Medical School News and Research

RSS

Turning microRNAs into novel drugs

Researchers around the globe are working on turning microRNAs, over 5,000 of which already have been identified, into novel drugs for a wide range of applications, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). These noncoding single-stranded RNAs act through binding to complementary mRNA sequences, thus preventing their translation into protein or accelerating mRNA breakdown, according to the March 15 issue of GEN.

20 Mar 2010

Winner of 2010 European Magnetic Resonance Award

Dr John Griffiths, a Cancer Research UK-funded scientist, has received the 2010 European Magnetic Resonance Award for Basic Sciences.

20 Mar 2010

Enrollment in internal medicine residency program remains stagnant

The number of U.S. medical students choosing internal medicine residencies inched higher from 2009 but not enough to significantly impact the shortage of primary care physicians.

19 Mar 2010

Working rotating shifts may increase risk of developing IBS and abdominal pain

Nurses participating in shift work, especially those working rotating shifts, face a significantly increased risk of developing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and abdominal pain compared to those working a standard day-time schedule, according to research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

19 Mar 2010

HealthCorps, California Walnut Board form new partnership

The California Walnut Board's commitment to nutrition education continues through a new partnership with HealthCorps®, a proactive health movement founded and chaired by Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of "The Dr. Oz Show" and vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.

19 Mar 2010

Having lower TSH levels while taking thyroxine replacement is not detrimental to health, says study

New research shows that it may be safe for patients taking thyroxine replacement to have low but not suppressed thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. The research, presented at the Society for Endocrinology BES meeting in Manchester, shows for the first time that it may be safe for patients to take slightly higher doses of thyroxine than are currently recommended.

18 Mar 2010

Research shows phenomenon of brain replay is much more complex

The hippocampus, a part of the brain essential for memory, has long been known to "replay" recently experienced events. Previously, replay was believed to be a simple process of reviewing recent experiences in order to help consolidate them into long-term memory.

18 Mar 2010

Adjuvant chemotherapy may benefit older patients with stage III colon cancer

Even though older patients with colon cancer are less likely to receive chemotherapy following surgery because of concerns of adverse events, new research indicates that when they do receive this treatment, it is less toxic and of shorter duration than therapy younger patients receive, and older patients experience fewer adverse events, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer.

18 Mar 2010

Stress during pregnancy may raise infant’s risk to asthma and allergy

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

18 Mar 2010

Bench to Bassinet Program aims to move lab results into clinical practice

To help speed the translation of scientific discoveries into usable treatments in congenital heart disease, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health launched the Bench to Bassinet Program.

17 Mar 2010

Boosting radiation dose for prostate cancer patients does not increase severity of side effects

Boosting the radiation dose given to prostate cancer patients to a level that cut tumor recurrence in half did not increase the severity of side effects reported by patients up to a decade later. The study led by Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center researchers also found that patients characterized the impact of continuing side effects on their quality of life as considerably less bothersome than would be expected, based on earlier studies.

17 Mar 2010

'Molecular band-aid' may help protect hearts of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered a chemical that may, over the long term, protect the hearts of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients - a fatal and most common form of muscular dystrophy in children.

16 Mar 2010

Banana lectin discovery may lead to potential new treatments for preventing sexual transmission of HIV

A potent new inhibitor of HIV, derived from bananas, may open the door to new treatments to prevent sexual transmission of HIV, according to a University of Michigan Medical School study published this week.

16 Mar 2010

Arthritis drug could be useful for treating patients with type 2 diabetes

Clinical studies of a generic drug called salsalate, widely prescribed for arthritis, now provide early promising results that it may be useful for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes as well.

16 Mar 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials

After a year of national debate, a handful of House Democrats who oppose abortion may be the ones to decide whether health care reform goes forward or not. ... We are puzzled and dismayed that these legislators are willing to waste that opportunity because they say the onerous anti-abortion provisions in the Senate's bill are still not onerous enough (3/14).

15 Mar 2010

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals completes $21M Series A equity financing

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company developing peptide therapeutics for metabolic diseases, announced today that it has completed the first close on its Series A equity financing of $21 million. The financing was led by MPM Capital and New Enterprise Associates. The funds will be used to develop products licensed from Ipsen.

15 Mar 2010

ACCORD Lipid trial: New research into atherogenic dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular risk can be reduced by an additional 31 percent in type 2 diabetes patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia, the common combination of elevated triglycerides (TG, 204 mg/dL or 2.3 mmol/L or higher) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, 34 mg/dL or 0.88 mmol/L or lower).

15 Mar 2010

Decision making: Replays in hippocampus part of complex process

Replaying recent events in the area of the brain called the hippocampus may have less to do with creating long-term memories, as scientists have suspected, than with an active decision-making process, suggests a new study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota Medical School.

12 Mar 2010

State overhaul fears, rising costs, medical school expansions

The New York Times: "The General Assembly became the first state legislature to approve a measure that bucks any effort by President Obama and Congress to carry out a national health care overhaul in individual states." Numerous Democrats joined the Republican majority to support the measure 80-17 in the House of Delegates (3/10).

12 Mar 2010

A new way to control blood pressure

The control of blood pressure is central to people's wellbeing. One in three Australians suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), a condition which can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure.

11 Mar 2010