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Communication between brain and muscle cells is short-lived without LRP4 protein

Communication between the brain and muscle must be strong for us to eat, breathe or walk. Now scientists have found that a protein known to be on the surface of muscle cells must be present in both tissues to ensure the conversation is robust.

12 Jul 2012

Lifestyle behaviour in adolescents may adversely affect BP and cardiovascular risk in adulthood

Lifestyle behaviour in adolescents may adversely affect blood pressure and cardiovascular risk in adulthood, according to results from a large pregnancy follow-up study in Australia. In particular, alcohol consumption among boys, use of the Pill among girls, and high salt intake and increasing body mass index (BMI) in both sexes were important factors linked to blood pressure levels in late adolescence.

12 Jul 2012

Cellular change also occurs in early-stage lung cancer, say researchers

Cellular change thought to happen only in late-stage cancers to help tumors spread also occurs in early-stage lung cancer as a way to bypass growth controls, say researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

12 Jul 2012

Low-fat, high fruit and vegetable diet may help reduce menopausal symptoms

Weight loss that occurs in conjunction with a low-fat, high fruit and vegetable diet may help to reduce or eliminate hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study that appears in the current issue of Menopause.

12 Jul 2012

TGen's customized procedure produces high amounts of exosomes for treatment of CKD

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have developed a method of isolating biospecimens that could lead to a less costly, less invasive and more accurate way of diagnosing chronic kidney disease, or CKD.

12 Jul 2012

Eschar-derived cells may be used for tissue engineering

A research team in the Netherlands has found that cells from burn eschar, the non-viable tissue remaining after burn injury and normally removed to prevent infection, can be a source of mesenchymal cells that may be used for tissue engineering.

12 Jul 2012

Physiologists, neuropathologists identify origin of cancer metastasis formation

It is not primary tumors that are responsible for the majority of cancer deaths, but rather their metastases. Physiologists and neuropathologists from the University of Zurich have now identified the origin of metastasis formation, thereby becoming the first to reveal the pathway of metastasizing intestinal cancer cells out of the blood stream. The results allow new approaches in the development of cancer therapies.

12 Jul 2012

Moderate alcohol intake may reduce risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle may benefit women's bone health, lowering their risk of developing osteoporosis.

12 Jul 2012

SRI receives NIAID grant to develop HIV vaccine

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a grant expected to total more than $77 million from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

12 Jul 2012

Naturally occurring molecule may prevent plaque buildup inside arteries

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered that a naturally occurring molecule may play a role in preventing plaque buildup inside arteries, possibly leading to new plaque-fighting drugs and improved screening of patients at risk of developing atherosclerosis.

12 Jul 2012

Effective therapies to reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality remain elusive

Among intermediate- to high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, administration of the agent acadesine to regulate adenosine (a naturally occurring chemical that dilates blood flow and can improve coronary blood flow and perfusion) did not reduce all-cause death, nonfatal stroke, or need for mechanical support for ventricular dysfunction, for approximately a month after surgery, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

12 Jul 2012

Saponins may increase lamb growth rates

Study results show that the growth rate of female lambs given feed drenched with Agave extract or Quillaja saponaria – both of which contain saponins – increased over 2 months, indicating they may act as natural defaunating agents.

11 Jul 2012

Thrombopoietin mimetic offers aplastic anemia hope

Eltrombopag significantly improves blood counts in some patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia, suggests research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Jul 2012

PCR assay ‘superior’ to culture for neonatal sepsis, meningitis

In neonates with probable sepsis or meningitis, a realtime polymerase chain reaction assay specific for a virulence gene in Streptococcus agalactiae is superior to standard bacterial culture identification, results of a pathology study show.

11 Jul 2012

Arrowhead initiates Adipotide Phase 1 trial in obesity

Arrowhead Research Corporation, a targeted therapeutics company, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial with Adipotide, a new class of treatment for obesity.

11 Jul 2012

BWH performs New England's first implant of SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart

SynCardia Systems, Inc., manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total Artificial Heart, announced today that Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has performed New England's first implant of the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart.

11 Jul 2012

Neonate blood-brain barrier more intact than adults following stroke

The ability for substances to pass through the blood-brain barrier is increased after adult stroke, but not after neonatal stroke, according to a new study the UCSF that will be published July 11 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

11 Jul 2012

Anemia prevention in pregnancy works just as well with fewer iron supplements

Taking iron supplements one to three times a week instead of every day is just as effective at preventing anaemia in pregnant women, according to the findings of a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors of the review also showed that women experienced fewer side effects when taking iron supplements intermittently rather than daily.

11 Jul 2012

Breast cancer drug bevacizumab slows progression but has no overall survival benefit

The cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin®) offers only a modest benefit in prolonging disease progression in patients with advanced stage breast cancer, according to a systematic review by Cochrane researchers. The researchers assessed the efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy, an established cancer treatment in this indication, and found no overall survival benefit when adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy.

11 Jul 2012

Clinical preventive services increase by IPHR

Patients who use an interactive personal health record (IPHR) are almost twice as likely to be up to date with clinical preventive services as those who do not, according to a new study led by Alex Krist, M.D., M.P.H., research member of the Cancer Prevention and Control program at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.

11 Jul 2012