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Newcastle University scientists use seaweed extract to develop 'Stem-gell' bandage for wound healing

Publishing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine Professor Che Connon and Dr Stephen Swioklo describe the low-cost seaweed solution.

1 Feb 2016

Framework for improving chemical hazard assessment without animals

A new paper published in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, co-authored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, calls for ongoing development and regulatory acceptance of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs), a framework for improving chemical hazard assessment by prioritizing modern test methods that reduce animal use.

31 Jan 2016

Persistent organic pollutants found in fish populations across the world's oceans

A new global analysis of seafood found that fish populations throughout the world's oceans are contaminated with industrial and agricultural pollutants, collectively known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The study from researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego also uncovered some good news¾concentrations of these pollutants have been consistently dropping over the last 30 years.

30 Jan 2016

Brain's natural plasticity could compensate for inner ear damage

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have described, for the first time, the adult brain's ability to compensate for a near-complete loss of auditory nerve fibers that link the ear to the brain. The findings, published in the current issue of Neuron, suggest that the brain's natural plasticity can compensate for inner ear damage to bring sound detection abilities back within normal limits; however, it does not recover speech intelligibility.

29 Jan 2016

Researchers developing new methods to better analyze effects of e-cig flavorings

Faculty and student researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf are developing methods to better analyze the effects of flavorings used in electronic cigarettes (e-cigs).

29 Jan 2016

Bedbugs develop resistance to neonicotinoids

One of the most of the most widely used commercial chemicals to kill bedbugs are not effective because the pesky insects have built up a tolerance to them, according to a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University.

29 Jan 2016

Study: Prenatal exposure to flame retardants may have lasting effect on child's executive function

New research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine suggests that prenatal exposure to flame retardants and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) commonly found in the environment may have a lasting effect on a child's cognitive and behavioral development, known as executive function.

28 Jan 2016

Researchers identify cells that likely give rise to Group 4 medulloblastoma

Researchers have identified the cells that likely give rise to the brain tumor subtype Group 4 medulloblastoma. The finding removes a barrier to developing more effective targeted therapies against the brain tumor's most common subtype.

28 Jan 2016

E-cigarettes suppress immune defenses, alter inflammation and boost bacterial virulence

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System report data suggesting that e-cigarettes are toxic to human airway cells, suppress immune defenses and alter inflammation, while at the same time boosting bacterial virulence.

27 Jan 2016

Diet rich in fiber may reduce risk of developing lung disease

A diet rich in fiber may not only protect against diabetes and heart disease, it may reduce the risk of developing lung disease, according to new research published online, ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

25 Jan 2016

Researchers explore ways to use light to combat cancer

Immunotherapy is one of the hottest emerging areas of cancer research. After all, using the body's own cells to fight cancer can be more effective and less invasive than flooding the entire system with toxic chemicals.

22 Jan 2016

Cells communicate to their neighbors and compare notes before making a move

To decide whether and where to move in the body, cells must read chemical signals in their environment. Individual cells do not act alone during this process, two new studies on mouse mammary tissue show. Instead, the cells make decisions collectively after exchanging information about the chemical messages they are receiving.

22 Jan 2016

MU School of Medicine researchers find link between varicella zoster virus vaccine and corneal inflammation

In use for more than 20 years, the varicella zoster virus vaccine for chickenpox and shingles is considered an essential medicine by the World Health Organization. However, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found, in rare instances, a link between the vaccine and corneal inflammation.

21 Jan 2016

Discovery may help researchers identify new ways to attack malaria parasite

New anti-malarial drugs could be developed after researchers discovered a new mechanism used by the malaria parasite when it infects humans.

21 Jan 2016

Combining nanomedicine with two anticancer treatments could improve outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients

A nanoparticle drug-delivery system that combines two complementary types of anticancer treatment could improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer and other highly treatment-resistant tumors while decreasing toxicity.

20 Jan 2016

Estrogen helps women fight flu virus better than men

Estrogen dramatically reduced the amount of flu virus that replicated in infected cells from women but not from men, a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows.

20 Jan 2016

Phthalate DEHP could lead to weight gain

In cooperation with the Integrated Research and Treatment Center Adiposity Diseases at the University of Leipzig and the University Hospital Leipzig, researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research have now published a study in the PLOS ONE journal showing that the phthalate DEHP leads to weight gain and revealed the metabolic processes involved.

19 Jan 2016

Johns Hopkins study shows high doses of cocaine kill brain cells

Working with mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have contributed significant new evidence to support the idea that high doses of cocaine kill brain cells by triggering overactive autophagy, a process in which cells literally digest their own insides. Their results, moreover, bring with them a possible antidote, an experimental compound dubbed CGP3466B.

19 Jan 2016

Millercare offers tips to prevent onset of deep vein thrombosis

We’re set to have one of the coldest Januarys in years. As winds batter the UK, it can be tempting to stay indoors and hide from the chill, particularly for the elderly.

18 Jan 2016

Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells act like sensor to orchestrate immune response

An uncommon and little-studied type of cell in the lungs has been found to act like a sensor, linking the pulmonary and central nervous systems to regulate immune response in reaction to environmental cues.

13 Jan 2016