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Leptin plays a major role in islet cell growth and insulin secretion

A new Joslin-led study has shown that leptin, a hormone known mainly for regulating appetite control and energy metabolism, plays a major role in islet cell growth and insulin secretion.

2 Oct 2007

Better use of kidneys from deceased donors

Several new studies suggest how transplant surgeons can make more effective use of kidneys from deceased donors – even those that are at the outer limits of acceptance criteria – according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

2 Oct 2007

In vitro fertilization technique enables pregnancy without multiple births

An in vitro fertilization technique that can avoid multiple births appears to be effective for women older than 35, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

2 Oct 2007

Improved breast cancer awareness in older women could save lives

Survival rates for breast cancer in older women could be significantly improved by a simple awareness programme that promotes early presentation of the disease, according to results of the first trial of its kind presented at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham today (Sunday).

2 Oct 2007

Nicotine dependence triggered by changes in brain chemistry that follow very first dose of nicotine

Following up on studies that have indicated the speed with which adolescents can get hooked on cigarettes, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have conducted the first study to determine why some adolescents who try smoking get addicted while others do not.

2 Oct 2007

Factor MIF a potential target for West Nile virus

Infection with West Nile Virus (WNV) can cause lethal encephalitis and there are currently no vaccines or specific therapeutics for use in humans.

2 Oct 2007

Molecular basis of the cyanide polymorphism

That clover necklace you make for your child could well be a ring of poison.

2 Oct 2007

Genetics and learning

New research is giving scientists fresh insights into how genetics are a prime factor in how we learn.

2 Oct 2007

Genes influence people's economic choices

An international team of researchers including an MIT graduate student has demonstrated for the first time that genes exert influence on people's behavior in a very common experimental economic game.

2 Oct 2007

Gene discovery that affects breast cancer treatment

Medical scientists at the University of Leicester will be reporting on a potentially unique advance in breast cancer research at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham on Monday 1st October.

2 Oct 2007

Gene that lowers cell stress could protect against Parkinson's disease

The discovery of a relationship between two cell enzymes and their role in keeping the cell's energy generating machinery working smoothly could provide a new target for development of therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD).

2 Oct 2007

Brain protocols feature methods for neuroscience research

Research in the field of neuroscience is constantly expanding to provide knowledge about biological mechanisms that underlie our ability to experience and interact with the world around us.

2 Oct 2007

Scientists study folding of the brain's cortex

Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are finding common ground between the shaping of the brain and the heart during embryonic development.

2 Oct 2007

Extended wakefulness and low-dose alcohol impairs driving performance

The combination of extended wakefulness and low-dose alcohol has significant adverse effects on a person's ability to drive, and elevates the risk of getting into a vehicular accident, according to a study published in the October 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

2 Oct 2007

Early family intervention alters preschoolers' biological response to stress

Children with older delinquent siblings are at high risk for becoming juvenile delinquents themselves.

2 Oct 2007

Depression, aging, and proteins made by a virus may all play role in heart disease

Researchers here have linked an increase in two immune system proteins essential for inflammation to a latent viral infection and proposed a chain of events that might accelerate cardiovascular disease.

2 Oct 2007

Depressed adolescents respond best to psychotherapy and antidepressant medication

A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication appears to be the most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder - more than medication alone or psychotherapy alone, according to results from a major clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

2 Oct 2007

Daytime sleepiness linked to chronic nasal obstruction

That midday wall you hit where you just can't stay awake may be an indicator of obstructed nasal passages and sleep-disordered breathing, according to a new study published in the October 2007 edition of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery .

2 Oct 2007

Worm study sheds light on how the human body ages

Microscopic worms used for scientific research are living longer despite cellular defects, a discovery that is shedding light on how the human body ages and how doctors could one day limit or reverse genetic mutations that cause inherited diseases, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

2 Oct 2007

Rapamycin and Gleevec reverses effects of portal hypertension in rats

A combined treatment with rapamycin and Gleevec might reverse the effects of portal hypertension in patients with chronic liver disease, according to the results of a new study on rats.

2 Oct 2007