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Study illuminates how neuronal activity leads to gene activation

From burning your palm on a hot pan handle to memorizing the name of a new acquaintance, "anytime you experience something, your neurons are active," says Kelsey Tyssowski, a graduate student in genetics at Harvard Medical School.

16 May 2018

Increasing physical activity over six years associated with decreased heart failure risk

By analyzing reported physical activity levels over time in more than 11,000 American adults, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers conclude that increasing physical activity to recommended levels over as few as six years in middle age is associated with a significantly decreased risk of heart failure, a condition that affects an estimated 5 million to 6 million Americans.

15 May 2018

Giving identical subsidies can get gold-standard medications into the hands of consumers

Equal subsidies "surprisingly powerful," in promoting use of gold-standard medications, new study shows.

9 May 2018

Scientists successfully test anti-alcoholism drug in animal models

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have successfully tested in animals a drug that, they say, may one day help block the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that incessantly coax people with alcoholism to drink.

4 May 2018

Researchers discover substance that could lead to cheaper and smaller MRI machines

Researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have discovered a substance that could help MRI machines evolve from today’s bulky behemoths to hand-held scanners straight out of “Star Trek.”

2 May 2018

Researchers discover genetic catalysts that accelerate evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Researchers at Oxford University have shown that it is possible to identify genetic catalysts that accelerate the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria - and that this knowledge could be used to design treatments to stifle the development of resistance.

24 Apr 2018

New automated text messaging service may help combat opioid epidemic

A new automated text messaging service may curb opioid abuse and reduce the likelihood of relapse while also decreasing treatment costs, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Epharmix, a St. Louis-based digital health company.

17 Apr 2018

Mouse study shows how tungsten accumulates in the bones

New research shows how and where tungsten accumulates in bones of mice exposed to the element through drinking water. The findings, by a team of chemists and biologists at McGill University, could add to doubts over the once-universal assumption that tungsten poses little or no health risk to the general human population.

17 Apr 2018

Researchers create biocompatible gels using caffeine as catalyst

Caffeine is well-known for its ability to help people stay alert, but a team of researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital has now come up with a novel use for this chemical stimulant -- catalyzing the formation of polymer materials.

13 Apr 2018

The Rivkin Center announces $1.185 million in ovarian cancer research grants for 2018

The Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer, a Seattle-based 501(c)(3), announced that it has awarded $1.185 million in ovarian cancer research grants for 2018. The amount funded was a 10% increase from the previous year.

11 Apr 2018

Research pinpoints potential weak link in bacterial wall-building protein

The wall that surrounds bacteria to shield them from external assaults has long been a tantalizing target for drug therapies. Indeed, some of modern medicine's most reliable antibiotics disarm harmful bacteria by disrupting the proteins that build their protective armor.

28 Mar 2018

Study finds tobacco smoke exposure among most adolescents in economically disadvantaged population

Ninety-four percent of adolescents ages 13 to 19 in an economically disadvantaged, largely minority population in San Francisco had measurable levels of a biomarker specific for exposure to tobacco smoke.

23 Feb 2018

Desymmetrization paves way for new bioactive compounds

Many chemical molecules can exist in nature together with their mirror counterparts; like hands, two compounds can be made up of the same atoms in the same overall structure but in opposite orientations, i.e. left-handed and right-handed.

23 Feb 2018

Researchers create minuscule, light-powered wires to modify electrical signaling between neurons

The human brain largely remains a black box: How the network of fast-moving electrical signals turns into thought, movement and disease remains poorly understood. But it is electrical, so it can be hacked--the question is finding a precise, easy way to manipulate electrical signaling between neurons.

21 Feb 2018

Bad bedside manna: Bank loans signed in the hospital leave patients vulnerable

Laura Cameron, then three months pregnant, tripped and fell in a parking lot and landed in the emergency room last May — her blood pressure was low and she was scared and in pain. She was flat on her back and plugged into a saline drip when a hospital employee approached her gurney to discuss how she would pay her hospital bill.

21 Feb 2018

Scientists develop green chemistry method to improve pharmaceutical manufacturing efficiency

About 70 percent of pharmaceuticals are manufactured using palladium-driven catalytic processes that are either fast or efficient - but not both.

14 Feb 2018

GlycoNet researchers to study correlation between sugars and Alzheimer's disease

Two GlycoNet Investigators are using technology to better understand how sugars in the human body are connected to Alzheimer's disease.

12 Feb 2018

Study provides valuable insights to prevalence of burnout in neurosurgery residents

When it comes to workplace stress, even doctors aren't immune to its effects. For doctors training to become neurosurgeons, burnout is common, and certain workplace stressors -- like unrewarding mentor relationships, difficult coworkers and not getting enough exposure to the operating room -- can lead to it, according to a new study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

9 Feb 2018

Back pain affects nearly half of well-functioning, highly active older adults

In a Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study, many well-functioning and highly active older adults experienced back pain, which was linked with poorer perceived and observed walking endurance.

7 Feb 2018

Harvard scientists identify molecular machinery responsible for dopamine release in the brain

Studied for decades for its critical role in movement control and reward-seeking behaviors, the neurotransmitter dopamine has been the focus of numerous efforts to understand its activity, particularly when it goes awry in disorders such as Parkinson's and addiction.

1 Feb 2018