B Cell News and Research

RSS

Vitamin D for cancer

It sounds too good to be true … a little inexpensive pill that could block the development of some cancers, strengthen bones, prevent multiple sclerosis and alleviate winter depression.

7 Feb 2008

New technique boosts success rates with artificial insemination

In future a new method could help some couples who are childless against their will. The microscopic procedure significantly improves the success rate of 'ICSI' (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

6 Feb 2008

Button mushrooms have as much antioxidants as expensive rivals

The humble white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) has as much, and in some cases, more anti-oxidant properties than more expensive varieties.

6 Feb 2008

PDAs push older adults into increasing their physical activity levels

Today's younger generation may reckon that "ne'er the twain shall meet" where technology and their elders are concerned. However, ongoing research by Abby King, PhD, professor of health research and policy and of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, appears to be gradually dispelling that notion.

5 Feb 2008

Study shows that a key protein appears to enable spread of melanoma to the small intestine

A study by researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center has shown that a receptor protein found on melanoma cells appears to facilitate the disease's spread to the small intestine.

5 Feb 2008

Precise geometry and energy of protein structures holds key to cures

Your mother always told you to do your geometry homework, and for scientists seeking new treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, this advice turns out to be right on the mark.

5 Feb 2008

Chemists track how amantadine drug changes, blocks flu virus

An anti-virus drug attacks influenza A by changing the motion and structure of a proton channel necessary for the virus to infect healthy cells, according to a recently published research paper by two Iowa State University chemists.

5 Feb 2008

Risk factors for severe RSV infection in immunocompromised children

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators and collaborators have shown how to predict if a child who is infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) while being treated for cancer or another catastrophic disease is at high risk for developing severe infection. The finding will help clinicians improve guidelines for managing these infected children.

4 Feb 2008

Breaking down Huntington's disease one protein at a time

Hoping to piece together the intricate series of interactions that lead to Huntington's disease, Indiana University Bloomington scientists have determined the shape and structure of a binding site that may prove useful in combating the neurodegenerative disease

4 Feb 2008

Researchers identify cells that cause nervous system disease

Two teams of University of Michigan researchers have tracked down the cells responsible for neurofibromatosis type1, a disfiguring, incurable condition and one of the most common hereditary disorders.

4 Feb 2008

Nano scaffold to rebuild nerve damage

A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionise stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury.

4 Feb 2008

Resisting lung cancer recurrence - Vaccine booster gives persistent immune response

What if we could prevent cancer recurrence for years after surgery by giving simple recall injections every two or three years? This concept may no longer be a fantasy.

4 Feb 2008

New discoveries on what does and doesn't affect immune system

Scientists know that a number of factors can affect the body's immune system: poor diet, certain steroids, chronic stress. Now researchers at Michigan State University have discovered that an appetite-controlling hormone also affects the immune system, while natural versions of certain steroids do not.

4 Feb 2008

Targeting astrocytes slows progression of Lou Gehrig's disease

In what the researchers say could be promising news in the quest to find a therapy to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have shown that targeting neuronal support cells called astrocytes sharply slows disease progression in mice.

4 Feb 2008

New discovery, immune cells confront viruses just inside of the lymph node

Vaccines have led to many of the world's greatest public health triumphs, but many deadly viruses, such as HIV, still elude the best efforts of scientists to develop effective vaccines against them. An improved understanding of how the immune system operates during a viral infection is critical to designing successful anti-virus vaccines.

4 Feb 2008

Certain genetic variations protect against depression triggered by childhood stress

Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression, according to new research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.

4 Feb 2008