A new study suggests how a notorious cancer gene may contribute to tumor growth. The insight emerged from a long-running study of a protein called PMR1, the key player in an unusual mechanism that cells use to quickly stop production of certain important proteins.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
According to two recent studies, a nonsurgical treatment using stent-grafts to repair an injured or diseased thoracic aorta offered patients less risk of paraplegia as well as lower morbidity and mortality rates when compared to surgery.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
USC college computational biologist Peter Calabrese has developed a new model to simulate the evolution of so-called recombination hotspots in the genome.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A third of women experience painful sex a year after giving birth and more than half report at least one sex-related health problem after having a baby.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A new study from the University of Michigan Health System adds another dimension to the link between cigarette smoking and skin damage. The study suggests that smoking may be associated with a higher degree of aging on areas of skin, such as that of the inside of the upper arm, that are not normally exposed to sunlight.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Disrupt the gene that regulates the biological clocks in mice and they become manic, exhibiting behaviors similar to humans with bipolar disorder. Scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center show that the Clock gene, which controls the body's circadian rhythms, may be integrally involved in the development of bipolar disorder. Circadian rhythms include the daily ups-and-downs of waking, eating and other processes such as body temperature, hormone levels, blood pressure and heart activity.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A newly discovered small molecule called IQ-1 plays a key role in preventing embryonic stem cells from differentiating into one or more specific cell types, allowing them to instead continue growing and dividing indefinitely, according to research performed by a team of scientists who have recently joined the stem-cell research efforts at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A new calibration technique that involves measuring the distance between the upper ear and chin in photographs could help facial plastic surgeons use computer imaging software to achieve aesthetic harmony in their patients, according to a recent report in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Within the mind of every smoker trying to quit rages a battle between the higher-order functions of the brain wanting to break the habit and the lower-order functions screaming for another cigarette, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center. More often than not, that cigarette gets lit.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A small molecule derived from the spacer domain of the tumor-suppressor gene Rb2/p130 has demonstrated the ability to inhibit tumor growth in vivo and could be developed into an anti-cancer therapeutic, according to researchers at Temple University's Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Based on a new study, researchers urge more comprehensive imaging for patients presenting to hospitals with stroke symptoms. Using both MRI and echocardiography to image the heart greatly enhances the detection of the cause and selection of the best treatment of cardioembolic strokes, the "meanest" type of stroke.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
An analysis of 17 studies from nine countries has found that the more lymph nodes that are removed and examined during surgical treatment of colon cancer, the better the outcome appears to be for patients. The study suggests that removal of the nodes takes away a reservoir for potentially lethal cancer, and that knowing how far a cancer has spread leads to tailored and more beneficial treatment, according to researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A small piece of DNA that helps bacteria commonly found in US meat and poultry resist several antibiotics has also been found in the plague bacillus Yersinia pestis, gene sequence researchers report.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
At age 32, Maggie Fermental suffered a stroke that left her right side paralyzed. After a year and a half of conventional therapy with minimal results, she tried a new kind of robotic therapy developed by MIT engineers. A study to appear in the April 2007 issue of the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation shows that the device, which helped Fermental, also had positive results for five other severe stroke patients in a pilot clinical trial.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Scientists may have reached a breakthrough in the search for a lasting cure for type 1 diabetes. Medical researchers have greatly boosted the number of immune T-cells able to shield transplanted pancreatic islet cells from attack by the immune system. Insulin-producing islet cells are deficient in type 1 diabetes.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Medication errors appear to be common, often hidden and associated with adverse events among patients receiving outpatient care after an organ transplant, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The health care system is involved with nearly one-third of these errors.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI) determined that genetically-engineered malaria-resistant mosquitoes fared better than their natural counterparts when fed malaria-infected blood. The results of their study indicated that genetically-engineered (transgenic) mosquitoes lived longer and produced more eggs compared to wild-type mosquitoes.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Eating a high-fat diet may lead to an increased risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to a study in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Antibiotics are prescribed for approximately 82 percent of acute sinus infections and nearly 70 percent of chronic sinus infections, despite the fact that viruses are by far the most frequent cause of this condition, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Women who undergo breast enlargement often see a sizable boost in self-esteem and positive feelings about their sexuality, a University of Florida nurse researcher reports. Although breast augmentation should not be seen as a panacea for feelings of low self-worth or sexual attractiveness, it is important for health-care practitioners to understand the psychological benefits of these procedures.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have found a new and substantial pathway for mercury pollution flowing into coastal waters. Marine chemists have detected much more dissolved mercury entering the ocean through groundwater than from atmospheric and river sources.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Postmenopausal women whose diet contains high amounts of lignans, estrogen-like chemical compounds found in plants, may have a reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a study in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Patients with a variant of a DNA repair gene, known as MLH1, may have an increased risk of a subtype of colorectal cancer, according to a study in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
