncovered a process that locks the body’s metabolism in a diabetic state after only relatively limited exposure to high glucose levels.

29 Jun 2007

Major challenges in future of pervasive healthcare identified

A research project carried out by a University of Southampton Masters student has identified three research challenges that will need to be addressed before pervasive healthcare becomes a reality.

29 Jun 2007

Patient choice and treatment alternatives for arthritis

Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) face different treatment options and determining which ones to try can be confusing.

29 Jun 2007

Prospective predictors of long-term abstinence versus relapse among smokers who quit as young adults

A non-smoking spouse and smoke-free workplace play key roles in long-term success for young adults who quit smoking, according to Indiana University research, which found environmental factors to be more influential than individual behaviors and beliefs when it comes to kicking the habit.

29 Jun 2007

Cervarix vaccine provides broad protection against cervical cancer

Just under 150 Perth women have contributed to major international research at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research that has proved that the new Cervarix vaccine provides broader protection against cervical cancer.

29 Jun 2007

Natural hormone relaxin offers hope to infertile couples

A new study from the University of Leicester is investigating whether a naturally produced hormone could provide the key to helping couples conceive.

29 Jun 2007

Dangers of permitting smoking in the workplace

Offering alarming new evidence on the dangers of permitting smoking in the workplace, scientists have found that nonsmoking restaurant and bar employees absorb a potent carcinogennot considered safe at any levelwhile working in places where they had to breathe tobacco smoke from customers and co-workers.

29 Jun 2007

Call for change in regulations surrounding xenotransplantation

A new article in The Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics calls for a change in the regulations surrounding xenotransplantation, the transplanting of animal cells, tissues or organs into humans.

29 Jun 2007

New drug resistance screening method

A growing number of drug-resistant strains of HIV are a threat to the effectiveness of current treatments despite anti-HIV drug cocktails decreasing the number of HIV-related deaths and improving the quality of life for HIV patients.

29 Jun 2007