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Scientists find intra cellular pathway driving a deadly sub-type of breast cancer

An intra cellular pathway not previously linked to breast cancer is driving a sub-type of the disease that is highly lethal and disproportionately over-represented in African American women.

16 Nov 2008

Microvesicles released from glioblastoma cells carry information that may guide treatment

Microvesicles - tiny membrane-covered sacs - released from glioblastoma cells contain molecules that may provide data that can guide treatment of the deadly brain tumor.

16 Nov 2008

Seniors with sharp brains reveal first secrets of sharp memory in old age

Maybe you have an 85-year-old grandfather who still whips through the newspaper crossword puzzle every morning or a 94-year-old aunt who never forgets a name or a face.

16 Nov 2008

New research reveals key steps in HIV's assault on the brain

Scientists have unraveled in unprecedented detail the cascade of events that go wrong in brain cells affected by HIV, a virus whose assault on the nervous system continues unabated despite antiviral medications that can keep the virus at bay for years in the rest of the body.

16 Nov 2008

PEA-15 protein points to potential targeted approach for ovarian cancer

A protein known to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer works in part by forcing cancer cells to eat themselves until they die, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Nov. 15 issue of Cancer Research .

16 Nov 2008

Plastic surgeons warn of malnutrition in body contouring patients

Identifying malnutrition before surgery in massive weight loss patients seeking body contouring will significantly decrease surgical complications, accelerate wound healing, improve scar quality and boost patient energy levels, according to a study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

16 Nov 2008

New clue for cellular damage in Huntington's disease

"Huntington's disease presents an ideal vantage point to study neurodegenerative disease, because we know the misfolded protein that's responsible," says Martin Duennwald, formerly a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist.

16 Nov 2008

How household bleach kills bacteria

Despite the fact that household bleach is commonly used as a disinfectant, exactly how it works to fight bacteria remained an open question.

16 Nov 2008

Cigarette smoke may reshape the left ventricle

Prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke can increase levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine and enzymes in the heart that have the potential to reshape the left ventricle, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

16 Nov 2008

Breakthrough in cellular analysis

Like skilled assassins, many diseases seem to know exactly what types of cells to attack.

16 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's gene apolipoprotein E4 slows export of amyloid-beta

The only known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease slows down the brain's ability to export a toxic protein known as amyloid-beta that is central to the damage the disease causes, scientists have found.

16 Nov 2008

A new method to control bleeding in hemophilia

Investigators at Children's Research Institute, BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Blood Research Institute and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered a new way to help the blood clot by having the missing clotting factor packaged in the patient's own platelets.

13 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's gene slows brain's ability to export toxic protein

13 Nov 2008

Breakthrough in cell-type analysis offers new ways to study development and disease

Like skilled assassins, many diseases seem to know exactly what types of cells to attack. While decimating one cadre of cells, diseases will inexplicably spare a seemingly identical group of neighbors. What makes cells vulnerable or not depends largely on the kinds and amounts of proteins they produce - their 'translational profile,' in the lingo of molecular biology. For this reason, scientists have struggled to parse the subtle molecular differences among the hundreds of specialized cell types that are tangled together in tissues like the brain.

13 Nov 2008

Rosuvastatin trial shows dramatic reduction in hidden heart disease

A Harvard-led study shows that the risk of heart attack and stroke among subjects with "silent heart disease" - and normal cholesterol levels - can be dramatically reduced by the use of an already widely prescribed class of drugs.

13 Nov 2008

Discovery of stem cells with potential to regenerate injured liver tissue

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy.

12 Nov 2008

New nanofibers spun from a common blood protein to close wounds with minimal scarring

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a strong, flexible, bio-material that may be used someday to close wounds with minimal scarring and rejection by the immune system.

12 Nov 2008

Blood levels of resistin a new biomarker for heart failure

Blood levels of resistin, a hormone produced by fat cells, can independently predict an individual's risk of heart failure, cardiologists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

12 Nov 2008

Discovery of essential mechanism for maintenance of myelin's structure

In a new study, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, and the University of Montreal have discovered an essential mechanism for the maintenance of the normal structure of myelin, the protective covering that insulates and supports nerve cells (neurons).

12 Nov 2008

Isoflurane induces Alzheimer's-associated changes in mouse brains

For the first time researchers have shown that a commonly used anesthetic can produce changes associated with Alzheimer's disease in the brains of living mammals, confirming previous laboratory studies.

12 Nov 2008