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Tiny micro-incubator to culture living cells for lab tests

Integrating silicon microchip technology with a network of tiny fluid channels, some thinner than a human hair, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have developed a thumb-size micro-incubator to culture living cells for lab tests.

3 Oct 2007

Potential new drugs for tropical disease leishmaniasis

The fight against the deadly tropical disease Leishmaniasis, also known as black fever, has been boosted by scientists at the University of Durham, whose new screening system has raised the possibility of new, safer drugs.

3 Oct 2007

Plant colors shed light on antioxidants

Scientists have made an important advance in understanding the genetic processes that give flowers, leaves and plants their bright colours. The knowledge could lead to a range of benefits, including better understanding of the cancer-fighting properties of plant pigments and new, natural food colourings.

3 Oct 2007

Low doses of a red wine ingredient resveratrol fights diabetes in mice

A chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a report in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.

3 Oct 2007

Discovery of genetic roadblock could lead to novel treatments for type 2 diabetes

A team of Mount Sinai Hospital researchers has found that a “genetic roadblock” identified in a recent study could pave the way toward novel treatments for type 2 diabetes.

3 Oct 2007

ACE inhibitor perindopril may help improve cardiac complications from Marfan syndrome

Preliminary research suggests that use of the ACE inhibitor perindopril, along with a beta-blocker, may help reduce cardiac measures such as aortic stiffness and dilation that are associated with the cardiac complications of Marfan syndrome, according to an article in the October 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Oct 2007

Early stage drug shows promise against cancer cells from young patients

A new drug has shown promising pre-clinical activity against cells from several types of children's cancers, scientists reveal at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham today (Tuesday).

2 Oct 2007

Molecular basis of the cyanide polymorphism

That clover necklace you make for your child could well be a ring of poison.

2 Oct 2007

Gene that lowers cell stress could protect against Parkinson's disease

The discovery of a relationship between two cell enzymes and their role in keeping the cell's energy generating machinery working smoothly could provide a new target for development of therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD).

2 Oct 2007

Gene that lowers cell stress could protect against Parkinson’s disease

1 Oct 2007

New Giardia lamblia research provides hope for millions of sufferers

Today's issue of the scientific journal Science presents research on the genetic make-up and biology of the parasite Giardia lamblia that ultimately may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the diarrhea disease giardiasis, which affects 200 million people every year.

29 Sep 2007

Potential new therapy for uveitis

An inflammatory eye condition that is one of the world's leading causes of blindness could be treated much more effectively and easily thanks to a new discovery here.

29 Sep 2007

New molecular evidence of the role of the hormone prolactin in breast cancer

They have found that prolactin, a pituitary hormone that normally stimulates breast development and milk production, initiates a new “signaling pathway” that may regulate the growth and survival of breast cancer cells.

29 Sep 2007

Unmasked enzyme may lead to new drugs for type II diabetes

Scientists at the Medical Research Council have made a discovery that could pave the way for better treatments of type II diabetes.

27 Sep 2007

Memory tasks require more coordinated brain blood flow for people with high blood pressure

Blood flow to the parts of the brain that support memory function differs between people with high blood pressure and those with normal blood pressure, and this difference seems to increase when high blood pressure is treated with medications, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association's 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

27 Sep 2007

Loss of TDP-43 gene found to be related to age-related neurological disorders

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville have discovered how loss of a gene can lead to accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain, resulting in a common dementia, and they say this mechanism may be important in a number of age-related neurological disorders.

27 Sep 2007

New molecular target in blood clot formation

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have identified a new molecular target in blood clot formation, which seems to reduce clotting without excessive bleeding, the common side-effect of anti-clotting agents.

27 Sep 2007

Caffeine and acetaminophen don't mix well

Consuming large amounts of caffeine while taking acetaminophen, one of the most widely used painkillers in the United States, could potentially cause liver damage, according to a preliminary laboratory study reported in the Oct. 15 print issue of ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology, a monthly journal.

27 Sep 2007

Transposons could make for safer gene delivery system

To move a gene from point A to point B, scientists and gene therapists have two proven options: a virus, which can effectively ferry genes of interest into cells, and a plasmid, an engineered loop of DNA that can do the same thing, albeit usually only on a short-term basis.

27 Sep 2007

Enzyme's second messenger contributes to cell overgrowth

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have uncovered a novel pathway by which hormones elevated in inflammation, cancer and cell injury act on cells to stimulate their growth.

27 Sep 2007