Medical Research News

RSS

Magnetically controlled enzyme solutions can be used for targeted treatment of cancer, thrombosis

Researchers from ITMO University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje have fabricated a new magnetically controlled material composed of enzymes entrapped directly within magnetite particles.

7 Apr 2016

Study reports high prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in Samoan Islands

In two new papers in The Lancet that report dramatic worldwide increases in body-mass index (BMI) and type 2 diabetes, the U.S. territory of American Samoa and independent Samoa are mentioned for their especially high prevalence of both conditions.

7 Apr 2016

Infant daughters may show early signs of PCOS from mothers

The infant daughters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) show a higher level of an enzyme that activates testosterone and may be an early sign of developing the complex genetic disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

7 Apr 2016

Antimicrobial silicon nitride holds promise as therapeutic aid for treating periodontitis

Severe gum disease known as periodontitis can lead to tooth loss, and treating it remains a challenge. But new approaches involving silicon nitride, a ceramic material used in spinal implants, could be on the way. The surface of silicon nitride has a lethal effect on the bacteria that commonly cause periodontitis. Now scientists, reporting in ACS' journal Langmuir, are examining why this happens. Their findings could help inform future efforts to treat the disease.

7 Apr 2016

Metabolic pathway activates cell signaling protein to promote breast cancer metastasis

A metabolic pathway that is up-regulated in certain breast cancers promotes the disease's progression by activating a cell signaling protein called Arf6, according to a paper published in the Journal of Cell Biology.

7 Apr 2016

Health benefits of gastric bypass surgery start soon after procedure

The health benefits of Roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery—a surgical weight-loss procedure in which the stomach is made smaller—start soon after the procedure. New research presented today at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting in San Diego found that patients who underwent the procedure already showed some reductions in weight, waist circumference and body mass index one week after the procedure.

7 Apr 2016

Adolescents like to share high-calorie, low-nutrient food items in social media

A new study from the University of Gothenburg show that adolescents like to present foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients in social media

7 Apr 2016

Researchers link higher levels of vitamin D to reduced cancer risk

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that higher levels of vitamin D - specifically serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D - are associated with a correspondingly reduced risk of cancer. The findings are published in the April 6, online issue of PLOS ONE.

7 Apr 2016

Physical, mental training may improve health of young schizophrenia patients

In as little as a few months, antipsychotic medications can tame the delusions and hallucinations that characterize schizophrenia. But the medications do little to reverse the less familiar brain-based problems that accompany the illness.

7 Apr 2016

New extended-release pills could reduce dosage frequency of some drugs

Researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have designed a new type of pill that, once swallowed, can attach to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and slowly release its contents. The tablet is engineered so that one side adheres to tissue, while the other repels food and liquids that would otherwise pull it away from the attachment site.

7 Apr 2016

New study demonstrates diversity, resourcefulness of Vibrio cholera

In humans, cholera is among the world's most deadly diseases, killing as many as 140,000 persons a year, according to World Health Organization statistics. But in aquatic environments far away from humans, the same bacterium attacks neighboring microbes with a toxic spear - and often steals DNA from other microorganisms to expand its own capabilities.

7 Apr 2016

Novel metabolic pathways help cancer cells thrive under certain conditions

Scientists at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have identified a novel metabolic pathway that helps cancer cells thrive in conditions that are lethal to normal cells.

7 Apr 2016

Taking epilepsy drug during pregnancy may not increase risk of birth defects

Babies born to pregnant women taking the epilepsy drug lamotrigine may not be at an increased risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate or clubfoot, according to a study published in the April 6, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Apr 2016

Scientists detect FFR signals from previously unknown part of the brain

Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University have made an important discovery about the human auditory system and how to study it, findings that could lead to better testing and diagnosis of hearing-related disorders.

7 Apr 2016

Bacteria uses sensitive, nano-sized pump to transport magnesium

Researchers at UiO and NCMM have discovered that the system used by bacteria to transport magnesium is so sensitive that it can detect a pinch of magnesium salt in a swimming pool.

7 Apr 2016

Argentinian researchers develop plastic ovitrap to monitor, control Aedes aegypti mosquito

Argentinian researchers from the Centro de Investigaciones de Plagas e Insecticidas have developed a new trap that can be used to effectively monitor and control the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the primary transmitter of Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. The trap is described in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

7 Apr 2016

Salk scientists identify specific cellular switches that clear dying, dead neurons

By adolescence, your brain already contains most of the neurons that you'll have for the rest of your life. But a few regions continue to grow new nerve cells--and require the services of cellular sentinels, specialized immune cells that keep the brain safe by getting rid of dead or dysfunctional cells.

7 Apr 2016