After an initial chemotherapy treatment, radiation may be a better choice than surgery for patients with stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer, according to a randomized controlled trial published in the March 21 Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The authors suggest that a combination of chemotherapy and radiation should be the preferred treatment option for these patients.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Current methods used to sniff out dangerous airborne pathogens may wrongly suggest that there is no threat to health when, in reality, there may be. But researchers have found a better method for collecting and analyzing these germs that could give a more accurate assessment of their actual threat. For example, the findings may make it easier to detect airborne pathogens in low concentrations.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Scientists have found a gene mutation that can dramatically reduce the number of colon polyps that develop, potentially cutting the risk of cancer. Researchers studying mice prone to develop polyps discovered that animals carrying the damaged gene had about 90 percent fewer polyps in the small intestine and colon. Because people with large numbers of polyps are at higher risk for colon cancer, the finding may provide new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat it.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Many young and middle-aged people of Chinese ancestry told they are at risk of going blind from glaucoma may be getting incorrect information, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Measurement of progression-free survival, a widely used endpoint in cancer clinical trials, has methodological flaws that can lead to biased estimates, according to a study in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Traditional Chinese medical beliefs continue to have an impact on oral health in Beijing, China, says Jacqueline Hom, a dental student at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (Boston, MA, USA), who reports her findings today during the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Scientists report that they have developed a method for the effective healing of, and relief of pain associated with, canker sores.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom have found that, as for rodents and other nonprimates, prenatal exposure of nonhuman primate African vervet monkeys (Chloroceus aethiops) to glucocorticoids has long-lasting deleterious effects on cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuroendocrine function. These data suggest that both repeated glucocorticoid therapy and severe maternal stress late in gestation are likely to have long-term deleterious effects on developing human fetuses.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Although mice, like most mammals, typically view the world with a limited color palette--similar to what some people with red-green color blindness see--scientists have now transformed their vision by introducing a single human gene into a mouse chromosome. The human gene codes for a light sensor that mice do not normally possess, and its insertion allowed the mice to distinguish colors as never before.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
An international research team led by scientists at the Institute of Ophthalmology, UCL (University College London), has found high levels of zinc in the deposits in the eye which are a marker of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the elderly in the developed world. The finding, published in the latest edition of Experimental Eye Research, contributes to a better understanding of AMD and could influence the development of effective treatments.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Researchers in the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam have created a unique way of identifying patients at risk of osteoporosis by using ordinary dental x-rays.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Scientists have found high levels of zinc in amyloid plaque deposits in the eye that are an indication of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The discovery marks an additional similarity between AMD plaques and those seen in Alzheimer's disease and could facilitate the development of effective treatments for AMD.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
When people receive brief telephone-based psychotherapy soon after starting antidepressant medication, strong positive effects may continue 18 months after their first session. So concludes a Group Health study in the April Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. With close to 400 patients, this is the largest study yet of psychotherapy delivered by phone. It's also the first to study the effectiveness of combining phone-based therapy with antidepressant drug treatment as provided in everyday medical practice.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Whether a supplement used by athletes to boost energy levels and build muscle can slow progression of Parkinson's disease is the focus of a North American study.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Geneticists have discovered a new gene that may put individuals at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
In a remote area of the Amazon, globalization is threatening the time-honored transmission of plant knowledge from generation to generation, with adverse effects on childhood health and nutrition. Researchers report that parents, and especially mothers, who know more about plants and how to use them, have healthier children, independent of other factors such as education, market participation or acculturation.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Psychiatric researchers at the Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have uncovered evidence of a new gene that appears to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A drug used to strengthen bone has been found to help reduce the high incidence of hip fractures among people with Parkinson disease, according to a study published in Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
An unprecedented new agreement --part of an aggressive move to safeguard the world's food production - aims to protect thousands of the world's unique rice varieties.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Researchers aim to "smarten up" drone planes so they can better communicate with each other, track moving objects and rely less on human interpretation.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Researchers at the University of Southern California are moving into their next phase of an artificial retinal implant project.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Health Canada, the Canadian government regulatory agency, has approved wide-ranging new health claims for COLD-fX, the most popular cold/flu remedy in Canada.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are often to blame when soldiers are wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The makeshift weapons account for a high percentage of musculoskeletal injuries that, in both theaters, frequently lead to difficult-to-treat infections. Military physicians have faced challenges treating such infections, and the US Army has turned to a University of Missouri-Columbia research physician to study the problem and develop medical solutions.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the United States. Many women's lives could be saved if this cancer was diagnosed earlier, and early diagnosis could be achieved if there were more and easier opportunities to do so. Researchers found that salivary testing could help dentists test for breast cancer.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
A new technique safely and effectively removes blood clots in the body faster, reducing patient risk for pulmonary embolism and disability. The treatment was also shown to have a positive impact on patients' quality of life, relieving symptoms such as pain and swelling.
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 7:36:57 PST
