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Cancer drug shows promise in treating blood cell disorders

Scientists working to make gene therapy a reality have solved a major hurdle: how to bypass a blood stem cell's natural defenses and efficiently insert disease-fighting genes into the cell's genome.

27 Jun 2014

Interactions with other infections can trigger herpes virus to reactivate, shows research

The famous slogan is "A diamond is forever," but that phrase might be better suited to herpes: Unlike most viruses, which succumb to the immune system's attack, herpes remains in the body forever, lying in wait, sometimes reactivating years later.

27 Jun 2014

Web search trends increase during Autism Awareness Month

Autism Awareness Month each April brings blue lights and puzzle shapes out to shine in many communities - but does it actually lead to increased autism awareness? According to a new analysis of web search trends by researchers at Drexel University, it does appear to drive an increase in Google searches for autism - by a third over searches in March in recent years.

27 Jun 2014

ONCOblot test identifies ENOX2 cancer marker, paves way for minimally invasive tests

Cancer is rarely black and white, and it's no small matter no matter how small, but a new discovery in the field of cancer screenings has come to light that signals a shift to an earlier, more certain and specific cancer diagnosis.

27 Jun 2014

Scientists one step closer to understanding the causes of Parkinson's disease

Scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the causes of Parkinson's disease, identifying what's happening at a cellular level to potentially help develop future treatments.

27 Jun 2014

Medicare boosts anti-fraud efforts, but problems are still rife

Medicare officials recovered about $19.2 billion in fraudulent payments over the past five years, including $210 million through a new system that uses analytics to probe billing patterns, CQ Healthbeat reports. But the recovered sum is dwarfed by the size of the problem, projected to be up to $50 billion a year.

27 Jun 2014

New technique improves quality of flexible, conductive, transparent glass

A new technique developed by a Binghamton University physicist and his colleagues will improve the quality of flexible, conductive, transparent glass. (The sort that's needed for Minority Report-style giant computer displays.)

27 Jun 2014

Lower health spending contributed to downturn in GDP

The revision by the Commerce Department finds that health spending was substantially below expectations for the first quarter and subtracted 0.16 of a percentage point from the nation's growth rate.

27 Jun 2014

Patients kept in the dark on costs of tests, treatments

The CT Mirror examines the difficulties patients face when trying to comparison shop or simply figure out how much they might have to spend on medical treatments.

27 Jun 2014

Hillary Clinton says Democrats should run on Obamacare

Meanwhile, a tea party challenger to Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Republican incumbent, is focusing on his posture to the health care law, and House Speaker John Boehner said he plans to sue the president for misuse of executive powers on issues including health care.

27 Jun 2014

Blocking enzyme Cdk5 could reduce brain damage after stroke

A drug that blocks the action of the enzyme Cdk5 could substantially reduce brain damage if administered shortly after a stroke, UT Southwestern Medical Center research suggests.

27 Jun 2014

Study proposes moving open enrollment season

Researchers suggest consumers are not willing to spend money on insurance in the busy fall season as they plan for the holidays so sign-ups in the spring after tax returns are received might be better. Also, a look at consumers' reluctance to shop for insurance

27 Jun 2014

Neuroscientists can control muscle movement by applying optogenetics

For the first time, MIT neuroscientists have shown they can control muscle movement by applying optogenetics - a technique that allows scientists to control neurons' electrical impulses with light - to the spinal cords of animals that are awake and alert.

27 Jun 2014

New technology could revolutionize treatment and prevention of sepsis

The National Science Foundation has just awarded $200,000 to engineers at Oregon State University who have developed a new technology that they believe could revolutionize the treatment and prevention of sepsis.

27 Jun 2014

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals plans to merge with QLT

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a fully integrated specialty biopharmaceutical company, and QLT Inc., a Canadian-based biotechnology company focused on developing innovative orphan ophthalmology products, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Auxilium plans to merge with QLT.

26 Jun 2014

Antidepressant risk in bipolar patients limited to monotherapy use

Antidepressants may cause problems in patients with bipolar disorder only when they are used in isolation, research suggests.

26 Jun 2014

Insight has ‘trait-like properties’ in psychosis

Poor insight persists in many patients after their first episode of psychosis and is predicted by insight at baseline, report researchers.

26 Jun 2014

Scientists report first successful step toward vaccine that targets mutation in brain cancer

Astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas are subtypes of a brain cancer called 'glioma'. These incurable brain tumors arise from glial cells, a type of support cell found in the central nervous system.

26 Jun 2014

Low vitamin D may play a role in high blood pressure

A new genetic study has provided the most solid evidence to date that a low vitamin D level plays a causal role in the development of high blood pressure (hypertension).

26 Jun 2014

FMM supports research project to investigate mitochondria-targeted therapeutic approach

The Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine announced today that it is working with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to support a research project led by Wolfdieter Springer, PhD, at the Department of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic in Florida to investigate a mitochondria-targeted therapeutic approach to treating Parkinson's disease.

26 Jun 2014