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Scientists use nanoscale polymer films to control drug delivery

Using nanotechnology, scientists from UCLA and Northwestern University have developed a localized and controlled drug delivery method that is invisible to the immune system, a discovery that could provide newer and more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases.

23 Jan 2008

Genetic switches could lower cost of producing drugs, proteins

Bacteria have evolved complex mechanisms called quorum sensing systems that provide for cell-to-cell communication, an adaptation that allows them to wait until their population grows large enough before mounting an attack on a host or competing for nutrients.

23 Jan 2008

Flame retardant chemicals found in body fat of Tasmanian Devil

A wild carnivorous marsupial which only exists on the Australian island state of Tasmania has been found to have high levels of flame retardant chemicals.

23 Jan 2008

Studies highlight MRSA evolution and resilience

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are caused primarily by a single strain USA300 of an evolving bacterium that has spread with "extraordinary transmissibility" throughout the United States during the past five years, according to a new study led by National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists.

22 Jan 2008

Lots of caffeine during pregnancy increases risk of miscarriage

High doses of daily caffeine during pregnancy - whether from coffee, tea, caffeinated soda or hot chocolate - cause an increased risk of miscarriage, according a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

22 Jan 2008

For pregnant women coffee is a definate no!

Researchers in the U.S. say they have found strong evidence that high doses of caffeine during pregnancy significantly increase the risk of miscarriage.

21 Jan 2008

Contact lenses with imprinted electronic circuit and lights

Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs.

18 Jan 2008

Smallest particles from vehicle emissions may promote hardening of the arteries

Patients prone to heart disease may one day be told by physicians to avoid not only fatty foods and smoking but air pollution too.

18 Jan 2008

Gene markers located for hereditary prostate cancer

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute, Wake Forest University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have identified an array of gene markers for hereditary prostate cancer that, along with family history for the disease, appear to raise risk to more than nine times that of men without such markers.

17 Jan 2008

Analysis shows adverse health consequences from overdue EPA emissions standards for diesel trains and ships

A new technical analysis shows that even a one year delay by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in implementing overdue emission standards for diesel trains and ships will allow serious health effects to go unaddressed over the course of EPA's program.

16 Jan 2008

Researchers find new way to block destructive rush of immune cells

Researchers have found a way to selectively block the ability of white blood cells to "crawl" toward the sites of injury and infection when such mobility drives disease, according to a study published today in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

15 Jan 2008

U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves new genetic breast cancer test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a test that helps in assessing the risk of tumor recurrence and long-term survival for patients with relatively high-risk breast cancer. The TOP2A FISH pharmDx is the first approved device to test for the TOP2A (topoisomerase 2 alpha) gene in cancer patients.

14 Jan 2008

Genomic screen identifies 273 human proteins required for HIV propagation

In some ways, HIV resembles a minimalist painter, using a few basic components to achieve dramatic effects.

11 Jan 2008

Chemicals in red wine grapes may prevent tooth decay

A class of chemicals in red wine grapes may significantly reduce the ability of bacteria to cause cavities, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

10 Jan 2008

Huntington's disease problem starts early

The damaging effects of the mutated protein involved in Huntington's disease take place earlier in cell life than previously believed, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears in the current edition of the journal Neuron.

10 Jan 2008

Stress causes whole body deterioration

Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

9 Jan 2008

Freeze-dried tendon grafts loaded with gene therapy may provide repair injured tendons

According to study data published today in the journal Molecular Therapy, a new graft technique may provide the first effective framework around which flexor tendon tissue can reorganize as it heals.

9 Jan 2008

Increased exposure to sunlight may be good for some people

A new study by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and colleagues in Norway suggests that the benefits of moderately increased exposure to sunlight - namely the production of vitamin D, which protects against the lethal effects of many forms of cancer and other diseases - may outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer in populations deficient in vitamin D.

8 Jan 2008

Tracking down allergenic substances

At present, animal tests are the only way of determining whether a particular chemical can cause an allergic reaction.

7 Jan 2008

New understanding of cell's inner workings

A group of scientists in Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has uncovered a new biological mechanism that could provide a clearer window into a cell's inner workings.

7 Jan 2008