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Significant vaccine advance for Parkinson’s disease therapy

Scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and Columbia University Medical Center in New York have discovered a new vaccine approach that successfully prevents the death of brain cells in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.

15 Jun 2004

Simple genetic code might work to wire up the body from head to foot

The study found that when a development gene named Hoxb1 worked in a mouse’s brain but not in the developing facial tissues, nerves extended outward from the brain but failed to reach the facial muscles, leaving the mouse unable to blink its eyes, flatten its ears or make other facial movements.

15 Jun 2004

Second language that can be learned quickly and with amazing ease

The study, which is one of the first to look at how fast second-language words are learned and how the brain responds to words with increasing experience with the new language, was published June 13 in the on-line edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

15 Jun 2004

Education improves health situation in Puerto Rico

The health situation of people in Puerto Rico is improving markedly as a result of better promotion and education efforts, according to Dr. Johnny V. Rullán, secretary of health of Puerto Rico.

15 Jun 2004

New report outlines New Yorkers health problems

New York City residents are living longer than ever, but our city still faces significant health problems. In a new report, the leading causes of preventable illness and death in New York City are outlined.

15 Jun 2004

Eye drops may prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans

Eye drops that reduce elevated pressure inside the eye can delay or possibly prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans at higher risk for developing the disease, researchers have found.

14 Jun 2004

New target for control of early-stage asthma

A new target for control of early-stage asthma has been identified by McGill University professor Qutayba Hamid, working as part of a team whose landmark study appears in the latest issue of the journal Science.

14 Jun 2004

$2.5 billion will be invested in the search for type 1 diabetes cure for over next 5 years

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world's leading charitable funder of research leading to a cure of type 1 diabetes and its complications, held the Global Diabetes Research Forum today as part of its annual meeting in Washington, DC.

14 Jun 2004

Indiana campaign "Get tested for HIV"

Indiana Health officials estimate that 25 percent of persons infected with HIV don't know it. The Indiana State Department of Health is promoting HIV awareness throughout June and July with the "Get Tested for HIV" campaign.

14 Jun 2004

Simulated dirty bomb dispersal device at Gowen Field in Boise

One of the most harrowing prospects faced by military and civilian public safety officials alike is the threat of assault by someone intent on spreading radioactive contamination in highly populated areas

14 Jun 2004

New embryonic stem cells technology

An MIT team has developed new technology that could jump-start scientists' ability to create specific cell types from human embryonic stem cells, a feat with implications for developing replacement organs and a variety of other tissue engineering applications.

14 Jun 2004

Size and shape of synapses among neurons in the cerebral cortex determine long term memory capability

In a study to appear in the June 10 issue of Neuron, neuroscientists at the Picower Center for Learning and Memory at MIT show for the first time that storage of long-term memories depends on the size and shape of synapses among neurons in the outer part of the brain, the cerebral cortex.

14 Jun 2004

Being bilingual helps keep the brain sharper with age

Most will agree that two heads are better than one in solving problems. The same logic may be true for language and retaining cognitive processes as we age. Being fluent in two languages seems to prevent some of the cognitive decline seen in same-age monolingual speaking persons, according to the findings of a study appearing in this month’s journal of Psychology and Aging.

14 Jun 2004

New program aimed at increasing blood donations among federal government employees

In commemoration of World Blood Donor Day, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson launched “Donation Nation,” a new program aimed at increasing blood donations among federal government employees to reduce chronic blood shortages in communities across the country.

14 Jun 2004

Wireless patient monitoring system using mobile phone technology

Your doctor may soon be able to check on your recovery after a hospital stay by texting your mobile phone. Researchers, writing in BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making today, have developed and tested a wireless patient monitoring system that could help detect patient suffering at a distance.

14 Jun 2004

Researchers have recreated the ability of mammalian cells to self-organize

For the first time, UCLA researchers have recreated the ability of mammalian cells to self-organize, forming evenly spaced patterns in a test tube. Published in the June 22, 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings may help improve methods for regenerating tissue, controlling birth defects and developing new treatments for specific diseases.

14 Jun 2004

Significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis

Dr. Fraser discusses, for the first time, the significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax.

14 Jun 2004

Biologist has identified gene patterns that characterize a biologically distinct subtype of estrogen receptor negative breast tumor

University of North Carolina molecular biologist Charles Perou has identified the pattern of genes that characterize a biologically distinct subtype of estrogen receptor negative breast tumor.

14 Jun 2004

Topiramate may protect newborns from brain injury and long-term neurologic problems caused by excitotoxicity

An existing drug already approved by the FDA may protect newborns from brain injury and long-term neurologic problems caused by excitotoxicity, or over-activation of neurons, report two NIH-funded studies from Children's Hospital Boston.

14 Jun 2004

New Drug Application for a novel dosage format of citalopram for the treatment of depression

Biovail Corporation has announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review (effective date June 13, 2004) Biovail's submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) for a novel dosage format of citalopram for the treatment of depression.

14 Jun 2004