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ATP-sensitive potassium channel can contribute to fat deposition and obesity, new study says

A new study involving the University of Iowa, Mayo Clinic and two other institutions provides insight on weight control, suggesting that a ATP-sensitive potassium channel critical to survival and stress adaptation can contribute to fat deposition and obesity.

6 Jan 2010

Carbon nanotube: A viable alternative for rapid DNA sequencing

Faster sequencing of DNA holds enormous potential for biology and medicine, particularly for personalized diagnosis and customized treatment based on each individual's genomic makeup.

4 Jan 2010

Tarantula venom protein promising for MD

University at Buffalo biophysicists have found a protein in tarantula venom that shows promise as a potential therapy for muscular dystrophy (MD). They have formed a start-up biotech company in Buffalo -- Rose Pharmaceuticals -- to advance the drug to clinical trials.

30 Dec 2009

Research suggests common mechanism is associated with different human diseases

Inherited mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) are associated with many different human diseases, including genetic forms of epilepsy and chronic pain. Theodore Cummins and colleagues, at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, have now determined the functional consequence of three such mutations.

29 Dec 2009

Study on cyanobacteria helps understand anesthetic actions

Experiments in one of the oldest forms of life on Earth are helping to answer basic questions about how general anesthesia works, according to a study in the January issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

23 Dec 2009

ASU scientists develop innovative prosthetic device

Arizona State University researchers have developed a prosthetic device that literally puts the spring back into an amputee's step. The ASU scientists have developed and refined SPARKy (for spring ankle with regenerative kinetics) into a smart, active and energy storing below-the-knee (transbitial) prosthesis.

23 Dec 2009

How health reform might affect 'Young Invincibles'

ProPublica profiles a "young invincible" and reports on what a health care overhaul might mean for him.

22 Dec 2009

Researchers discover how protein can be controlled and under what circumstances it can go awry

A team of researchers studying the protein that, when defective or absent, causes cystic fibrosis (CF) has made an important discovery about how that protein is normally controlled and under what circumstances it might go awry.

18 Dec 2009

Scientists use optical technique to trace out neurons interaction

Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons interact with one another in live animals.

18 Dec 2009

FDA grants marketing approval for EnzySurge's new SilverStream solution for prescription use

EnzySurge Ltd. (EnzySurge), a provider of innovative solutions for the advanced chronic wound management market, announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its new SilverStream(TM) solution for prescription use. The FDA also cleared DermaSept, an Over-the-Counter version of the SilverStream product.

15 Dec 2009

Winner of the 2010 Avanti Young Investigator Award in Lipid Research

Sarah L. Keller, a professor of chemistry and adjunct professor of physics at the University of Washington, has been named the winner of the 2010 Avanti Young Investigator Award in Lipid Research for her innovative and cutting-edge studies on membrane lipids.

11 Dec 2009

Personal stories highlight how reform will affect some individuals

News outlets are focusing on the stories of individual consumers to explain how health care reform legislation may affect the lives and health of people around the nation.

8 Dec 2009

Tranzyme Pharma and Bristol-Myers Squibb sign collaboration agreement

Tranzyme Pharma today announced that it has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company to discover, develop and commercialize novel macrocyclic compounds directed against targets of interest to Bristol-Myers Squibb.

8 Dec 2009

Fluxion Biosciences signs distribution agreement with DI Biotech and Novel Science

Fluxion Biosciences announced today that it has expanded its sales and service network into Asia. The company signed a distribution agreement for its BioFlux™ line with Korea-based DI Biotech. A second agreement with Novel Science covers sales of both the BioFlux and IonFlux™ platforms in Japan. Fluxion has also sold its first BioFlux 1000 system into China.

From Fluxion Biosciences 4 Dec 2009

Medpac examines regional differences in use of medical care

The New York Times Prescriptions blog: "A federal advisory panel said Tuesday that regional differences in the use of health care services were substantial but smaller than many experts had suggested. The panel, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, found that the use of services by Medicare beneficiaries in the Miami area was almost 40 percent higher than the national average.

2 Dec 2009

Low-temperature plasma prototype devices as bactericidal cocktails

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and other drug-resistant bacteria could face annihilation as low-temperature plasma prototype devices have been developed to offer safe, quick, easy and unfailing bactericidal cocktails.

26 Nov 2009

Inhaled carbon dioxide increases brain acidity and evokes fear behavior: Study

Breathing carbon dioxide can trigger panic attacks, but the biological reason for this effect has not been understood. A new study by University of Iowa researchers shows that carbon dioxide increases brain acidity, which in turn activates a brain protein that plays an important role in fear and anxiety behavior.

26 Nov 2009

ConvaTec launches new web site on Hydrofiber Technology in Canada

ConvaTec, a world-leading provider of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, today announced the launch in Canada of a new web site, www.Hydrofiber.ca, demonstrating how the company's proprietary Hydrofiber(R) Technology is transforming wound care.

24 Nov 2009

Overexpression of NCX1 does not by itself lead to contraction abnormalities in the heart

Researchers from the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University have found that the overexpression of a sodium/calcium exchanger, without changes in other ion transport pathways commonly observed in heart failure, does not by itself lead to contraction abnormalities in the heart.

23 Nov 2009

Findings suggest athletes abuse non-approved therapeutic compounds for performance enhancing effects

Researchers from the German Sport University Cologne in Germany found that non-steroidal and tissue-selective anabolic agents such as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) are being sold on the black market for their performance enhancing qualities.

19 Nov 2009