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Metallothioneins play major role in virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans

Metallothioneins, proteins able to capture metal ions, play a major role in the virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen which causes severe infections in immunodeficient and immunocompetent individuals (AIDS patients, transplant receivers, etc.)

5 Apr 2013

Study suggests drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over 50, shares a common link with atherosclerosis.

3 Apr 2013

New program helps health care workers get back on their feet following tragedy

When a patient dies unexpectedly, whether suddenly or after a long illness, the loss can hit loved ones hard. In some of these cases, health care workers can be affected deeply due to the emotional bonding that can occur between patients and their caregivers.

27 Mar 2013

Scientists identify potential treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have unlocked another piece of the puzzle surrounding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an often fatal lung disease with no cure and no effective treatments.

25 Mar 2013

Research findings could lead to new therapeutic strategy for heart failure

New research from UC Davis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that blocking an enzyme that promotes inflammation can prevent the tissue damage following a heart attack that often leads to heart failure.

24 Mar 2013

Cedars-Sinai surgeons perform more adult heart transplants in 2012, statistics show

For the third year in a row, the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Comprehensive Transplant Center performed more adult heart transplants than any other U.S. medical center, according to statistics compiled by the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit organization that manages the nation's transplant system.

21 Mar 2013

Phase 1b study of olesoxime initiated in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

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14 Mar 2013

Specialists offer new technique for nostril reconstruction

The skin cancer growing on Carolyn Bohlmann's nose was not a very aggressive variety. But it was deep and located right on her nostril. The tricky part was not so much removing it - MOHS surgery, the procedure Bohlmann had, is a fairly common outpatient procedure.

14 Mar 2013

Midwall fibrosis may increase likelihood of death in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Detection of midwall fibrosis (the presence of scar tissue in the middle of the heart muscle wall) via magnetic resonance imaging among patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition affecting the heart muscle) was associated with an increased likelihood of death.

7 Mar 2013

Study evaluates patients with regional myocardial wall thinning

Among patients with coronary artery disease referred for cardiovascular magnetic resonance and found to have regional myocardial wall thinning (of the heart muscle), limited scar burden was associated with improved contraction of the heart and reversal of wall thinning after revascularization, suggesting that myocardial thinning is potentially reversible, according to a study appearing in the March 6 issue of JAMA.

7 Mar 2013

Microbubble-ultrasound method improves cardiac output after heart attack

Scientists from the Bonn University Hospital successfully tested a method in mice allowing the morphological and functional sequelae of a myocardial infarction to be reduced. Tiny gas bubbles are made to oscillate within the heart via focused ultrasound - this improves microcirculation and decreases the size of the scar tissue. The results show that the mice, following myocardial infarction, have improved cardiac output as a result of this method, as compared to untreated animals.

21 Feb 2013

CARHY successfully conducts urology surgery through HOLEP 100 watt laser technique

Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur (CARHY) successfully conducted a Urology surgery through an advanced laser technology - HOLEP. The team of doctors led by Dr Manohar, Consultant Urologist at CARHY removed a large prostate gland weighing 350 gms, hitherto unheard of in medical history.

18 Feb 2013

Study reveals how calcium signal repairs damaged tissue

For the first time scientists studying the cellular processes underlying the body's response to healing have revealed how a flash of calcium is the very first step in repairing damaged tissue. The findings, published in Current Biology, could lead to new therapies that speed up the healing process following injury or surgery.

15 Feb 2013

Migraine, epilepsy and genetics: an interview with Dr. Melodie Winawer

This work is the product of an extraordinary consortium called the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome project (EPGP). It is a consortium of 27 centres in the U.S. and internationally with several hundred physicians and staff who have worked together to enrol more than 4000 patients with epilepsy and their family members.

7 Feb 2013

Risk factors identified for renal abnormality in vesicoureteral reflux

Researchers have identified the main risk factors for renal functional abnormalities in children with high-grade vesicoureteral reflux.

4 Feb 2013

LOX enzyme can create scarred microenvironment that enhances cancer spreading

What to fear most if faced by a cancer diagnosis is the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. This process called metastasis accounts for over 90% of cancer patient deaths and therefore is a strong focus for cancer researchers.

28 Jan 2013

Stem cell transplantation prevents decrease in heart function associated with DMD

Researchers have shown that transplanting stem cells derived from normal mouse blood vessels into the hearts of mice that model the pathology associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) prevents the decrease in heart function associated with DMD.

16 Jan 2013

Neurolysis combats hip replacement sciatic nerve pain

Preliminary research suggests that neurolysis can significantly reduce neuropathic pain in patients who develop sciatic nerve palsy after total hip replacement.

14 Jan 2013

Bionic devices: an interview with Dr Rylie Green

Bionic devices are implants which replace biological functions which have been lost due to nerve damage. They use electrical signals to stimulate the remaining nerve cells following disease or injury. Although the term bionic was only coined in the late 1950s, the earliest bionic devices were cardiac pacemakers, developed in the early 1900s. However the first commercial implantable units were not available until the 1950s.

14 Jan 2013

Scientists develop playbook to end devastating impact of fibrotic diseases

A team of scientists has developed a playbook for ending the devastating impact of fibrotic diseases of the liver, lung, kidney, and other organs, which are responsible for as many as 45 percent of all deaths in the industrialized world.

11 Jan 2013