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Northwestern scientists discover 'wasabi receptor' for pain in flatworms

A Northwestern University research team has discovered how scalding heat and tissue injury activate an ancient "pain" receptor in simple animals. The findings could lead to new strategies for analgesic drug design for the treatment of humans.

17 Oct 2017

Arsenic trioxide could be powerful therapy to extend lives of certain glioblastoma patients

From Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie, arsenic is often the poison of choice in popular whodunits. But in ultra-low dosage, and in the right form, this naturally occurring chemical element can be a potent force against cancer.

17 Oct 2017

New imaging system offers better way to monitor brain changes from Alzheimer's in mouse models

An estimated 5.5 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Although treatments can slow the worsening of symptoms, scientists are still working to better understand the neurodegenerative disease so that curative and preventative medicines can be developed.

17 Oct 2017

Study opens door to new approach for curing HIV infections

In findings that open the door to a completely different approach to curing HIV infections, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time shown that a novel compound effectively suppresses production of the virus in chronically infected cells, and prevents viral rebound, even when those infected cells are subjected to vigorous stimulation.

17 Oct 2017

Genetic diversity plays major role in evolution of drug resistance

Researchers have shown that genetic diversity plays a key role in enabling drug resistance to evolve. Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Institute for Research on Cancer and Ageing of Nice in France, show that high genetic diversity can prime new mutations that cause drug resistance.

17 Oct 2017

Study reveals link between cancer relapse and body’s immune system

Results from a new study conducted at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, suggests cancer cells that remain in the body after treatment, utilize the immune system of the body to wake themselves up and boost their growth.

17 Oct 2017

Mixed ad appeals lead to high medication empowerment among patients, study reveals

Autumn is flu season and that means it is high season for pharmacies selling over-the-counter cold and flu remedies. Those who aren't reminded by their own running noses are sure to be alerted to these types of pharmaceutical drugs by advertisements and posters.

17 Oct 2017

Timing is crucial for corticosteroids to aid healing of tendons

A corticosteroid can improve the healing of damaged tendons, but it must be given at the right time, according to a new study from Linköping University in Sweden. In rats, the tendon became twice as strong. The results are presented in the journal Scientific Reports.

17 Oct 2017

Want an IUD? Take note of Trump’s new birth control policy.

The Trump administration's recently announced changes to health insurance rules have raised concerns among people wondering how they'll be affected. This week, I address some of the questions likely on people's minds.

17 Oct 2017

Study uses precision medicine approach to find effective treatments for rare cancers

For the first time, researchers have been able to identify effective treatments for patients with rare cancers by analyzing genes and proteins in their blood and tumors. In a study reported in The Oncologist, half the patients receiving these targeted treatments saw their rare cancers either stabilize, shrink or go into remission.

17 Oct 2017

Study sheds new light on why autism is more common in boys

Researchers aiming to understand why autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are more common in boys have discovered differences in a brain signaling pathway involved in reward learning and motivation that make male mice more vulnerable to an autism-causing genetic glitch.

17 Oct 2017

A few pointers to help save money and avoid the strain of Medicare enrollment

Older or disabled Americans with Medicare coverage have probably noticed an uptick in mail solicitations from health insurance companies, which can mean only one thing: It’s time for the annual Medicare open enrollment.

17 Oct 2017

USC study reveals how schizophrenia has biological effect on the entire brain

Some 40 years since CT scans first revealed abnormalities in the brains of schizophrenia patients, international scientists say the disorder is a systemic disruption to the brain's entire communication system.

17 Oct 2017

Cascade of costs could push new gene therapy above $1 million per patient

Outrage over the high cost of cancer care has focused on skyrocketing drug prices, including the $475,000 price tag for the country's first gene therapy, Novartis' Kymriah, a leukemia treatment approved in August.

17 Oct 2017

CHOP researchers discover key differences among gene fusions in childhood brain tumors

Researchers investigating pediatric low-grade gliomas, the most common type of brain tumor in children, have discovered key biological differences in how mutated genes combine with other genes to drive this childhood cancer.

17 Oct 2017

Magic mushrooms chemical Psilocybin for treatment of hard-to treat depression

A new study from UK has found efficacy of psilocybin – a chemical found in “magic mushrooms”, in severe depression. The study involved 19 patients with severe depression. The patients took the psilocybin and around half of them improved and reported maintained improvement after 5 weeks of therapy. The patients however also received psychological care along with the treatment.

16 Oct 2017