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Humans have ancient genes

Species evolve at very different rates, and the evolutionary line that produced humans seems to be among the slowest.

7 Dec 2005

Its true - marriage can be bad for your health!

U.S. researchers have yet more proof that an unhappy marriage is bad for your health.

6 Dec 2005

Brain memory modifies wiring during the female menstrual cycle

Researchers at Northwestern University and Columbia University have found that "wiring" in female rat brain memory area expands and retracts in relation to the amount of estrogen present during the estrous/menstrual cycle.

5 Dec 2005

Ack1 molecule stimulates the aggressive growth of prostate cancer

The molecule, Ack1, a member of the growth-promoting tyrosine kinase gene family, stimulates tumor formation in part by signaling prostate cells to rid themselves of a tumor-suppressor protein. Normally, this suppressor protein would inhibit rapid cell growth by signaling the cell to destroy itself.

5 Dec 2005

Sleep-disorders related to breathing suggest increase risk of stroke

Individuals who experience moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing are four times more likely to have a stroke during the next four years than those who do not suffer from the problem.

5 Dec 2005

Inexpensive blood test for major parasitic diseases

The National Reference Centre for Parasitology (NRCP), based at the MUHC, is developing a comprehensive and inexpensive blood safety test that will allow clinicians to check for all major parasitic diseases in patients' blood.

5 Dec 2005

Making angioplasty safer

When life-threatening problems occur during angioplasty procedures, doctors may perform emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery, but data from the Mayo Clinic indicates that need to send patients to emergency surgery has dropped sharply, according to a new study in the Dec. 6, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Dec 2005

Breast CT may be better than mammography at detecting breast lesions

Breast CT, an investigational technology for early breast cancer detection, may be better than mammography at detecting breast lesions and is much more comfortable for women, researchers from the University of California, Davis reported at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.

2 Dec 2005

New alcohol biomarker test lowers the cost of caring for patients with chronic illnesses

Adding a new alcohol biomarker test to patients' revelations about their drinking habits could lower the cost of caring for patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure, a health economics analysis finds.

2 Dec 2005

New anthrax antibody

A new anthrax antibody engineered by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin protects and defends against inhalation anthrax without the use of antibiotics and other more expensive antibodies.

2 Dec 2005

Chronic stress induces rapid occlusion of angioplasty

Chronic stress can induce rapid blocking of arteries after a balloon angioplasty procedure, according to research performed in animal studies at Georgetown University Medical Center. Blocked coronary arteries after angioplasty affect 41 percent of patients who undergo the procedure and can lead to death.

28 Nov 2005

Exploiting biology's own chemical toolbox...

Exploiting biology's own chemical toolbox, researchers have developed a new technique that will allow them to modify specific sequences within a DNA molecule. The approach will not only help reveal the impact of biochemical alterations to DNA, but could have far-reaching implications for DNA-based medical diagnosis and nanobiotechnology.

28 Nov 2005

Eat your way to a better brain for your baby

A team of British scientists at Manchester and Lancaster Universities has turned established thinking on its head in a bid to understand the serious and often deadly condition, hydrocephalus, commonly known as 'water on the brain'.

From The University of Manchester 28 Nov 2005

Cranberry flavoured toothpaste may help stop decay

According to researchers cranberries, well-known for their ability to help thwart urinary tract infections, may also help prevent tooth decay and cavities.

28 Nov 2005

MGH study finds first function for, promising flexibility in adult-born nerve cells

New brain cells that develop in the olfactory system of adult mice appear to play a role in the brain different from that of older neurons.

28 Nov 2005

New method to discover links between cellular machines

Most of what happens in cells is the work of machines that contain dozens of molecules, chiefly proteins. With the completion of human and other genomes, researchers now have a nearly complete "parts list" of such machines; what's lacking now is the manual telling where all the pieces go.

28 Nov 2005

GRK5's role in restenosis

Researchers at Jefferson Medical College have begun to clarify the role of a protein - and potential drug target - in the process by which arteries re-clog after treatment.

28 Nov 2005

Coaxing human embryonic stem cells to make dopamine

For all of the promise embryonic stem cells hold for therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, they are notoriously difficult to use.

28 Nov 2005

Study finds AKT blocks cancer cell motility

PIn investigating the molecular mechanisms of cancer cell motility - the unique property that enables cancer to spread from its primary origin to other parts of the body - researchers have uncovered a surprising role for the AKT/PKB (protein kinase B) enzyme

26 Nov 2005

Skinphysical (skin damage test) launched in UK

A world-first test that assesses the damage people have done to their skin through sun exposure is being launched to the public at clinics throughout the UK.

26 Nov 2005