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Rewrite of the recipe for life - new type of DNA

In a dramatic rewrite of the recipe for life, scientists from Florida today described the design of a new type of DNA with 12 chemical letters instead of the usual four.

23 Mar 2009

Stem cell therapy may lead to treatment for deafness

Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their "tufts" of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons.

23 Mar 2009

A new method for assessing women’s eggs could enhance IVF success

Many couples who have trouble conceiving a child have turned to a process known as in vitro fertilization.

23 Mar 2009

Molecular fingerprints point the way to earlier cancer diagnosis and more targeted treatment

Metabolites are molecular fingerprints of what your cells are up to and Dr. Arun Sreekumar wants to know the impression made by cancer.

23 Mar 2009

Human adult testes cells can become embryonic-like

Using what they say is a relatively simple method, scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have extracted stem/progenitor cells from testes and have converted them back into pluripotent embryonic-like stem cells.

23 Mar 2009

Tiny genetic change keeps nicotine from binding to muscle cells

A tiny genetic mutation is the key to understanding why nicotine--which binds to brain receptors with such addictive potency--is virtually powerless in muscle cells that are studded with the same type of receptor.

23 Mar 2009

HHS names former Harvard Professor Blumenthal as National Health Care Information Technology Coordinator

HHS on Friday announced the appointment of former Harvard Medical School professor David Blumenthal as the national coordinator for health care information technology, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

23 Mar 2009

Sen. Grassley says compromise on public-private option health care system will be difficult

Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday at the Kaiser Family Foundation told reporters that although congressional Democrats and Republicans likely will not reach an agreement on health care reform legislation with a provision that would establish a public health plan to compete with private plans, he could not dismiss the possibility, the Wall Street Journal reports (Yoest, Wall Street Journal, 3/19).

23 Mar 2009

New RNA-Seq technique used to profile anthrax genome

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have used a new approach, known as RNA-Seq, to profile the gene expression of the bacterium that causes anthrax, Bacillus anthracis.

22 Mar 2009

Carbohydrate-based medicine

Scientists from Germany today reported a major advance toward opening the doors of a carbohydrate-based medicine chest for the 21st Century.

22 Mar 2009

Quantum effect may hold promise for low-cost DNA sequencing, sensor applications

A ghostly property of matter, called quantum tunneling, may aid the quest for accurate, low-cost genomic sequencing, according to a new paper in Nature Nanotechnology Letters by Stuart Lindsay and his collaborators at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University.

22 Mar 2009

New type of yogurt fights bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers

Results of the first human clinical studies confirm that a new yogurt fights the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers with what researchers describe as almost vaccine-like effects, scientists in Japan will report here today at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

22 Mar 2009

Insights into Parkinson's disease and deep-brain stimulation

About the only thing doctors have understood about deep-brain stimulation, which is widely used to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms, is that somehow it works for many patients.

20 Mar 2009

Scientists trial device to treat chemotherapy-related nausea

Trials to test acupressure wrist bands as a drug-free alternative for chemotherapy-related nausea are to take place at the University of Liverpool.

20 Mar 2009

Schizophrenia gene found to control the birth of new neurons

A gene that is arguably the most studied "schizophrenia gene" plays an unanticipated role in the brain: It controls the birth of new neurons in addition to their integration into existing brain circuitry, according to a report in the March 20th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.

20 Mar 2009

Study shows effectiveness of new low-cost, green technology for monitoring hand hygiene compliance

Epidemiologists and computer scientists at the University of Iowa have collaborated to create a new low-cost, green technology for automatically tracking the use of hand hygiene dispensers before healthcare workers enter and after they exit patient rooms.

20 Mar 2009

Novel stimulation method sparks hope for Parkinson's disease sufferers

A novel stimulation method, the first potential therapy to target the spinal cord instead of the brain, may offer an effective and less invasive approach for Parkinson's disease treatment, according to pre-clinical data published in the journal Science by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

20 Mar 2009

Long-term storage of green tea lessens health benefits

Green tea leaves produce antioxidant organic compounds called catechins that reportedly have beneficial health effects, such as fighting bacteria, viruses and cancer.

20 Mar 2009

Fetal alcohol syndrome testing expands

Improved technology, partnerships and collaboration across two provinces have allowed Queen's University scientists to dramatically expand the use of eye-movement tests that help identify and assess children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

20 Mar 2009

New camera images blood circulation in real time

Burns or other disorders that disrupt the blood flow in tissues will soon be easier to assess thanks to a camera that is capable of imaging blood circulation in real time.

20 Mar 2009