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Enhanced diet helps slow progression of hereditary deafness

An enhanced diet helped reduce hearing loss in mice with the genetic mutation most commonly responsible for childhood deafness, new research suggests.

11 Mar 2016

Indego exoskeleton receives FDA certification for U.S. use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given clearance to market and sell the powered lower-limb exoskeleton created by a team of Vanderbilt engineers and commercialized by the Parker Hannifin Corporation for both clinical and personal use in the United States.

11 Mar 2016

Low bone mass higher in HIV-infected males than in females

Accumulating evidence suggests that rates of low bone mass are greater in HIV-infected males than in females. Researchers led by Grace Aldrovandi, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, studied 11 biomarkers associated with inflammation, bone loss and/or bone formation in about 450 individuals - assessed by sex and HIV status - to try to determine causes of this differential bone loss.

11 Mar 2016

Conserved gene can act to inhibit lung cancer development, study finds

Scientists believe that "conserved" genes — those found in life forms that range from bacteria to plants, insects and humans — perform vital biological functions across species. And limited research on one of those genes, Nitrilase 1 (Nit1), suggested it acts to inhibit cancer development.

11 Mar 2016

New drug combination treatment makes breast cancer tumours disappear in just 11 days

Approximately a quarter of women with HER2 positive breast cancer, who were treated with a combination of the targeted drugs lapatinib and trastuzumab before surgery and chemotherapy, saw their tumours shrink significantly or even disappear, according to results from a clinical trial.

11 Mar 2016

Light therapy lessens depressive symptoms among cancer survivors

Light therapy decreased depressive symptoms and normalized circadian rhythms among cancer survivors, according to new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society in Denver, CO.

11 Mar 2016

Scientists map biological networks of genes to gain new insights on disease mechanisms

Innovative software tools allowed the scientists to construct accurate "maps" of gene networks for about 400 different human cell and tissue types, ranging from immune cells to brain tissues, whereas previous studies were limited to just one or few tissues.

11 Mar 2016

New RI-MUHC-led study may change the way we think about prescribing statins

Millions of people today take statins to help lower their cholesterol level. Currently statins are prescribed to patients based on their future risk of cardiovascular disease - mainly driven by age - which excludes many individuals who may benefit from them. A new study led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, with collaborators from the United-States, is changing the way we think about prescribing statins. The research team has developed a new approach to determine which individuals should receive these important medications.

11 Mar 2016

Breast cancer can be more aggressive in obese people

An international team of researchers, with the participation of the University of Granada, has revealed new data on why breast cancer has a higher incidence and is more aggressive in obese people. The reason is that peritumoral fat (the fat around the tumor) facilitates the expansion and invasion of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are responsible of the onset and growth of the tumor.

11 Mar 2016

Studies raise hope for new treatments, preventive approaches for schizophrenia

Emerging evidence on the development, "prodromal" characteristics, and long-term course of schizophrenia provide reasons for optimism for developing new treatments and preventive approaches for this devastating disorder, according to the special March/April issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

11 Mar 2016

Southampton researchers explore ADAM33 gene's association with asthma, airway 'twitchiness'

Researchers at the University of Southampton are to study why some people are more likely to develop asthma.

11 Mar 2016

NLRX1 protein could be new biomarker for colorectal cancer, find UNC Lineberger researchers

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have discovered that a deficiency in a key protein that regulates immune system warning signals could be a new biomarker for colorectal cancer, the second largest cancer killer in the United States. They believe the marker could be used to gauge response to a potential new treatment for the disease.

11 Mar 2016

Patients with early-stage NSCLC and low SMARCA4 expression may benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy

The activity level of a particular gene in lung tumors might identify lung-cancer patients who will likely be helped by a particular chemotherapy regimen given to prevent recurrence after surgery.

11 Mar 2016

Findings offer novel way for creating drugs to stop mitochondria from destroying cells during stress

Malfunctioning mitochondria — the power plants in cells — are behind the damage caused by strokes, heart attacks, and neurodegenerative diseases, but little has been known about how to stop these reactors from melting down, destroying cells and tissue. Mitochondria also take up calcium, which regulates energy production.

11 Mar 2016

Birth of a sibling potentially associated with healthier BMIs for children by first grade

Becoming a big brother or big sister before first grade may lower a child's risk of becoming obese, a new study led by the University of Michigan suggests.

11 Mar 2016

Transplantation of periorbital tissues may be feasible alternative to protect vision in facial transplant patients

Transplantation of the periorbital tissues--the area surrounding the eyes--is a "technically feasible" alternative to protect a functioning eye in some patients being considered for facial transplant, according to a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery--Global Open, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

11 Mar 2016

Scientists identify novel gene variants associated with childhood BMI

An international team of scientists has identified novel gene locations associated with childhood body mass index (BMI)--an important measurement related to childhood obesity. The meta-analysis, covering over 47,000 children, is the largest genetic study to date of childhood BMI.

11 Mar 2016

Maternal bacterial infections affect fetal brain anatomy and cognitive functioning after birth

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered how pieces of bacterial cell wall cross the placenta and enter developing neurons, altering fetal brain anatomy and cognitive functioning after birth. The study appears today in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.

10 Mar 2016

Single-step, rapid life-saving solution for pneumothorax treatment

Pneumothorax is a medical emergency: the collection of air in the pleural space separating the lung from the chest wall, causing it to collapse and resulting in suffocation. Pneumothorax is caused by chest trauma, and is believed to be responsible for over a third of preventable deaths on the battlefield and in terror attacks.

10 Mar 2016

CYP3A7 gene may over-activate metabolism, reduce effectiveness of cancer treatments

Some patients with breast cancer, lung cancer and leukaemia seem to fare poorly after treatment because of the effects of a particular gene, a new study finds.

10 Mar 2016

Hospital News and Research

Enhanced diet helps slow progression of hereditary deafness

Indego exoskeleton receives FDA certification for U.S. use

Low bone mass higher in HIV-infected males than in females

Conserved gene can act to inhibit lung cancer development, study finds

New drug combination treatment makes breast cancer tumours disappear in just 11 days

Light therapy lessens depressive symptoms among cancer survivors

Scientists map biological networks of genes to gain new insights on disease mechanisms

New RI-MUHC-led study may change the way we think about prescribing statins

Breast cancer can be more aggressive in obese people

Studies raise hope for new treatments, preventive approaches for schizophrenia

Southampton researchers explore ADAM33 gene's association with asthma, airway 'twitchiness'

NLRX1 protein could be new biomarker for colorectal cancer, find UNC Lineberger researchers

Patients with early-stage NSCLC and low SMARCA4 expression may benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy

Findings offer novel way for creating drugs to stop mitochondria from destroying cells during stress

Birth of a sibling potentially associated with healthier BMIs for children by first grade

Transplantation of periorbital tissues may be feasible alternative to protect vision in facial transplant patients

Scientists identify novel gene variants associated with childhood BMI

Maternal bacterial infections affect fetal brain anatomy and cognitive functioning after birth

Single-step, rapid life-saving solution for pneumothorax treatment

CYP3A7 gene may over-activate metabolism, reduce effectiveness of cancer treatments

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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