OCT News and Research

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Significant link between childhood sexual abuse and symptoms of sexual dysfunction in adults

The study, conducted by scientists from University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Queensland Institute of Medical Research, is published in the current edition of international journal Archives of Sex Research (Oct 2005).

11 Oct 2005

Natural cancer killing cells from the human embryonic stem cells

For the first time, stem cell researchers at the University of Minnesota have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to create cancer-killing cells in the laboratory, paving the way for future treatments for various types of cancers (or tumors).

11 Oct 2005

Vanadium may help prepare the body to recover speedily from infections

Dietary supplements containing vanadium are used by body builders to help beef up muscles and by some diabetic people to control blood sugar. New research now suggests the naturally occurring but easily toxic element may help prepare the body to recover speedily from infections from gram-negative organisms such as E. coli.

11 Oct 2005

Glucose test device for diabetics that does not involve pricking the finger

A Syracuse University chemistry professor has patented a device that aims to make painful fingerstick testing of glucose levels a thing of the past for diabetics.

11 Oct 2005

New way to measure the impact of AIDS on the living brain

A new University of California - Los Angeles/University of Pittsburgh imaging study for the first time shows the selective pattern of destruction inflicted by AIDS on brain regions that control motor, language and sensory functions. High-resolution 3-D color scans created from magnetic resonance images (MRI) vividly illustrate the damage.

10 Oct 2005

Real dangers from environmental toxins most likely occur early in life

Exposure of developing fetuses and newborns to low levels of environmental toxins such as lead, mercury and dioxin, as well as nicotine and ethanol, could be behind the recent sharp rises in asthma, allergies and autoimmune disorders like lupus, says a Cornell University researcher.

10 Oct 2005

Babies should not be asleep in the same bed that their parents are sleeping in

Revised American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines on preventing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) recommend putting babies to sleep in their own cribs instead of in their parents' beds.

10 Oct 2005

Particular versions of the TGFb1 gene are largely responsible for how badly the illness affects patients' lungs

Subtle differences in other genes -- besides the defective gene known to cause the illness cystic fibrosis -- can significantly modify the inherited disease's severity, a large new multi-center national study has concluded.

5 Oct 2005

Cells inside the hair follicle are true multipotent stem cells

Using an animal model, a research team led by Yann Barrandon at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) and the CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital) has discovered that certain cells inside the hair follicle are true multipotent stem cells, capable of developing into the many different cell types needed for hair growth and follicle replacement.

5 Oct 2005

Researchers "should rethink what they are doing" in creating drugs based on a fruit-fly model

The first close-up look at a pro-inflammatory signaling molecule involved in immune response in mammals suggests that researchers "should rethink what they are doing" in creating drugs based on a fruit-fly model, scientists say.

4 Oct 2005

Research may help create drugs to target the molecule-binding pathway, beneficial for treating arthritis and reducing inflammation

3 Oct 2005

Development of aggressive forms of prostate cancer may be influenced by environmental effects that occur early in life

How heavy a man is at the time he is diagnosed with prostate cancer, as well as his history of weight gain, appear to play significant roles in how aggressive his cancer may become, say researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

3 Oct 2005

SARS can infiltrate brain tissue

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), by its very name, indicates a disease of the respiratory tract. But SARS can also infiltrate brain tissue, causing significant central nervous system problems, according to an article in the Oct. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

20 Sep 2005

Fewer antibiotic prescriptions leads to fewer superbugs

That's the take-home message behind a new study in the Oct. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online. The study found that reducing antibiotic use for pediatric respiratory tract infections resulted in lower rates of carriage of drug-resistant bacteria.

6 Sep 2005

California in conflict with FDA over warnings on canned tuna

The state of California has had it's knuckles rapped by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over warnings on canned tuna.

23 Aug 2005

Placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases as embryonic stem cells

Routinely discarded as medical waste, placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases and regenerate tissues as their more controversial counterparts, embryonic stem cells, suggests a University of Pittsburgh study to be published in the journal Stem Cells and available now as an early online publication in Stem Cells Express.

10 Aug 2005

Using light under your skin

You have a tiny wound on your hand that doesn’t heal, a bad burn on your chest – or an injured retina. Your doctor cannot tell how serious the injuries are below the surface. He needs tissue samples. That means using a scalpel, which again equals pain, perhaps even a risk. Soon there may be hope for an improved and totally harmless method to peer under the surface of the skin: light.

23 Apr 2005

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can successfully identify the characteristics of coronary plaques

A catheter-based imaging technology called optical coherence tomography (OCT) can successfully identify the characteristics of coronary plaques in patients with various cardiac symptoms. The report from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will appear in the journal Circulation.

29 Mar 2005

Update on Sudan I contamination

The Food Standards Agency has released an update on food products contaminated with the illegal dye Sudan I.

22 Feb 2005

New genetic clues provide better understanding of epilepsy

Two specific areas in chromosome 7 and chromosome 16 have been associated with photosensitivity, an epilepsy-related trait, by a team of European scientists in the January issue of Human Molecular Genetics.

5 Jan 2005

OCT News and Research

Significant link between childhood sexual abuse and symptoms of sexual dysfunction in adults

Natural cancer killing cells from the human embryonic stem cells

Vanadium may help prepare the body to recover speedily from infections

Glucose test device for diabetics that does not involve pricking the finger

New way to measure the impact of AIDS on the living brain

Real dangers from environmental toxins most likely occur early in life

Babies should not be asleep in the same bed that their parents are sleeping in

Particular versions of the TGFb1 gene are largely responsible for how badly the illness affects patients' lungs

Cells inside the hair follicle are true multipotent stem cells

Researchers "should rethink what they are doing" in creating drugs based on a fruit-fly model

Research may help create drugs to target the molecule-binding pathway, beneficial for treating arthritis and reducing inflammation

Development of aggressive forms of prostate cancer may be influenced by environmental effects that occur early in life

SARS can infiltrate brain tissue

Fewer antibiotic prescriptions leads to fewer superbugs

California in conflict with FDA over warnings on canned tuna

Placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases as embryonic stem cells

Using light under your skin

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can successfully identify the characteristics of coronary plaques

Update on Sudan I contamination

New genetic clues provide better understanding of epilepsy

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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