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Live, multi-strain probiotic drink may benefit people with ulcerative colitis

People with ulcerative colitis may benefit from taking the live, multi-strain probiotic drink, Symprove, to reduce intestinal inflammation, according to the results of a new study presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2015.

18 May 2015

Researchers get NSF funding to create virtual-heart platform to improve medical device development

A virtual-heart platform proposed by Stony Brook researchers and colleagues to improve and accelerate medical-device development and testing has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the amount of $4.2 million over five years.

18 May 2015

New findings could help better understand neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), of the University of Luxembourg, have, under Dr. Manuel Buttini, successfully measured metabolic profiles, or the metabolomes, of different brain regions, and their findings could help better understand neurodegenerative diseases.

18 May 2015

Meditation optimizes adaptive behavior

Certain meditation techniques can promote behavior to vary adaptively from moment to moment depending on current goals, rather than remaining rigid and inflexible.

18 May 2015

Discovery has clear implications in the quest for new epilepsy treatments

The mission of neural stem cells located in the hippocampus, one of the main regions of the brain, is to generate new neurons during the adult life of mammals, including human beings, of course, and their function is to participate in certain types of learning and responses to anxiety and stress.

18 May 2015

Research leads way for noninvasive detection of early stage liver cancer

Led by Georgia State University, researchers have developed the first robust and noninvasive detection of early stage liver cancer and liver metastases, in addition to other liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and liver fibrosis.

15 May 2015

Researchers discover how and where chromosome fragile sites occur in human DNA

Using a novel method they developed to map chromosome breaks in a model organism, the budding yeast, Wenyi Feng, Ph.D., of Upstate Medical University and her colleagues have discovered new information as to how and where chromosome fragile sites can occur in human DNA. These sites are frequently observed in cancer cells and are responsible for causing genomic rearrangements.

15 May 2015

New genomics laboratory in Liberia enables scientists to monitor genetic changes in Ebola virus

Army scientists working to support the Ebola virus outbreak response in West Africa have established the first genomic surveillance capability in Liberia, enabling them to monitor genetic changes in the virus within one week of sample collection. An article describing their work was recently published ahead of print in the online edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

15 May 2015

Study evaluates prenatal nutrition and genome-wide DNA patterns in adults exposed to malnutrition

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Leiden University in the Netherlands found that children whose mothers were malnourished at famine levels during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy had changes in DNA methylation known to suppress genes involved in growth, development, and metabolism documented at age 59.

15 May 2015

Smoking-related DNA damage can be detected in cheek swabs

DNA damage caused by smoking can be detected in cheek swabs, finds research published today in JAMA Oncology. The study provides evidence that smoking induces a general cancer program that is also present in cancers which aren't usually associated with it - including breast and gynaecological cancers.

15 May 2015

Profiling normal DNA provides opportunity to identify inherited mutations

As the practice of genetically profiling patient tumors for clinical treatment decision making becomes more commonplace, a recent study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests that profiling normal DNA also provides an important opportunity to identify inherited mutations that could be critical for patients and their families.

15 May 2015

Researchers explore how low-level electrical stimulation reduces inflammation

The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, the research arm of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and SetPoint Medical Inc., a biomedical technology company, today released the results of research on the therapeutic potential of vagus nerve stimulation. In a paper published by Bioelectronic Medicine, Kevin J. Tracey, MD, and his colleagues at the Feinstein Institute, explore how low-level electrical stimulation interacts with the body's nerves to reduce inflammation, a fundamental goal of bioelectronic medicine.

15 May 2015

Scientists identify new molecules that destroy cancer cells, save healthy ones

Researchers have identified new molecules that kill cancer cells while protecting healthy cells and that could be used to treat a variety of different cancers. The research shines a light on what happens to cells at the moment they become cancerous.

15 May 2015

Researchers report new label-free chemical imaging that provides similar information as molecular stains

Histopathology is a cornerstone of modern biomedical research. Yet, the practice of histopathology has evolved just a few times -- non-specific stains in the late 19th century, immunohistochemical staining in the mid-to-late 20th century and digital imaging/computerized analysis at the turn of the 20th century. In all cases, prepared biopsy samples are stained and examined under a light microscope.

15 May 2015

Allen Institute makes progress in brain research with launch of Allen Cell Types Database

The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today that it is taking the first major scientific step to create a searchable standards database for the brain with the launch of the Allen Cell Types Database. This first release includes information on the location, electrical activity and shape of more than 240 neurons.

14 May 2015

Ground-breaking discovery could revolutionise lupus treatments

A ground-breaking discovery by Monash University researchers could revolutionise treatments given to lupus sufferers, saving thousands of people each year from serious illness or death caused by secondary infections.

14 May 2015

MO BIO announces launch of PowerMag DNA Clean-Up Kit

MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., the leader in soil, environmental, plant and microbial nucleic acid purification, announces the launch of the PowerMag DNA Clean-Up Kit, for automated, hands-free clean-up of DNA samples that require a secondary purification for removal of PCR inhibitors. This kit features MO BIO's novel ClearMag magnetic bead technology.

14 May 2015