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Study supports argument that declining PSA screening may lead to avoidable cancer deaths

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against regular prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer (PCa) has been in place for two and a half years. Although the number of prostate needle biopsies (PNB) has been reduced, patients who undergo PNB are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with high risk disease, and detection of intermediate risk, potentially curable PCa has likely decreased.

6 Jan 2016

Study may hold new revelations about how stress during pregnancy affects mothers and offspring

The sequencing of the first genome involving a cockroach species may one day serve as a model system comparable to how research on mice can apply to humans. In this case, the model could hold new revelations about how stress during pregnancy could affect both the mother and her offspring.

6 Jan 2016

Genetic mutation in starlings could shed light on mitochondrial disease in humans

Deakin University and UNSW Australia researchers have made a rare observation of rapid evolution in action in the wild, documenting the spread of a newly arisen genetic mutation in invasive starlings, which could shed light on mitochondrial disease in humans.

6 Jan 2016

Qualcomm Life expands global connected therapy management collaboration with Novartis

Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, Inc., and Novartis are expanding their global connected therapy management collaboration. Novartis will leverage Qualcomm Life's connectivity solutions to power its next-generation connected Breezhaler, the inhaler for its Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) portfolio.

6 Jan 2016

Study reveals promising mechanism for attacking Ebola virus

In late December, nearly two years after the epidemic began, the World Health Organization has declared the African country of Guinea to be free of Ebola virus infections. But, the race to find a cure and therapies to combat the disease are forging ahead as officials warn that inattention could lead to another epidemic.

5 Jan 2016

Anticholinergic medications do not affect cognitive performance in PD patients

Recent evidence has shown a greater risk of dementia, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD), in individuals using anticholinergic medications regularly. These drugs are widely used by older adults to treat bladder dysfunction, mood, and pain, and many of them are available without prescription.

5 Jan 2016

Marmosets appear to use auditory cues similar to humans to process pitch

The specialized human ability to perceive the sound quality known as 'pitch' can no longer be listed as unique to humans. Researchers at Johns Hopkins report new behavioral evidence that marmosets, ancient monkeys, appear to use auditory cues similar to humans to distinguish between low and high notes.

29 Dec 2015

Ebola virus and bats waging molecular battle for survival

Ebola virus and bats have been waging a molecular battle for survival that may have started at least 25 million years ago, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) that published online today in the journal eLife.

24 Dec 2015

New biopsy system shows promise for early detection of colorectal cancer

A university spin-off, AWSensors, is coordinating the European project LIQBIOPSENS to develop liquid biopsy technologies for the early detection of colorectal cancer.

23 Dec 2015

Scientists outline molecular blueprints of tiny cellular 'nanomachine'

Scientists have drawn up molecular blueprints of a tiny cellular ‘nanomachine’, whose evolution is an extraordinary feat of nature, by using one of the brightest X-ray sources on Earth.

21 Dec 2015

Humans get better sleep in less time than our closest animal relatives

Insomniacs take heart: Humans get by on significantly less sleep than our closest animal relatives. The secret, according to a new study, is that our sleep is more efficient.

17 Dec 2015

Novel material can provide protection against brain injuries

Funding has been awarded to world-leading, US-based helmet designer and manufacturer, Roy Burek of Charles Owen Inc., to develop a novel material created by researchers from Cardiff University's School of Engineering that can improve the safety of athletes, members of the military and others from brain injuries by better absorbing and dissipating impact.

17 Dec 2015

TSRI scientists track how HIV-fighting antibodies develop over time

In a new study, a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute tracked how a family of these HIV-fighting antibodies develops over time. The research shows how a future vaccine might trigger the immune system to produce these antibodies more effectively.

16 Dec 2015

Our senses far from flawless, UCLA study reveals

Our vision and hearing aren't as reliable as we might think, according to a study by life scientists at UCLA.

13 Dec 2015

Four journalists from China and India win 2016 EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters

Four early-career journalists from China and India have emerged from the fiercest competition to date to win the 2016 EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.

13 Dec 2015

CRISPR-Cas9 can help knock out genes in exotic animals

The simplicity of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing will soon make studying the genes of any organism, from the simplest slime mold to the octopus, as easy as it now is to study the genes controlling development in standard lab animals such as nematodes, fruit flies, frogs and mice.

12 Dec 2015

Abbott, UCSF identify human pegivirus 2 among some patients with hepatitis C

Abbott and University of California San Francisco published research identifying a newly discovered human virus, known as human pegivirus 2 (HPgV-2), and proving it is found among some patients with hepatitis C (HCV).

12 Dec 2015

Benefits of early dementia diagnosis may lead to challenging issues, new study shows

A new epidemiologic study showed that patients with early stage dementia, who had been referred to a specialist, have twice the risk of institutionalization compared to those who are not, according to a research study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease this month.

11 Dec 2015

Lilly, Merck announce another immuno-oncology collaboration

Eli Lilly and Company and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced another immuno-oncology collaboration that will evaluate abemaciclib (LY2835219), Lilly's cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and 6 inhibitor, and Merck's KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in a Phase I study across multiple tumor types.

10 Dec 2015

Researchers use mathematical models to study brain cells essential for correct functioning of neurons

Applying mathematical models used for studying the galaxies or interactions between elementary particles, researchers at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, have analysed the spatial distribution of astrocytes: brain cells that are essential for the correct functioning of neurons.

10 Dec 2015