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Parts of the brain can evolve independently from each other

An Evolutionary Biologist at The University of Manchester, working with scientists in the United States, has found compelling evidence that parts of the brain can evolve independently from each other. It's hoped the findings will significantly advance our understanding of the brain.

From The University of Manchester 26 Sep 2012

Two tiny RNA molecules play a key role in pathological heart growth and failure

Cardiac stress, for example a heart attack or high blood pressure, frequently leads to pathological heart growth and subsequently to heart failure. Two tiny RNA molecules play a key role in this detrimental development in mice, as researchers at the Hannover Medical School and the Göttingen Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry have now discovered.

26 Sep 2012

‘Video game’ teaches blind people to navigate buildings

Blind people can learn the spatial layout of an unfamiliar building using a novel “video game” virtual reality environment that employs only audio-based cues, thus enabling them to learn skills that may improve functional independence, say US and Chilean scientists.

25 Sep 2012

Researchers discover path to identify why genetic variants increase breast cancer risk

Cancer researchers studying 44 known genetic variants associated with breast cancer have found the way to identify why they increase cancer risk, opening the door to future therapeutic applications based on personalized medicine.

25 Sep 2012

State roundup: Anthem dumps Cedars-Sinai, UCLA docs

Two of the most prestigious names in Southern California health care -- Cedars-Sinai and UCLA -- are getting shut out of a major insurance plan for being too expensive. In a bold cost-cutting move, Anthem Blue Cross has eliminated doctors affiliated with the hospitals from a health plan offered to about 60,000 employees and dependents at the cash-strapped city of Los Angeles.

25 Sep 2012

Bees consume less food when given resveratrol

The idea that drinking red wine may provide health benefits - or possibly even extend your life - is an appealing thought for many people. Now, there may be added attraction. Researchers have found that when given resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, bees consume less food.

25 Sep 2012

Lonafarnib proves effective for children with progeria

Results of the first-ever clinical drug trial for children with Progeria, a rare, fatal "rapid-aging" disease, demonstrate the efficacy of a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), a drug originally developed to treat cancer. The clinical trial results, completed only six years after scientists identified the cause of Progeria, included significant improvements in weight gain, bone structure and, most importantly, the cardiovascular system, according to The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) and Boston Children's Hospital.

25 Sep 2012

Consumer Genetics Conference to take place in Boston from Oct. 3-5

The 4th Annual Consumer Genetics Conference, taking place October 3-5 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, will include a keynote presentation by George Church that will provide a forthright and candid assessment of new sequencing technologies, including the emergence of nanopore DNA sequencing, current trends in personal genomics, and projections on the future path of medical genomics.

24 Sep 2012

Vitamin D deficiency affects more Australians than previously thought

September marks the start of spring but new research reveals it is also the month when Australians’ vitamin D levels are at their lowest ebb.

24 Sep 2012

Latest research on stem cells discussed at Einstein symposium

The promise of stem cells seems limitless. If they can be coaxed into rebuilding organs, repairing damaged spinal cords and restoring ravaged immune systems, these malleable cells would revolutionize medical treatment. But stem cell research is still in its infancy, as scientists seek to better understand the role of these cells in normal human development and disease.

24 Sep 2012

UIC Hispanic Center of Excellence receives $3.4M HHS grant to address disparities in minority health care

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine has received a five-year, $3.4 million federal grant to address disparities in minority health care.

21 Sep 2012

Simultaneous computer brain exercises and electromagnetic stimulation for Alzheimer's disease treatment

World Alzheimer's Day - As the planet turns its attention to World Alzheimer's Day, an emerging technology using focused computer brain exercises may offer new hope to Alzheimer's patients and their families.

21 Sep 2012

Worldwide improvements in survival rates after general anesthetic

Survival after a general anaesthetic and within 48 hours of surgery has greatly improved worldwide over the past 50 years, according to the second Article in The Lancet surgery-themed issue.

21 Sep 2012

NCDs should be considered a 'human rights concern'

Noting that "non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill four times the number of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that they do in high-income countries," Benn Grover, a health communications specialist who manages policy for the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and Felicia Knaul, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, write in the Huffington Post Blog.

21 Sep 2012

MU endocrinologist to receive American Heart Association lifetime achievement award

One of the first researchers to study the deadly link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes will receive an American Heart Association lifetime achievement award today at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award presented to University of Missouri endocrinologist James Sowers, MD, recognizes his more than 30 years of accomplishments as a physician, scientist and educator.

21 Sep 2012

Study identifies factors that contribute to solid stress within tumors

It's a high-pressure environment within solid tumors. Abnormal blood and lymphatic vessels cause fluids to accumulate, and the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells within limited space leads to the buildup of what is called solid stress.

21 Sep 2012

High uric acid precursor of obesity, metabolic syndrome

The relationship between uric acid and early cardiometabolic risk may precede obesity and the metabolic syndrome, show study findings.

20 Sep 2012

Tight glycemic control does not reduce infection rate after pediatric cardiac surgery

Implementing tight glycemic control after surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass does not reduce the rate of healthcare-associated infections among pediatric patients, compared with standard care in the intensive care unit, show US study results.

20 Sep 2012

New 3D endoscope at UMDNJ-The University Hospital can treat complex neurosurgical diseases

Ana Cores, a 54-year old Hackensack resident, worried about how a sudden loss of peripheral vision would impact the quality of her life. After undergoing MRIs, eye exams and many diagnostic tests, Cores opted to visit UMDNJ-The University Hospital where Dr. James K. Liu, a skull base neurosurgeon, and Dr. Jean Anderson Eloy, an otolaryngologist, used a new three- dimensional endoscope to remove a brain tumor through her nose that was pressing on her optic nerve and causing her to go blind.

20 Sep 2012

Study examines link between drug or alcohol use disorders and death in veterans with PTSD

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who are also battling drug or alcohol problems face a higher risk of death, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

19 Sep 2012