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Study: Sleep allows brain to flush out damaging molecules linked with neurodegeneration

A good night's rest may literally clear the mind. Using mice, researchers showed for the first time that the space between brain cells may increase during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out toxins that build up during waking hours.

18 Oct 2013

Research findings point the way to new class of antibiotics for skin and heart infections

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a new mechanism by which the deadly Staphylococcus aureus bacteria attack and kill off immune cells. Their findings, published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, explain a critical survival tactic of a pathogen that causes more skin and heart infections than any other microbe, and kills more than 100,000 Americans every year.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers discover how Fra-1 protein protects the liver from drug-induced liver damage

Drug abuse and alcohol are some of the most frequent causes of liver damage, particularly in developed countries. Such kind of liver damage can cause irreversible liver failure and even cancer. Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered an important new protective role of the Fra-1 protein, which neutralizes the damage caused by agents, such as the analgesic drug acetaminophen (Paracetamol).

12 Oct 2013

Kindergarten-age children have poorer health if mother has chaotic work life

Kindergarten-age children have poorer health if their home life is marked by disorder, noise and a lack of routine and they have a mother who has a chaotic work life, new research suggests.

10 Oct 2013

PhotoMedex introduces NEOVA's hyper-active moisturizer, DNA Barrier Accelerator

PhotoMedex, the leader in photodamage repair technology, clinical skincare and medical laser products for more than a decade, introduces NEOVA® SmartSkinCare brand's DNA Barrier Accelerator, a hyper-active moisturizer that rehabilitates and fortifies the skin's essential protective barrier. DNA Barrier Accelerator is available for purchase in dermatology offices nationwide and on NEOVA.com.

4 Oct 2013

Scientists move closer to growing therapeutic brain cells in laboratory

Bethesda, MD-A group of really brainy scientists have moved closer to growing "therapeutic" brain cells in the laboratory that can be re-integrated back into patients' brains to treat a wide range of neurological conditions.

1 Oct 2013

Mexican scientists reveal aflatoxins relationship with cervical and liver cancer in humans

Mexican scientists identified and quantified the amount of aflatoxins (carcinogenic) in food such as corn tortilla, rice, chili pepper, processed sauces, chicken breast and eggs, and revealed its relationship with cervical and liver cancer in humans.

1 Oct 2013

Drug used in patients for cancer treatment has beneficial effects on diabetes

A pair of studies by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has identified a molecular pathway - a series of interaction among proteins - involved in the development of diabetes. Furthermore, they have found that a drug already approved for use in humans can regulate the pathway.

16 Sep 2013

Wake Forest Baptist conducts $24 million project to accelerate development of new therapies

Whether it's the Ebola virus or Sarin and Ricin, a key to responding to chemical or biological attacks is having effective antidotes at the ready. To accelerate the development of new therapies, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine is leading a unique $24 million federally funded project to develop a "body on a chip" that will be used to develop these countermeasures.

12 Sep 2013

Research findings may help scientists develop anthrax treatments for humans

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, both part of the National Institutes of Health, have identified the cells in two distinct areas of the body that are simultaneously targeted for damage by anthrax toxins, eventually causing illness and sometimes death. Their findings, which appeared online today in Nature, are based on testing in mice.

29 Aug 2013

Study reveals role of cadherin receptor BT-R3 in killing action of Cry4B mosquito toxin

Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), led by Dr. Lee Bulla, have demonstrated for the first time the selective cytotoxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis Cry4B toxin is mediated by BT-R3.

27 Aug 2013

NIST and USAMRIID scientists advance crucial step in anthrax infection process

A new hypothesis concerning a crucial step in the anthrax infection process has been advanced by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Md.

21 Aug 2013

New book on evolution and future of human reproduction

Human beings would probably be known as pilosals rather than mammals if Carl Linnaeus had not been a proponent of breast-feeding. For social and political reasons, the famed taxonomist labeled the class of animals to which humans belong with a reference to their practice of suckling their young rather than to their evolutionarily older characteristic of having hair.

21 Aug 2013

Study shows superantigens produced by staph bacteria cause infective endocarditis and sepsis

University of Iowa researchers have discovered what causes the lethal effects of staphylococcal infective endocarditis - a serious bacterial infection of heart valves that kills approximately 20,000 Americans each year.

20 Aug 2013

Copper enhances progression of Alzheimer's disease

Copper appears to be one of the main environmental factors that trigger the onset and enhance the progression of Alzheimer's disease by preventing the clearance and accelerating the accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain. That is the conclusion of a study appearing today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

20 Aug 2013

New discovery to fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs

The fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs has taken a step forward thanks to a new discovery by scientists at The University of Nottingham.

14 Aug 2013

Pregnant women with thyroid hormone deficiency are 4 times likelier to produce autistic children

Pregnant women who don't make nearly enough thyroid hormone are nearly 4 times likelier to produce autistic children than healthy women, report scientists from the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute and Erasmus Medical Centre in an upcoming Annals of Neurology (online today).

14 Aug 2013

Harvard University receives grant to use organs-on-chips device to test human response to radiation

A team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has received a $5.6 million grant award from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use its Organs-on-Chips technology for a novel application of keen interest to national security and health officials: to test human physiological responses to radiation, and to evaluate drugs designed to counter those effects.

13 Aug 2013

United Steelworkers celebrates upcoming fifth anniversary of CPSIA

The United Steelworkers (USW) today noted the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), landmark legislation that helps protect America's children from lead exposure and other safety hazards.

12 Aug 2013

High mobility group (HMG) genes and cancer: an interview with Dr. Linda Resar, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

High mobility group A genes are highly expressed in all aggressive cancers studied to date. These genes encode the high mobility group A (HMGA) proteins. In other words, these genes provide the genetic “code” necessary to produce HMGA proteins.

8 Aug 2013