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Researchers discover that APOBEC3B is important cancer mutagen

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered that a human antiviral enzyme causes DNA mutations that lead to several forms of cancer.

15 Jul 2013

Urocortin molecule protects cells from osteoarthritis, say researchers

UK scientists have found a naturally occurring molecule in the body which may have important consequences for treating osteoarthritis. Researchers from The University of Manchester and the University of Westminster have found that the molecule, known as Urocortin, protects cells in the joints from being destroyed.

From The University of Manchester 12 Jul 2013

State highlights: Disabled at risk at Calif. facilities, audit finds; Advocates push for single policy for kids' medical, dental coverage in exchange plans; Ga. maternal mortality

Californians with developmental disabilities who are cared for at state facilities are being put at risk by outdated policies and inadequate investigations of abuse, the state auditor's office said Tuesday. Allegations that residents have been raped, shot with stun guns and otherwise abused have not been acted on satisfactorily, auditors found. The California Department of Developmental Services cares for 1,480 severely disabled people in five facilities throughout the state (McGreevy, 7/9).

11 Jul 2013

New low-cost method of in-vitro fertilization may help infertile couples in developing countries

A new low-cost method of in-vitro fertilization developed at the University of Colorado Boulder that performed successfully in recent human clinical trials in Belgium may help thousands of infertile couples in developing countries.

9 Jul 2013

Adverse fetal growth, exposure to maternal smoking correlated with lower measures of sperm quality

Studies over the past 20 years have suggested (though not unequivocally confirmed) that semen quality is in decline, reflected most evidently in falling sperm counts and reduced sperm motility.

8 Jul 2013

Risk of implantation failure, lower yield of oocytes linked to higher levels of urinary phthalates

Phthalates are among a group of industrial chemicals shown in some studies to have adverse effects on reproductive health and development, particularly in the male. As such, they have been collectively defined as "endocrine disruptors", and proposed as one of several possible environmental exposures responsible for a decline in fertility.

8 Jul 2013

Researchers fabricate nanotweezers that could be used to control and regulate enzymes

In new research, Hao Yan and his colleagues at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute describe a pair of tweezers shrunk down to an astonishingly tiny scale. When the jaws of these tools are in the open position, the distance between the two arms is about 16 nanometers-over 30,000 times smaller than a single grain of sand.

5 Jul 2013

Research unravels a novel means of communication that allows bacteria to resist antibiotic treatment

New research from Western University unravels a novel means of communication that allows bacteria such as Burkholderia cenocepacia (B. cenocepacia) to resist antibiotic treatment. B. cenocepacia is an environmental bacterium that causes devastating infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) or with compromised immune systems.

4 Jul 2013

New mechanism triggers chronic inflammation in Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis and type-2 diabetes

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a mechanism that triggers chronic inflammation in Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis and type-2 diabetes. The results, published today in Nature Immunology, suggest a common biochemical thread to multiple diseases and point the way to a new class of therapies that could treat chronic inflammation in these non-infectious diseases without crippling the immune system.

2 Jul 2013

Increased expression of Scara1 protein might impede progression of Alzheimer's disease: Study

Identification of a protein that appears to play an important role in the immune system's removal of amyloid beta (A-beta) protein from the brain could lead to a new treatment strategy for Alzheimer's disease. The report from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been published online in Nature Communications.

2 Jul 2013

Arizona State University physicist explains new theory of cancer

With death rates from cancer have remained largely unchanged over the past 60 years, a physicist is trying to shed more light on the disease with a very different theory of its origin that traces cancer back to the dawn of multicellularity more than a billion years ago.

1 Jul 2013

Low doses of arsenic and estrogen can cause cancer in prostate cells, study finds

Science knows that arsenic and estrogen can cause cancer. At certain very low levels, the chemicals offer little to no threats to human health.

29 Jun 2013

Controlled drug release using novel excipients: an interview with Dr Laura Waters, University of Huddersfield

When you take a medicine you may want the drug to all be released immediately or perhaps more slowly over a longer period of time. If we can make a medicine where we control the release then we can tailor our medicines to release at the exact rate we choose that is best for the patient.

26 Jun 2013

Researchers hope voice therapy in aging humans may help improve quality of life

A new study shows that the vocal training of older rats reduces some of the voice problems related to their aging, such as the loss of vocal intensity that accompanies changes in the muscles of the larynx. This is an animal model of a vocal pathology that many humans face as they age.

25 Jun 2013

Study questions the beneficial effects of polyphenols on combating cardiovascular disease

Eating fruit or having a glass of red wine is seen as offering health benefits. The benefits are often pinned on polyphenols, natural chemicals—found in foods—referred to as flavonoids and phenolic acids, but also fragments of food proteins called peptides.

25 Jun 2013

Thirdhand smoke causes significant genetic damage in human cells

A study led by researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found for the first time that thirdhand smoke-the noxious residue that clings to virtually all surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out-causes significant genetic damage in human cells.

21 Jun 2013

Diet, lifestyle and environment attribute to the cause of majority of cancer cases

Diet, lifestyle and the environment are all factors attributed to the cause of the majority of cancer cases and it has been estimated that up to half of all cancers may be preventable according to research by a University of Leicester scientist.

19 Jun 2013

Exposing tissue to low levels of BPA linked to greater incidence of prostate cancer

Exposing developing tissue to low levels of the plastic bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is linked to a greater incidence of prostate cancer in tissue grown from human prostate stem cells, a new study finds. The results were presented Monday, June 17, at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

19 Jun 2013

Special type of IVF may increase risk for insulin resistance among children

A special type of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, may increase the risk for insulin resistance among children conceived in this way, according to a new study from Greece. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

18 Jun 2013

Scientists find that psychiatric disorders may be linked to protein involved in memory formation

Researchers have discovered a pathway by which the brain controls a molecule critical to forming long-term memories and connected with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

17 Jun 2013