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Researchers find new path to antibiotics in dirt

A teaspoon of dirt contains an estimated 10,000 species of bacteria, but it's only one percent of these microbial bugs - the ones that can be grown easily in a lab - that have brought us antibiotics, anticancer agents and other useful drugs.

7 Nov 2008

10 years of stem cells science

Ten years ago this month (Nov. 6, 1998), the publication in the journal Science of a short paper entitled "Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Blastocysts" rocked biology - and the world - as the all-purpose stem cell and its possibilities were ushered into the limelight.

7 Nov 2008

Significant weakness found in dementia screening method

A research team led by Dr Alisoun Milne, a Senior Lecturer at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent, has identified weaknesses in the most widely employed dementia screening instrument currently used in primary care.

7 Nov 2008

Discovery of new biochemical pathway which controls DNA repair

From the sun's UVA rays to tobacco smoke, our environment is chock-full of DNA-damaging agents that can lead to cancer.

7 Nov 2008

Pregnancy diabetes doubles the risk of language development problems in children

Children born to mothers with pregnancy-related diabetes run twice the risk of language development problems, according to a research team directed by Professor Ginette Dionne of Université Laval's School of Psychology.

7 Nov 2008

Researchers screen 700 molecules by RNAi to identify host factors involved in malaria infection

The researchers of the Malaria Unit at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (IMM, Lisbon, Portugal) publish in the peer reviewed journal PLoS Pathogens the results of a large scale screening of more than 700 genes to identify host factors involved in the liver stage of malaria infection.

7 Nov 2008

Alteration of a gene causes neuroblastoma

Olivier Delattre's team (Inserm Unit 830 "Genetics and Biology of Cancer") of the Institut Curie reveal in an article in the 16 October issue of Nature that alteration of the ALK gene is closely associated with the most frequent solid extracerebral tumor in children-neuroblastoma. By studying the familial forms of this tumor, the researchers also conclude that ALK is a gene that predisposes to neuroblastoma.

7 Nov 2008

Gene research sheds light on T-cell production

New research, just published by researchers from the University of Georgia, provides the first evidence that a key gene may be crucial to maintaining the production of the thymus and its disease-fighting T-cells after an animal's birth.

7 Nov 2008

Studys looks at bicycle-related injuries in children

Although bicycles are a healthy and cost-saving alternative for transportation, automobiles continue to be the only consumer product associated with more childhood injuries.

7 Nov 2008

Nanoparticles dramatically improve effectiveness of antibacterial treatments

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new technology which can dramatically improve the effectiveness of antibacterial treatments.

7 Nov 2008

Kidney transplantation provides cognitive benefits for patients with kidney disease

Individuals with kidney disease often suffer from cognitive impairment, but kidney transplantation can improve their mental performance, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

7 Nov 2008

Iron is the key to reducing infant mortality in China

A team of investigators from the Xi'an Jiaotong University, and The George Institute for International Health and the School of Public Health, the University of Sydney, have been involved in a new study in China that has revealed the significant impact of iron supplements during pregnancy on preventing deaths in infants under four weeks of age.

7 Nov 2008

Impulse control area in brain affected in teens with genetic vulnerability for alcoholism

A new study suggests that genetic factors influence size variations in a certain region of the brain, which could in turn be partly responsible for increased susceptibility to alcohol dependence.

7 Nov 2008

How RNA polymerase kick starts gene activation revealed

How 'molecular machines' inside cells swing into action to activate genes at different times in a cell's life is revealed in new research published in Molecular Cell.

7 Nov 2008

Growth hormone treatment helps short children grow up

Growth hormone treatment may significantly increase final height in children diagnosed with short stature, even in cases where the child is not growth hormone deficient, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

7 Nov 2008

For African Americans with hypertensive nephrosclerosis, end stage renal disease risks exceed risk of death from heart disease

For most patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the risk of experiencing a cardiovascular related death is greater than the risk of progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

7 Nov 2008

Dermatitis management

Although the variety of substances that can cause contact dermatitis is almost limitless, it often can be effectively managed with the proper diagnosis and treatment according to investigators presenting the latest research at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Seattle.

7 Nov 2008

Experts discuss future of public health research on Down syndrome

Down syndrome, the most commonly identified cause of cognitive impairment, occurs in approximately 1-in-700 births in the United States.

7 Nov 2008

ERSD, heart disease and African-Americans with hypertensive nephrosclerosis

For most patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the risk of experiencing a cardiovascular related death is greater than the risk of progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

7 Nov 2008

Efficacy, dosage concerns unresolved on sublingual immunotherapy

Although sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is used in Europe and other countries, experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Seattle say questions remain unanswered regarding its effectiveness, appropriate use, dosage, and safety of administration.

7 Nov 2008