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Low-oxygen exposure shortly after birth may increase learning and behavioral disorder risks

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, shows that the development of white matter in the mouse brains is delayed when they are exposed to chronic low oxygen levels shortly after birth.

7 Jan 2016

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

The conclusion drawn from a recent study that insertion of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) into human DNA causes mutations leading to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was resoundingly rejected by leading researchers in the fields of gene therapy and molecular genetics.

7 Jan 2016

Scientists reveal underlying mechanisms that lead to more difficult-to-treat symptoms of schizophrenia

Scientists at Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, and the Université Paris Descartes have found that deficits in social memory--a crucial yet poorly understood feature of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia--may be due to a decrease in the number of a particular class of brain cells, called inhibitory neurons, in a little-explored region within the brain's memory center.

7 Jan 2016

New CRISPR technology can be used to make designer babies

How should we handle the new CRISPR technology that can both advance science and medicine, but also be used to make designer babies? Scientist and author Paul Knoepfler tackles this and other difficult questions related to this revolutionary technology in his new book, GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies, targeted at a broad, lay audience.

7 Jan 2016

Study shows that twins may share cancer risk

In a long-term follow-up study among approximately 200,000 Nordic twin individuals, there was an increased cancer risk in twins whose co-twin was diagnosed with cancer, with an increased risk for cancer overall and for specific types of cancer, including prostate, melanoma, breast, ovary, and uterus, according to a study in the January 5 issue of JAMA.

7 Jan 2016

Discovery may pave way for more effective treatments for pandemics, seasonal flu

Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered how flu viruses 'hijack' cell machinery when they infect the body. The findings, published in the journal Nature, may pave the way for more effective antiviral treatments for pandemics and for seasonal flu, which infects over 800 million people worldwide every year.

7 Jan 2016

Insulin-producing cells' mitochondria may represent useful therapeutic target in type 2 diabetes

Factors in the blood from calorie-restricted rats can modify energy-producing mitochondria within the insulin-producing cells that regulate blood sugar levels, new research shows. This has a positive impact on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and protects cells from fatty acid and glucose toxicity.

7 Jan 2016

Eliminating the 'bad seeds' of liver cancer

Researchers have found the 'bad seeds' of liver cancer and believe they could one day reprogram them to remain responsive to cancer treatment, a new study has found.

7 Jan 2016

Physician-researchers find link between 'dry eye' and chronic pain syndromes

Physician-researchers with Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, part of UHealth--the University of Miami Health System, have found a link between "dry eye" and chronic pain syndromes -- a finding that suggests that a new paradigm is needed for diagnosis and treatment to improve patient outcomes.

7 Jan 2016

Pediatric oncologists devise new treatments for neuroblastoma

Pediatric oncologists from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have reported their latest results in devising new treatments for stubbornly deadly forms of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma.

7 Jan 2016

Scientists seek development of advanced tools to explore microbiomes

In October, an interdisciplinary group of scientists proposed forming a Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI) to explore the world of microorganisms that are central to life on Earth and yet largely remain a mystery. An article in the journal ACS Nano describes the tools scientists will need to understand how microbes interact with each other and with us.

7 Jan 2016

Common antibiotics can promote C. diff infections by killing off bile acid-altering microbes

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Michigan finds that bile acids which are altered by bacteria normally living in the large intestine inhibit the growth of Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. C. diff is a harmful bacterium that can cause painful and sometimes fatal infections.

7 Jan 2016

Combining NELL-1 with BMP2 therapy may promote bone development

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) is used clinically to promote bone repair. However, the high BMP2 concentrations required to stimulate bone growth in humans may produce life-threatening adverse effects such as cervical swelling in spinal fusion procedures, a problem that prompted an FDA warning in 2008.

7 Jan 2016

Scientists develop a method for cell replacement in diseased vessels

In industrialized countries, a particularly high number of people suffer from arteriosclerosis -- with fatal consequences: Deposits in the arteries lead to strokes and heart attacks. A team of researchers under the leadership of the University of Bonn has now developed a method for guiding replacement cells to diseased vascular segments using nanoparticles.

7 Jan 2016

UF researchers reveal link between chronic stress and fat metabolism

In cell and mouse model experiments, University of Florida Health researchers have discovered that chronic stress stimulates production of betatrophin, a protein that then goes on to inhibit an enzyme involved in fat metabolism.

7 Jan 2016

Leukaemia drug could slow progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A drug commonly used to treat leukaemia is showing potential as a treatment that could slow the progression of the muscle-wasting condition, Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

6 Jan 2016

Researchers link idiopathic congenital nystagmus to a defect in neurocomputation

Botond Roska and his group at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research implicate a clearly defined neuron type and its circuit in the retina in the pathophysiology of idiopathic congenital nystagmus.

6 Jan 2016

Toxins in staphylococcus bacteria can help cancer cells gain control over healthy cells

Our skin is covered in millions of bacteria and most of them help keep us healthy. However, for patients with lymphoma, it may be a rather different story, as new research from the University of Copenhagen shows that toxins in the staphylococcus bacteria help cancer cells gain control over healthy cells.

6 Jan 2016

Scientists successfully create fully-functional pancreatic cells from human skin cells

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco have successfully converted human skin cells into fully-functional pancreatic cells. The new cells produced insulin in response to changes in glucose levels, and, when transplanted into mice, the cells protected the animals from developing diabetes in a mouse model of the disease.

6 Jan 2016

Vanderbilt-led study questions about reporting genetic results to patients

A genetic test that suggests a patient may be at increased risk for potentially fatal heart rhythms is very often not as ominous as it sounds.

6 Jan 2016

Medical Science News

Low-oxygen exposure shortly after birth may increase learning and behavioral disorder risks

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

Scientists reveal underlying mechanisms that lead to more difficult-to-treat symptoms of schizophrenia

New CRISPR technology can be used to make designer babies

Study shows that twins may share cancer risk

Discovery may pave way for more effective treatments for pandemics, seasonal flu

Insulin-producing cells' mitochondria may represent useful therapeutic target in type 2 diabetes

Eliminating the 'bad seeds' of liver cancer

Physician-researchers find link between 'dry eye' and chronic pain syndromes

Pediatric oncologists devise new treatments for neuroblastoma

Scientists seek development of advanced tools to explore microbiomes

Common antibiotics can promote C. diff infections by killing off bile acid-altering microbes

Combining NELL-1 with BMP2 therapy may promote bone development

Scientists develop a method for cell replacement in diseased vessels

UF researchers reveal link between chronic stress and fat metabolism

Leukaemia drug could slow progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers link idiopathic congenital nystagmus to a defect in neurocomputation

Toxins in staphylococcus bacteria can help cancer cells gain control over healthy cells

Scientists successfully create fully-functional pancreatic cells from human skin cells

Vanderbilt-led study questions about reporting genetic results to patients

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