Laboratory News and Research

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FDA approves Torisel (temsirolimus) for advanced kidney cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasapproved Torisel (temsirolimus) for the treatment of a certain type of advanced kidney cancer known as renal cell carcinoma.

1 Jun 2007

Overdiagnosis of congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS)

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) can be lethal if not diagnosed -- yet recent increased awareness of the disorder may lead to diagnosing patients when they don't have the syndrome and then prescribing treatments that restrict patients' lifestyles, a new Mayo Clinic study shows.

1 Jun 2007

Improve radiation detectors

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, with funding from DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration, have devised ways to improve the performance of radiation detectors, such as those used by law enforcement agencies to locate and identify radioactive material.

1 Jun 2007

Mercury's link to heart disease

Heavy metals and other toxins have been linked to many human diseases, but determining exactly how they damage the body remains a mystery in many cases.

1 Jun 2007

Mathematics is child's play

Children are able to solve approximate addition or subtraction problems involving large numbers even before they have been taught arithmetic, according to a study conducted by researchers from The University of Nottingham and Harvard University.

1 Jun 2007

Proper use of aprotinin to reduce bleeding during heart surgery does not increase the risk of heart attack or stroke

The study was prompted by recent reports suggesting an increased risk of complications including heart attacks, strokes, and kidney problems in patients who received aprotinin to reduce bleeding during heart bypass or valve replacement surgery.

30 May 2007

Rapid syphilis testing prevents congenital disease and stillbirths

Congenital syphilis is a major preventable public health problem in many developing countries, frequently causing stillbirths or neonatal death and disabling children who survive.

30 May 2007

Simple tool to improve compliance with diabetes medications

Though diabetes contributes to nearly a quarter million deaths in the United States annually, patients with chronic ailments don't always take their medication as prescribed.

30 May 2007

Human antibodies protect mice from H5N1 avian influenza

An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus.

30 May 2007

Scientists provide insight into how organisms adapt to changing environmental conditions and fluctuations

Forthcoming in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, a fascinating new selection of papers collects leading experimental research in evolution and artificial selection, providing insight into how organisms adapt to changing environmental conditions and fluctuations.

30 May 2007

Growth factors and the environment combine to increase brain maturation

Recent studies by this group have demonstrated that rodents, brains are sensitive to the influences of the environment and in particular that maturation of the visual system is accelerated in an enriched environment, where animals can explore new objects, engage in physical exercise and play.

30 May 2007

Common antipsychotic drug for methamphetamine overdose may damage brain cells

A common antipsychotic drug used in emergency rooms to treat methamphetamine overdose damages nerve cells in an area of the brain known to regulate movement, a new study shows.

30 May 2007

H5N1 influenza virus survivors' antibodies effective at neutralising H5N1 strain

Adults who have recovered from the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza may hold the key to future treatments for the virus, according to an international team of researchers.

30 May 2007

Blood of bird flu survivors promises new treatment for the deadly virus

Scientists are optimistic that blood donated by four survivors of bird flu will offer some clues as to why some people appear to have protection against the deadly H5N1 virus.

29 May 2007

Scientists develop a more human-like mouse model of cancer

A team led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists has developed a more human-like mouse model of cancer they say will aid the search for cancer-causing genes and improve the predictive value of laboratory drug testing.

28 May 2007

Largest ever Affymetrix GeneChip Microarray study

The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech has announced that it has completed the largest ever Affymetrix GeneChip Microarray study for a plant experimental system in an academic research setting.

28 May 2007

Researchers identify a function of neuregulin1 - impact on schizophrenia

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers have identified a function of neuregulin1 (NRG1), a gene previously linked to schizophrenia but whose role in the disease was unknown.

28 May 2007

Researchers engineer adult stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood to produce insulin

The researchers announced their laboratory finding, which caps nearly four years of research, in the June 2007 issue of the medical journal Cell Proliferation, posted online this week.

28 May 2007

Study challenges conventional wisdom about cancer cells

A team of St. Jude investigators challenged conventional wisdom about the eye cancer retinoblastoma by using a mouse model that allowed them to study the tumors as they develop and grow.

27 May 2007