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Novel sensor measures individual particles in blood samples

Norwegian researchers have developed the world's first sensor capable of measuring individual particles in a blood sample. This new innovation could cause a sensation in the medical world.

7 Dec 2012

Drug offers alternative treatment strategy for insomnia

Orexin receptor antagonism may offer a novel treatment approach to insomnia, clinical findings suggest.

7 Dec 2012

CRP40 may have pathogenic role in schizophrenia

Gene expression of catecholamine-regulated protein 40 is dysregulated in people with schizophrenia, study findings show.

7 Dec 2012

Study demonstrates how parasites enter the brain to influence its host

Toxoplasma is a common 'cat parasite', and has previously been in the spotlight owing to its observed effect on risk-taking and other human behaviours. To some extent, it has also been associated with mental illness. A study led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now demonstrates for the first time how the parasite enters the brain to influence its host.

7 Dec 2012

Study finds previously unrecognized way that degradation can occur in silicone-urethane plastics

Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized way that degradation can occur in silicone-urethane plastics that are often considered for use in medical devices. Their study, published in ACS' journal Macromolecules, could have implications for device manufacturers considering use of these plastics in the design of some implantable devices, including cardiac defibrillation leads.

7 Dec 2012

JAACAP editorial addresses 'translation gap' in autism research

An editorial published in the November 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) discusses the challenge of translating scientific research in autism into clinical practice, and presents a series of studies published over several months that address this 'translation gap'.

7 Dec 2012

Researchers discover 29 proteins associated with spread of kidney cancer

Researchers at St. Michael's hospital have identified 29 proteins that are likely to be involved in the spread of kidney cancer. The discovery will help physicians recognize which tumours are going to behave more aggressively and provide those patients with more intensive treatment and closer followup.

7 Dec 2012

Positive results from NanoString's second clinical study of PAM50-based breast cancer assay

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostic products, today announced positive results from the second clinical validation study of its in vitro diagnostic breast cancer assay based on the PAM50 gene expression signature.

From NanoString Technologies 7 Dec 2012

SOX2 directly regulated by tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene

A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Manuel Serrano, from the Tumour Suppression Group, together with scientists from London and Santiago de Compostela, has discovered that the cellular reprogramming gene SOX2, which is involved in several types of cancers, such as lung cancer and pituitary cancer, is directly regulated by the tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene, which is also associated with these types of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

Scientists identify novel mechanism by which ketogenic diet could delay effects of aging

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified a novel mechanism by which a type of low-carb, low-calorie diet-called a "ketogenic diet"-could delay the effects of aging. This fundamental discovery reveals how such a diet could slow the aging process and may one day allow scientists to better treat or prevent age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and many forms of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

Scientists identify key molecular pathway that leads to depression

Scientists have identified the key molecular pathway leading to depression, revealing potential new targets for drug discovery, according to research led by King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry. The study, published today in Neuropsychopharmacology, reveals for the first time that the 'Hedgehog pathway' regulates how stress hormones, usually elevated during depression, reduce the number of brain cells.

6 Dec 2012

Researchers unlock mechanisms of how the body converts dietary carbohydrates into fat

A gene that helps the body convert that big plate of holiday cookies you just polished off into fat could provide a new target for potential treatments for fatty liver disease, diabetes and obesity.

6 Dec 2012

Study catalogs genetic variation of microbes that live in the gut

Our bodies contain far more microbial genes than human genes. And a new study suggests that just as human DNA varies from person to person, so too does the massive collection of microbial DNA in the intestine.

6 Dec 2012

ASU scientists use X-ray laser to reveal 3-D structure of cathepsin B enzyme

An international team of scientists, using the world's most powerful X-ray laser, has revealed the three dimensional structure of a key enzyme that enables the single-celled parasite that causes African trypanosomiasis (or sleeping sickness) in humans.

6 Dec 2012

Western University research could lead to better treatments for PTSD and drug addiction

New research from Western University could lead to better treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and drug addiction by effectively blocking memories. The research performed by Nicole Lauzon, a PhD candidate in the laboratory of Steven Laviolette at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry has revealed a common mechanism in a region of the brain called the pre-limbic cortex, can control the recall of memories linked to both aversive, traumatic experiences associated with PTSD and rewarding memories linked to drug addiction.

6 Dec 2012

New prenatal genetic test results in more clinically relevant information

A large, multi-center clinical trial led by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) shows that a new genetic test resulted in significantly more clinically relevant information than the current standard method of prenatal testing.

6 Dec 2012

Breast milk banks: an interview with Dr. Pieter Koorts

The available literature clearly demonstrates that in almost all circumstances a mother’s own breast milk is the ideal food for her infant. This is particularly important for preterm infants. Preterm infants are babies born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

5 Dec 2012

WHO assists Middle East authorities with coronavirus investigation

The World Health Organization has sent a team to Jordan at the request of the country’s Ministry of Health to help investigate the emergence of a novel coronavirus that resulted in the deaths of two people earlier this year, and to assist with further epidemiologic surveillance.

5 Dec 2012

University of Chicago professor wins Manpei Suzuki International Prize for diabetes work

Graeme Ian Bell, PhD, the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and an investigator in the Kovler Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago, has been awarded the Manpei Suzuki International Prize for 2012 for his pioneering work in understanding the role of genetics in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

5 Dec 2012

New metabolic biomarkers can detect risk of illnesses in advance

One of the big challenges of biomedicine is understanding the origin of illnesses in order to improve early detection and significantly increase recovery rates, as well as being able to do what CNIO researchers call preventive molecular medicine, which consists of identifying those individuals who have a greater molecular risk of suffering certain pathologies in order to prevent them.

5 Dec 2012