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Study associates VDR gene variant with onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in men

Researchers have linked a variant in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) with the onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Caucasian men. The study population consisted of participants in the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study, a multidisciplinary study of aging that began in 1963.

16 May 2011

Zaire ebolavirus may replicate in pigs and transmit to other animals

Canadian investigators have shown that a species of ebolavirus from Zaire that is highly virulent in humans can replicate in pigs, cause disease, and be transmitted to animals previously unexposed to the virus.

13 May 2011

Shared wind instruments may cause sickness

Germs survive for several days in wind instruments including the clarinet, flute, and saxophone, according to a pilot study published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. The researchers, led by Stuart Levy, MD, of Tufts University School of Medicine, urge proper cleaning of these instruments.

13 May 2011

UCSD scientists discover steroid hormone that inhibits brain inflammation

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a steroid hormone that inhibits inflammation in the brain. The findings, to be published in the May 13 issue of the journal Cell, have implications for understanding the exaggerated inflammatory responses that are characteristic features of numerous neurodegenerative diseases.

13 May 2011

CAMH scientist identifies gene responsible for Joubert syndrome

A new study involving Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found a gene connected with a type of intellectual disability called Joubert syndrome.

13 May 2011

Scientists discover enzyme that controls K-Ras gene responsible for lung cancer growth

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that an enzyme called C-Raf controls a hugely important gene responsible for the development of lung cancer, according to research published in Cancer Discovery.

13 May 2011

Mosquito's midgut bacteria can inhibit malaria parasite development

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have identified a bacterium in field-caught mosquitoes that, when present, stops the development of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans.

13 May 2011

PLC Systems to showcase RenalGuard at 2011 EAPCI annual meeting

PLC Systems Inc., a company focused on innovative medical device technologies, today announced it will demonstrate its innovative new product, RenalGuard, at EuroPCR, the annual meeting of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.

12 May 2011

Chemical engineer builds working models of human tissues for disease research

Shelly Peyton, a chemical engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is building working models of human bone, breast, liver and artery tissues to see how cells behave when they are affected by a disease such as cancer.

12 May 2011

Biocept's paper describes identification of different CTC phenotypes in cancer patients

Biocept, Inc., a privately-held laboratory testing company focused on the detection, enumeration and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients, today announced the publication of a paper describing the identification of different CTC phenotypes using its proprietary Cell Enrichment and Extraction platform.

12 May 2011

BWH Karp Laboratory acquires BioFlux 1000 system for stem cell homing research

Fluxion Biosciences announced today that the Karp Laboratory at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has purchased the BioFlux 1000 system, which will be applied in their stem cell homing research.

From Fluxion Biosciences 12 May 2011

iPSC-derived liver cells hold potential as alternative to liver transplants

Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that human liver cells derived from adult cells coaxed into an embryonic state can engraft and begin regenerating liver tissue in mice with chronic liver damage.

12 May 2011

Reprogrammed herpes virus can improve early cancer diagnosis

Scientists have used a genetically re-engineered herpes virus that selectively hunts down and infects cancerous tumors and then delivers genetic material that prompts cancers to secrete a biomarker and reveal their presence.

12 May 2011

Liquid rice hull smoke could help fight diseases

Liquid smoke flavoring made from hickory and other wood - a mainstay flavoring and anti-bacterial agent for the prepared food industry and home kitchens - may get a competitor that seems to be packed with antioxidant, antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory substances, according to a new study in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It is the first analysis of liquid smoke produced from rice hulls, the hard, inedible coverings of rice grains.

12 May 2011

Increased automobile usage linked with surging levels of obesity

Junk food, video games and a lack of exercise all have received their fair share of blame for the spiraling epidemic of obesity in the U.S. But according to a University of Illinois researcher, public health enemy No. 1 for our supersized nation may very well be the one staple of modern life most Americans can't seem to live without one (or more) of: the automobile.

12 May 2011

AspirinWorks Test now available in greater Boston and surrounding area

A simple urine test that measures aspirin effect is now available in the greater Boston and surrounding area. The AspirinWorks Test is available to eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire area doctors through Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine.

11 May 2011

Baylor has now patented new polarimeter that could prove useful in pharmaceuticals

Two Baylor University chemistry professors have invented a new polarimeter, a basic scientific instrument used to measure and interpret the polarization of transverse waves, such as light waves, that could prove useful in determining the purity of pharmaceuticals. Baylor has now patented the device.

11 May 2011

ICON partners with BCRI for clinical research

ICON plc, a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced a strategic alliance with Boston Clinical Research Institute, an Academic Research Organisation based in Boston, Massachusetts.

11 May 2011

Common tiny tropical fish plays a key role in new model for Cushing disease

A common, tiny tropical fish plays a key role in a new model for Cushing disease, giving researchers a powerful tool to conduct extensive searches for effective treatments for this serious hormonal disorder, testing up to 300 drugs weekly.

11 May 2011

Majority of urban NYC women with hepatitis B do not receive education, subsequent care

According to new research at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, high rates of chronic hepatitis B infection are found in pregnant minority and immigrant women in the New York City area, and most of them do not receive education, appropriate follow-up testing or referral, which is considered the standard of care for all persons newly identified as HBV carriers.

11 May 2011