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OTA reminds consumers to choose organic foods over synthetic dye foods

In response to a call from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) to ban synthetic dyes to color foods, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) today reminded consumers that they can already avoid such dyes in the marketplace by choosing to purchase organic foods.

2 Jul 2010

Research shows promising targeted therapies for type 2 diabetes patients

Named for the furballs whose astonishing fecundity made them stars in early Star Trek episodes, the tribbles protein, first identified in fruit flies, aids in regulating many cell processes in humans. Joslin Diabetes Center researchers now have identified mechanisms triggered by a variant of the tribbles gene that cause trouble in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells—and that offer a promising target for therapies for people with type 2 diabetes, even if they don't carry that gene variant.

2 Jul 2010

BIDMC physician-scientist receives Young Investigator Award to research on prostate cancer

Akash Patnaik, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist in the Hematology/Oncology Divison at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School has received a Young Investigator Award from The Prostate Cancer Foundation. The three-year $225,000 award, one of 21 made to young scientists from across the U.S. and Canada, is designed to encourage the most innovative minds in cancer research to focus their careers on prostate cancer.

1 Jul 2010

Research findings open new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases

For the first time, scientists have linked a brain compound called kynurenic acid to cognition, possibly opening doors for new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. When researchers decreased the levels of kynurenic acid in the brains of mice, their cognition was shown to improve markedly, according to the study, which was published in the July issue of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

1 Jul 2010

Researchers study mechanism of human brain

Because of its intricate organization, figuring out the wiring diagram that explains how the billions of neurons in the brain are connected, and determining how they work together, remains a formidable task.

29 Jun 2010

Study finds no link between internet and gambling addictions, but affected individuals have common psychological profiles

A study of university students found no overlap between those reporting excessive Internet use and those with problem gambling.

29 Jun 2010

Scientists discover characteristic amyloid plaques in retinas from Alzheimer's disease patients

The nerve cell-damaging plaque that builds up in the brain with Alzheimer's disease also builds up in the retinas of the eyes - and it shows up there earlier, leading to the prospect that noninvasive optical imaging of the eyes could lead to earlier diagnosis, intervention and monitoring of the disease, according to new research.

25 Jun 2010

Opinions: Harper and global health; Health workers in developing countries; Funding commitments; DDT, GMO use

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper "can use the relatively intimate setting of the G8's Muskoka meeting to press for a renewal of the G8's commitment to better health for Africans, and help the developed world be truly accountable for its promises," the Globe and Mail writes in an editorial. "The G8's failure to fully fund the historic aid commitments to Africa it made at the 2005 Gleneagles summit" puts the future success of the developing world at risk, the editorial states.

25 Jun 2010

Carvedilol drug may lessen degenerative impact of Alzheimer's disease: Researchers

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that the drug carvedilol, currently prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, may lessen the degenerative impact of Alzheimer's disease and promote healthy memory functions. The new findings are published in two studies in the current issues of Neurobiology of Aging and the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

24 Jun 2010

Treatment options for patients with MS

The best one-word description for multiple sclerosis is "unpredictable," according to the June issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. MS interferes with the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Just how that interference plays out in symptoms is different for everyone -- thus, the unpredictable label.

24 Jun 2010

Cedars-Sinai researchers awarded $1.47M grant to study stem cell immune rejection response

A team of Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute researchers led by Terrence Town, Ph.D. has been awarded a three-year, $1.47 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund research into mechanisms for how human immune systems reject or accept transplanted brain stem cells.

24 Jun 2010

Laboratory mouse study shows cold sensing neural circuits develop well after birth

Cold sensing neural circuits in newborn mice take around two weeks to become fully active, according to a new study. The finding adds to understanding of the cold sensing protein TRPM8 (pronounced trip-em-ate), first identified in a Nature paper in 2002 by David McKemy of the University of Southern California.

18 Jun 2010

Alzheimer's disease may damage brain

Alzheimer's disease has long been studied primarily as a disease of neurons. But researchers have now shown how the disease may be damaging the brain by choking off blood flow. In experiments published June 10 in Neuron, scientists at Rockefeller University reveal that amyloid-β, which builds up around brain cells in Alzheimer's patients, interacts with a common blood clotting agent to increase clotting in the arteries that feed the brain.

17 Jun 2010

AVEO granted patents for tests to identify cancer patients likely to respond to tivozanib

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,615,353, which issued in November 2009, and 7,736,861, which issued yesterday.

16 Jun 2010

IRIN, IPS examine pending U.S. legislation to address global hunger, FGM

IRIN reports on the Global Food Security Act, a bill aimed at expanding the U.S. government's role in combatting hunger around the world. The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

15 Jun 2010

Entomologists to develop genetically engineered bacteria for killing mosquito larvae

Roughly half the world's population still lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission. Even in the United States, 1500 cases of malaria are reported annually on average.

15 Jun 2010

New bacterial strain could help in long-term cleanup of oil spills

Researchers have discovered a new strain of bacteria that can produce non-toxic, comparatively inexpensive "rhamnolipids," and effectively help degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs - environmental pollutants that are one of the most harmful aspects of oil spills.

14 Jun 2010

White blood cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins may assault nerves after fighting infection

A virus infection can incite the body to attack its own nerve tissue by activating unusual, disease-fighting cells with receptors for both viral and nerve proteins. The dual-receptor observation suggests a way brain and spinal cord nerve damage might be triggered in susceptible young adults afflicted with multiple sclerosis.

11 Jun 2010

Study demonstrates p53 protein becomes activated during gamete formation

Protein p53 is known as the guardian of the genome since it is basic for the genome's integrity by preventing the accumulation of mutations originating either by the cell's own mechanisms or by the action of external agents.

11 Jun 2010

CXCR4 protein restores brain damage in multiple sclerosis patients

A protein that helps build the brain in infants and children may aid efforts to restore damage from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

9 Jun 2010

Genetic Engineering News and Research

OTA reminds consumers to choose organic foods over synthetic dye foods

Research shows promising targeted therapies for type 2 diabetes patients

BIDMC physician-scientist receives Young Investigator Award to research on prostate cancer

Research findings open new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases

Researchers study mechanism of human brain

Study finds no link between internet and gambling addictions, but affected individuals have common psychological profiles

Scientists discover characteristic amyloid plaques in retinas from Alzheimer's disease patients

Opinions: Harper and global health; Health workers in developing countries; Funding commitments; DDT, GMO use

Carvedilol drug may lessen degenerative impact of Alzheimer's disease: Researchers

Treatment options for patients with MS

Cedars-Sinai researchers awarded $1.47M grant to study stem cell immune rejection response

Laboratory mouse study shows cold sensing neural circuits develop well after birth

Alzheimer's disease may damage brain

AVEO granted patents for tests to identify cancer patients likely to respond to tivozanib

IRIN, IPS examine pending U.S. legislation to address global hunger, FGM

Entomologists to develop genetically engineered bacteria for killing mosquito larvae

New bacterial strain could help in long-term cleanup of oil spills

White blood cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins may assault nerves after fighting infection

Study demonstrates p53 protein becomes activated during gamete formation

CXCR4 protein restores brain damage in multiple sclerosis patients

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

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