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Sleep disorder linked to poor nonmotor status in Parkinson’s disease

The presence of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is associated with more severe nonmotor symptoms in patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, a study shows.

8 Jan 2014

Schizophrenia brain marker matches genetic risk

Polygenic risk for schizophrenia correlates with neural inefficiency in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, say researchers.

24 Dec 2013

Manipulating epigenetic mechanism may promote cell death in pediatric brain cancer

Researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, the university hospital (Hospital de Cl-nicas de Porto Alegre, HCPA) and the Children's Cancer Institute (Instituto do C-ncer Infantil do Rio Grande do Sul, ICI-RS) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, have shown that manipulating an epigenetic mechanism, which regulates gene expression, may promote cell death and favor maturation towards less malignant-prone phenotypes in pediatric brain cancer cell lines.

22 Dec 2013

Aerobic glycolysis is a cause of malignancy, show Berkeley Lab researchers

Metabolism was lost in the shadows of cancer research for decades but has recently been reclaiming some of the spotlight. Now, Mina Bissell, Distinguished Scientist with Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division and a leading authority on breast cancer, has shown that aerobic glycolysis - glucose metabolism in the presence of oxygen - is not the consequence of the cancerous activity of malignant cells but is itself a cancerous event.

18 Dec 2013

Arizona scientists investigate intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Cheryl Nickerson and her team have been investigating the intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens.

17 Dec 2013

Experimental drug that targets macrophages decreases cancer's growth

An experimental drug that targets macrophages, a type of immune cells, in the microenvironment surrounding the lethal brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme decreased the cancer's growth and extended survival of laboratory mice with the cancer, scientists will report on Tuesday Dec. 17, at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in New Orleans.

16 Dec 2013

Cancer cells that fuse with macrophages play key role in the spread of cancer

Cancer cells that spontaneously fuse with macrophages, the immune system's healthy scavenger cells, play a key role in the metastasis, or spread of the cancer to other areas of the body, according to research to be presented Sunday, Dec. 15, at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in New Orleans.

16 Dec 2013

New mechanism explains why anti-tumor activity of specific immune suppressed during tumor growth

The Leuven-based VIB researchers have revealed a mechanism that explains why the anti-tumor activity of specific immune cells called macrophages is suppressed during tumor growth. They have also demonstrated that blocking the protein Nrp1 can restore this anti-tumor immune response.

12 Dec 2013

Shared genetic risk for bipolar and alcohol use disorders

Shared genetic factors affect the risk for bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorder, suggesting a common underlying biology, research shows.

11 Dec 2013

Early antibiotic use linked to asthma, not atopy

Research from the UK has found a “robust and dose-dependent” association between antibiotic use in the first 2 years of life and subsequent asthma at the age of 7 and a half years.

11 Dec 2013

Researchers explain why anti-tumor activity of specific immune cells suppress during tumor growth

The Leuven-based VIB researchers have revealed a mechanism that explains why the anti-tumor activity of specific immune cells called macrophages is suppressed during tumor growth.

10 Dec 2013

Alnylam presents new pre-clinical data with ALN-AT3 for treatment of hemophilia and RBD

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has presented new pre-clinical data with ALN-AT3, a subcutaneously administered RNAi therapeutic targeting antithrombin (AT) for the treatment of hemophilia and rare bleeding disorders (RBD), at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) held December 7 - 10, 2013 in New Orleans.

10 Dec 2013

Researchers update extensive toxicology database to track information about drugs toxic effects

Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. Pharmaceutical drugs are known for their potential side effects, and an important aspect of personalized medicine is to tailor therapies to individuals to reduce the chances of adverse events.

6 Dec 2013

DSM-5 mania duration criterion questioned

Researchers believe that the DSM 4-day duration criterion for diagnosing bipolar II disorder is no longer valid and its continued use could exclude a large number of patients with true bipolar II disorder.

5 Dec 2013

UCLA researchers discover how prostate cancer stem cells evolve as the disease grows

UCLA researchers have discovered how prostate cancer stem cells evolve as the disease progresses, a finding that could help point the way to more highly targeted therapies.

4 Dec 2013

Mount Sinai cardiologists contribute to the creation of new cardiomyopathy classification system

Leading cardiologists at The Mount Sinai Hospital have contributed to the development of a new classification system called MOGE(S) for cardiomyopathies, the diseases of the heart muscle which can lead to heart enlargement and heart failure.

4 Dec 2013

Researchers repurpose genetic data, electronic medical records to perform large-scale PheWAS study

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers and co-authors from four other U.S. institutions from the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network are repurposing genetic data and electronic medical records to perform the first large-scale phenome-wide association study (PheWAS), released today in Nature Biotechnology.

26 Nov 2013

Childhood trauma link to bipolar symptoms strengthened

Research confirms a link between childhood trauma and severe symptoms of bipolar disorder in adults.

22 Nov 2013

Scientists reveal surprising role for HDAC1 proteins in development of skin tumors

Findings by scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna reveal a surprising role for histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) - a member of a family of chromatin modifying proteins - in the development of skin tumors.

18 Nov 2013

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

An international scientific team has discovered a gene associated with a high risk of severe childhood asthma. The specific gene variant may be an actual cause of this form of asthma, a leading cause of hospitalization in young children.

17 Nov 2013