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Findings advance fundamental understanding of DNA damage by UV rays

In the same week that the U.S. surgeon general issued a 101-page report about the dangers of skin cancer, researchers at Montana State University published a paper breaking new ground on how DNA - the genetic code in every cell - responds when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light.

1 Aug 2014

Dynamic nuclear polarization: an interview with Professor Robert Griffin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

DNP, or dynamic nuclear polarization, is an NMR technique which transfers polarization from the electron spins onto the nuclear spins, using constant microwave irradiation to enable the transfer.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 24 Jul 2014

Short movie shows development of dressing promotes wound healing

Someone suffers second- or third-degree burns: The wound must immediately be dressed and the dressing is to be changed regularly. A short movie made by the group of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Barcikowski shows the development of a dressing that promotes wound healing - from the materials research laboratory until the first practical trial (in English).

24 Jul 2014

Freedom portable driver receives FDA approval for use with SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

The Freedom portable driver received FDA approval on June 26, 2014 for use with the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart as a bridge to transplantation in cardiac transplant candidates who are clinically stable.

16 Jul 2014

People can be conditioned to feel less pain when they hear neutral sound

People can be conditioned to feel less pain when they hear a neutral sound, new research from the University of Luxembourg has found. This lends weight to the idea that we can learn to use mind-over-matter to beat pain. The scientific article was published recently in the online journal "PLOS One".

10 Jul 2014

Quantel Medical receives FDA clearance for Optimis Fusion integrated laser platform

Quantel Medical today announced FDA 510(k) clearance for its Optimis Fusion integrated laser platform. The Optimis Fusion system combines advanced selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) photoregeneration therapy and traditional YAG photodisruption treatments to offer ophthalmologists a versatile armamentarium for treating both cataract and glaucoma in an efficient combination platform.

10 Jul 2014

Novel method to measure neuron response to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain

Engineers and neuroscientists at Duke University have developed a method to measure the response of an individual neuron to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the brain. The advance will help researchers understand the underlying physiological effects of TMS -- a procedure used to treat psychiatric disorders -- and optimize its use as a therapeutic treatment.

30 Jun 2014

Scientists use femtosecond lasers to tackle Parkinson's disease

Scientists are combining physics and neurobiology to tackle Parkinson's disease. The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University's Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit and Neurobiology Research Unit, along with collaborators at the University of Otago, New Zealand are using lasers, nanotechnology and neuroscience to develop a new, versatile drug delivery system.

26 Jun 2014

SLAC research reveals rapid DNA changes that act as molecular sunscreen

The molecular building blocks that make up DNA absorb ultraviolet light so strongly that sunlight should deactivate them - yet it does not. Now scientists have made detailed observations of a "relaxation response" that protects these molecules, and the genetic information they encode, from UV damage.

24 Jun 2014

Grain legume crops overlooked as potentially valuable sources of micronutrients

Popular diets across the world typically focus on the right balance of essential components like protein, fat, and carbohydrates. These items are called macronutrients, and we consume them in relatively large quantities.

11 Jun 2014

Conventional proton radiotherapy to fight against cancer

The future face of modern-day anti-cancer therapy based on charged particles like protons could potentially involve using laser accelerators. However, these facilities will need to be reduced in terms of both size and cost compared to conventional ones.

11 Jun 2014

Researchers take step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people

In laboratory tests, researchers have used electrical stimulation of retinal cells to produce the same patterns of activity that occur when the retina sees a moving object. Although more work remains, this is a step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people, the researchers say.

6 Jun 2014

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators improve survival among heart failure patients

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are associated with improved survival among heart failure patients whose left ventricles only pump 30 to 35 percent of blood out of the heart with each contraction, according to a study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

4 Jun 2014

MGH researchers test novel approach to disinfecting wounds in animal study

Application of a technology currently used to disinfect food products may help to get around one of the most challenging problems in medicine today, the proliferation of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs.

22 May 2014

NYU Langone Medical Center implants RNS device in brain for patients with epilepsy

NYU Langone Medical Center last month became the first hospital outside of a clinical trial site to implant a pacemaker-like device in the brain that may be a game-changer for patients with epilepsy.

22 May 2014

New laser method provides a better understanding on how genes are controlled, regulated

Almost every one of our cells has an entire copy of our genome. But only differing subsets of genes are active and expressed in any given cell.

21 May 2014

New LASER could revolutionize medicine and our knowledge of the human genome

Within the framework of the European ATLAS project, a team of researchers in Naples has created a LASER-based prototype that could revolutionize medicine and our knowledge of the human genome.

21 May 2014

New potential treatment for paraplegic patients

People with severe injuries to their spinal cord currently have no prospect of recovery and remain confined to their wheelchairs. Now, all that could change with a new treatment that stimulates the spinal cord using electric impulses.

16 May 2014

Restoring vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa: an interview with Dr. Gregoire Cosendai, Vice President, Europe, Second Sight

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a progressive eye disease that leads to untreatable blindness. The name of the disease derives from the fact that one of the areas affected by the disease is the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in the back of the eye.

30 Apr 2014

Research helps unpick long-standing mystery about how dietary fibre supresses appetite

New research has helped unpick a long-standing mystery about how dietary fibre supresses appetite. In a study led by Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC), an international team of researchers identified an anti-appetite molecule called acetate that is naturally released when we digest fibre in the gut.