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UNC scientists find clue that may help explain why people differ in ability to survive arterial blockages

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found a major clue that may explain why some people sustain relatively little damage from strokes or heart attacks despite severe arterial blockages.

7 Nov 2016

Improved skin graft process shows promise for treating severe burn wounds

Full thickness skin grafts are the golden standard for treating burn wounds. But most skin grafts for severe burns require a donor, and for large or complicated injury sites, a full thickness skin graft is hard to come by.

31 Oct 2016

UC3M scientists use mathematical description to explain how tumors induce growth of blood vessels

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has carried out a study that mathematically explains how tumors induce the growth of blood vessels. The study maintains that the tips of the blood vessels expand like a soliton, a solitary wave similar to a tsunami.

17 Oct 2016

Mount Sinai researchers use OCT angiography to identify early stages of glaucoma

In a first of its kind study, Mount Sinai researchers are using optimal coherence tomography (OCT) angiography to look at the earliest stages of glaucoma and identify characteristic patterns of different forms of glaucoma based on their vascular patterns.

15 Oct 2016

Discovery of neuropilin 2 deficiency may lead to new therapies for edema and lymphedema

Fluid accumulation and swelling (edema) may result from the malfunctioning of regulatory processes controlling vessel permeability in the body.

14 Oct 2016

Good blood microcirculation linked to longevity

Human longevity has been previously linked by researchers to genetic factors, calorie restriction, and certain life-style factors such as physical activity or the Mediterranean diet.

6 Sep 2016

LJI researchers reveal unanticipated way by which neutrophils defend against invading pathogens

As an arm of the innate immune system, white blood cells called neutrophils form the first line of defense against invading pathogens.

31 Aug 2016

Experts develop new genomic testing method for pulmonary hypertension caused by genetic mutation

Pulmonology and genetics experts from two Utah healthcare organizations have collaboratively developed a new diagnostic genomic testing method for a rare form of pulmonary hypertension caused by a genetic mutation they discovered three years ago.

9 Aug 2016

Scientists gain new insights into how cancer cells may squeeze through narrow blood vessels

The spread of cancer from a tumor's original location to other parts of the body can play a major role in whether the disease turns deadly. Many steps in this process, called metastasis, remain murky.

30 Jun 2016

Structures on surface of pneumococci determine bacteria’s ability to cause meningitis

Structures on the surface of pneumococci determine the ability of these bacteria to enter the brain and cause severe infections, according to a paper published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

29 Jun 2016

New computer model shows how spleen filters misshapen red blood cells

Researchers, led by Carnegie Mellon University President Subra Suresh and MIT Principal Research Scientist Ming Dao, have created a new computer model that shows how tiny slits in the spleen prevent old, diseased or misshapen red blood cells from re-entering the bloodstream.

28 Jun 2016

Stroke can cause long-term damage to blood-spinal cord barrier, study finds

A team of researchers at the University of South Florida investigating the short and long-term effects of ischemic stroke in a rodent model has found that stroke can cause long-term damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), creating a "toxic environment" in the spinal cord that might leave stroke survivors susceptible to motor dysfunction and disease pathology.

14 Jun 2016

Study reveals gpihbp1 gene could be novel target for treatment of muscular dystrophy

The average healthy man is 54 percent muscle by mass, but people with muscular dystrophy, an incurable, genetic condition, have almost no muscle at terminal stages of the disease.

2 Jun 2016

New technique to grow blood vessels could accelerate growth of regenerative medicine

In addition the technique to grow the blood vessels in a 3D scaffold cuts down on the risk of transplant rejection because it uses cells from the patient. It was developed by researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, working with colleagues at Bristol Heart Institute.

25 May 2016

Motor protein Myo1c uses actin cytoskeleton as 'track' for Neph1 transport

The motor protein Myo1c binds to Neph1, a protein crucial for ensuring effective filtration by the kidney, and serves as one mode of its cellular transport, according to findings by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina and their collaborators reported in the May 16, 2016 issue of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

17 May 2016

Potential new intraocular treatment based on RAS manipulation can prevent or reverse diabetic retinopathy

Pathologic changes of the retina caused by diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working adults. Diabetic retinopathy has no known cure, treatment options are inadequate, and prevention strategies offer limited protection. In the first of its kind, a report in The American Journal of Pathology describes a potential new intraocular treatment based on manipulating the renin angiotensin system (RAS) that both prevents and reverses some characteristics of diabetic retinopathy in a mouse model.

10 May 2016

Complete genetic map of scleroderma opens door for diagnosis and targeted treatment

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that affects one out of every 10,000 people in Europe and North America, mostly middle-aged women, and causes death in a high percentage of cases.

11 Apr 2016

Study finds evidence of lung function abnormalities in light-use hookah smokers

A study of light-use hookah or waterpipe smokers found evidence of lung function abnormalities, including marked changes in cells lining the airways. The study, "Pulmonary Abnormalities in Young, Light-use Waterpipe (Hookah) Smokers," was published recently in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

6 Apr 2016

Researchers devise synthetic patch filled with insulin-producing beta cells to control blood sugar levels

For decades, researchers have tried to duplicate the function of beta cells, the tiny insulin-producing entities that don't work properly in patients with diabetes. Insulin injections provide painful and often imperfect substitutes. Transplants of normal beta cells carry the risk of rejection or side effects from immunosuppressive therapies.

16 Mar 2016

Simple physics may play key role in helping the body to fight infection

Simple physics may play a larger role than previously thought in helping control key bodily processes - such as how the body fights infection.

11 Feb 2016