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Ion channels assembled in different combinations distinguish temperatures

The winter sun feels welcome, but not so a summer sunburn. Research over the past 20 years has shown that proteins on the surface of nerve cells enable the body to sense several different temperatures. Now scientists have discovered how just a few of these proteins, called ion channels, distinguish perhaps dozens of discrete temperatures, from mildly warm to very hot.

3 Mar 2012

Critical new details about structure of enterovirus 71

Researchers have discovered critical new details about the structure of a virus that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children, pointing toward designs for antiviral drugs to treat the disease.

3 Mar 2012

Ten symptoms and signs that a child may need a doctor

Unfortunately, kids get sick. Fighting a virus or common cold is good for a child's immune system and can help build antibodies that protect them from dangerous illnesses. Still, there are times when that tummy ache or cough may require medical attention.

2 Mar 2012

Pharmacological antagonist can inhibit body's response to cold

Researchers at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, in collaboration with Amgen Inc. and several academic institutions, have discovered a way to block the body's response to cold using a drug. This finding could have significant implications in treating conditions such as stroke and cardiac arrest.

2 Mar 2012

La Selva geothermal system contaminated with arsenic

Monitoring the construction of wells, avoid over-exploiting cold groundwater close to hot groundwater, and controlling mineral water extraction. These are the recommendations from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and the University of Barcelona, after analysing the contamination of La Selva geothermal system, above all by arsenic pollution.

1 Mar 2012

SIR to showcase latest minimally invasive treatments at 37th annual meeting

Health, science and medical reporters are invited to register now for the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting March 24 at Moscone Center (North), San Francisco, Calif. The meeting's theme, "IR Evidence," was chosen to focus on the results of care-changing investigations that showcase research into minimally invasive treatments that provide treatment options, advance patient care and improve quality of life.

1 Mar 2012

Cold air can trigger coronary events

People with heart disease may not be able to compensate for their bodies' higher demand for oxygen when inhaling cold air, according to Penn State researchers, making snow shoveling and other activities dangerous for some.

29 Feb 2012

Low levels of omega-3 in blood ‘ups’ risk of dementia and brain aging: Study

Researchers looked at 1,575 adults who averaged 67 years old and had no signs of dementia and had not had a stroke. They were given MRI brain scans and a battery of tests to measure memory and thinking abilities; they also had blood drawn to check the level of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells. Those with the lowest levels of omega-3s showed signs of accelerated aging. They had lower brain volume, indicating shrinkage comparable to two additional years of aging. Compared with those with the highest blood levels of omega-3s, they scored lower on cognitive tests measuring such things as memory, problem solving, abstract thinking and multi-tasking.

28 Feb 2012

Flu season starts late but may be just as virulent: CDC

Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the epidemiology prevention branch at the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said for the third consecutive week this season the percent of respiratory specimen testing positive for flu surpassed 10 percent, which is generally a marker to indicate the flu season has begun. “This is the latest start to a flu season in the past 29 years,” said Dr. Bresee.

27 Feb 2012

Sebelius casts doubt on Calif. Medi-Cal changes; Other Medicaid changes around America scrutinized

Medicaid cuts in California, Washington and Texas prove controversial, while changes or proposed changes in Florida, Georgia and Minnesota get closer looks.

27 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 27, 2012

Among today's health policy headlines, a new Politico poll highlights the deep divide in public opinion that exists regarding the repeal of the health law.

27 Feb 2012

SLU investigator aims to reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

A Saint Louis University investigator noted for her pain research is working to reduce a painful chemotherapy side effect, thanks to a $126,500 grant from the Mayday Fund, an organization dedicated to alleviating the incidence, degree and consequence of human physical pain.

27 Feb 2012

New method can predict whether Tylenol-poisoning patients need liver transplant

University of Utah mathematicians developed a set of calculus equations to make it easier for doctors to save Tylenol overdose patients by quickly estimating how much painkiller they took, when they consumed it and whether they will require a liver transplant to survive.

27 Feb 2012

Machine perfusion offers significant improvements for 3-year graft survival in kidney transplantation

Study results published today in the New-England-Journal of Medicine show that 3-year graft survival is significantly greater in all transplanted kidneys machine perfused in the LifePort Kidney Transporter compared to those stored in a traditional box of ice. The graft survival difference at three years was most pronounced for kidneys from expanded criteria donors.

23 Feb 2012

Medivir reports net sales of SEK 698.6M for fiscal 2011

Today, Medivir AB, a research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, is publishing its Interim Report for the period 1 January - 31 December and its operational report for the fourth quarter of 2011.

23 Feb 2012

Mothers who suffer migraine headaches more likely to have babies with colic

A study of mothers and their young babies by neurologists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has shown that mothers who suffer migraine headaches are more than twice as likely to have babies with colic than mothers without a history of migraines.

21 Feb 2012

Teleflex, Premier enter new agreements for ligation and stapling products, suture and trocars

Teleflex Incorporated, a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, has announced three new group purchasing agreements with the Premier healthcare alliance.

20 Feb 2012

Massive infant Tylenol recall

Johnson & Johnson has announced the recall of its entire U.S. supply of infants' Tylenol—about 574,000 bottles—due to a design flaw. The flaw involved bottles of grape-flavoured infants' Tylenol, which had only just returned to shelves in November announced J&J last Friday.

20 Feb 2012

Study identifies USP15 as a critical protein in cancer

After years studying the molecular bases of glioblastoma - the most common brain tumor and one of the most aggressive of all cancers, the group led by Dr. Joan Seoane , Director of Translational Research at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and ICREA Research Professor has today published a study in Nature Medicine identifying USP15 as a critical protein in cancer which, thanks to its molecular characteristics, shows enormous therapeutic promise.

20 Feb 2012

Researchers discover class of proteins that detect 'painful touch'

In two landmark papers in the journal Nature this week, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute report that they have identified a class of proteins that detect "painful touch."

19 Feb 2012