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Mastoidectomy does not decrease the possibility that young patients will develop a middle ear infection

Performing a mastoidectomy, a group of operations on the temporal bone and middle ear to drain, expose, or remove an infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic lesion, during cochlear implantation for young children does not decrease the possibility that the young patient will develop a middle ear infection.

17 Sep 2004

Protein that causes juvenile Batten disease also plays a key role in normal cell function

The aberrant protein that causes juvenile Batten disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of childhood, also plays a key role in normal cell function, Duke University Medical Center researchers have found.

16 Sep 2004

Researchers get a grip on marijuana

Now researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine are a step closer to understanding how the drug's active ingredients - tetrahydrocannabinol and related compounds, called cannabinoids - may exert their effects.

16 Sep 2004

Important discovery that will increase the understanding of multiple sclerosis

Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have made an important discovery that will increase the understanding of multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease of the central nervous system in which the myelin sheath, an insulating membrane surrounding the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, start to unravel for reasons as yet unknown.

14 Sep 2004

Potential new drug for the treatment of sickle cell disease

The results were published in the June 2004 issue of The British Journal of Haematology (BJH). MX-1520 is a prodrug of vanillin, a very popular food additive generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.

13 Sep 2004

Sea urchins may provide clues to some baffling human reproductive problems

For many years scientists have believed they understood how closely related species that occupy the same regions of the ocean were kept from interbreeding. It turns out they were only seeing part of the picture.

13 Sep 2004

Researchers have successfully produced small quantities of a new vaccine for anthrax using Bacillus bacteria

Tiny types of soil bugs already make many of the products we use in washing detergents, foods, and waste treatment, but scientists now hope that similar bacteria will also make the vaccines and drugs of the future

7 Sep 2004

International research sheds light on Escherichia coli

An unprecedented picture of how bacteria latch on to human cells has been published by UK, French and US scientists. They have produced a finely detailed model of one of the tools used by some of the nastiest varieties of the stomach bug, Escherichia coli, to stick to and gain entry to host cells.

1 Sep 2004

High-resolution images reveal the molecular rearrangements that rotavirus uses to break into cells

High-resolution images constructed by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School reveal the molecular rearrangements that rotavirus – the most common cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea and vomiting in children worldwide – uses to break into cells.

25 Aug 2004

Scientists have uncovered a key driver behind the progression of prostate cancer

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have uncovered a key driver behind the progression of prostate cancer, a discovery that the researchers believe could spawn new treatments to prevent the cancer's spread and extend survival.

23 Aug 2004

New database about a group of genes associated with multidrug resistance in cancerous tumors

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute, have created a database of information about a group of genes associated with multidrug resistance in cancerous tumors.

23 Aug 2004

Organ transplant recipients infected with West Nile virus develop more severe neurological illness

West Nile virus is an infection which in the last three years has had a significant impact in the United States. The virus is spread from birds to humans via mosquito bites. Symptoms include headache, fever and disorientation, and the disease can cause serious illness in a small percentage of infected people.

18 Aug 2004

Scientists visualise protein complex responsible for looking after out of shape proteins

The structure of the chaperonin complex of the bacteria Thermus thermophilus reveals clues about how the important molecule may do its job of folding new or damaged proteins within cells.

17 Aug 2004

The prion appears to function as an evolutionary stepping stone

“This prion,” explains Lindquist, “has a capacity to hide and release genetic information throughout the entire genome that can contribute to new traits in a complex way.”

16 Aug 2004

Strep throat, scarlet fever and other disorders appears to use a single wasplike "stinger" to spread infection

The bacterium responsible for strep throat, scarlet fever and other disorders appears to use a single wasplike "stinger" to spread infection, according to surprised microbiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

15 Aug 2004

Study to determine how people with rheumatoid arthritis evaluate improvements in disease symptoms

The study will examine how much of an improvement in pain, stiffness, function and other symptoms is needed before patients consider the change important.

7 Aug 2004

Lack of a gene called LBP-1a in the embryo prevents normal growth of blood vessels in the placenta

The lack of a gene called LBP-1a in the mouse embryo prevents normal growth of blood vessels in the placenta. This finding suggests that a similar defect in humans could play a role in fetal growth retardation, infant mortality and spontaneous abortion.

6 Aug 2004

New gene-silencing technique

A new gene-silencing technique that takes place in the nucleus of human cells, has been demonstrated by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

5 Aug 2004

New clinical study to determine how people with rheumatoid arthritis evaluate improvements in disease symptoms

A new clinical study to determine how people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) evaluate improvements in disease symptoms will be carried out by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health.