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New computational method speeds up estimates of gene activity from RNA-seq data

With gene expression analysis growing in importance for both basic researchers and medical practitioners, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland have developed a new computational method that dramatically speeds up estimates of gene activity from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data.

21 Apr 2014

Study suggests that improving newborns' bacterial environment could fend off infections

Mothers give a newborn baby a gift of germs-germs that help to kick-start the infant's immune system. But antibiotics, used to fend off infection, may paradoxically interrupt a newborn's own immune responses, leaving already-vulnerable premature babies more susceptible to dangerous pathogens.

21 Apr 2014

Researchers identify key genes linked to pain perception

Researchers may have identified key genes linked to why some people have a higher tolerance for pain than others, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.

21 Apr 2014

Researchers receive $3.7M NIH grant to develop anti-smoking program for HIV-infected smoker

Montefiore Medical Center researchers have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an anti-smoking program for HIV-infected smokers.

21 Apr 2014

Northwestern Medicine study provides new insights on tissue scarring in scleroderma

A discovery by Northwestern Medicine scientists could lead to potential new treatments for breaking the cycle of tissue scarring in people with scleroderma.

21 Apr 2014

Researchers devise new approach to treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Brandeis University has devised a wholly new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease involving the so-called retromer protein complex. Retromer plays a vital role in neurons, steering amyloid precursor protein (APP) away from a region of the cell where APP is cleaved, creating the potentially toxic byproduct amyloid-beta, which is thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's.

21 Apr 2014

Researchers reveal connection between Down syndrome and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Although doctors have long known that people with Down syndrome have a heightened risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during childhood, they haven't been able to explain why. Now, a team of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators has uncovered a connection between the two conditions.

21 Apr 2014

New device uses space-tested concept of capillary flow to diagnose infectious diseases

A new medical-testing device is being prepped to enter the battle against infectious disease. This instrument could improve diagnosis of certain diseases in remote areas, thanks in part to knowledge gained from a series of investigations aboard the International Space Station on the behavior of liquids. The device uses the space-tested concept of capillary flow to diagnose infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

20 Apr 2014

Survey finds counterfeit and defective emergency contraceptives in Peru

A survey of emergency contraceptive pills in Peru found that 28 percent of the batches studied were either of substandard quality or falsified. Many pills released the active ingredient too slowly. Others had the wrong active ingredient. One batch had no active ingredient at all.

20 Apr 2014

Harvard neuroscientists present new view of myelin

Harvard neuroscientists have made a discovery that turns 160 years of neuroanatomy on its head.

20 Apr 2014

U.Va. researchers named recipients of 2013 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

University of Virginia neurologist Dr. Erin Pennock Foff, biologist Sarah Kucenas and biomedical engineer Shayn Peirce-Cotter have been named recipients of 2013 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards to benefit children of the United States. Each scientist will receive $100,000 in direct annual research support from The Hartwell Foundation for three years.

19 Apr 2014

Three Johns Hopkins researchers awarded grants for work on potential treatments for diabetes

Three Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers have been awarded two-year grants for their work on potential treatments for diabetes, Novo Nordisk announced this month. Of the 110 initial submissions to the new Novo Nordisk Diabetes and Obesity Biologics Science Forum Program, only four projects were funded, three of which are led by Johns Hopkins researchers. They are Jonathan Powell, M.D., Ph.D.; G. William Wong, Ph.D.; and Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D.

19 Apr 2014

Brain-related discovery could revolutionize treatment for attention-deficit disorders

Two Simon Fraser University psychologists have made a brain-related discovery that could revolutionize doctors' perception and treatment of attention-deficit disorders.

19 Apr 2014

Listening to religious music decreases anxiety about death among older Christians

A new article published online in The Gerontologist reports that among older Christians, listening to religious music is associated with a decrease in anxiety about death and increases in life satisfaction, self-esteem, and sense of control over their lives. In particular, listening to gospel music is associated with a decrease in anxiety about death and an increase in sense of control.

19 Apr 2014

Dopamine replacement therapy linked with decline in depressed Parkinson patients' cognitive function

A group of scientists from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has found interesting new information in a study on depression and neuropsychological function in Parkinson's disease (PD).

19 Apr 2014

Sprifermin reduces cartilage loss in patients with knee osteoarthritis

In a new study in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, at 12 months, total femorotibial cartilage thickness loss was reduced in sprifermin (recombinant human fibroblast growth factor 18)-treated knees compared to placebo-treated knees, with effects being significant in the lateral femorotibial compartment but not in the central femorotibial compartment.

18 Apr 2014

PET scan can identify vegetative patients who have potential for long-term recovery

A functional brain imaging technique known as positron emission tomography (PET) is a promising tool for determining which severely brain damaged individuals in vegetative states have the potential to recover consciousness, according to new research published in The Lancet.

18 Apr 2014

Study sheds light on how extra chromosome 21 upsets equilibrium of entire genome in Down syndrome

Occurring in about one per eight hundred births, Down syndrome - or trisomy 21 - is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability. It results from a chromosomal abnormality where cells of affected individuals contain a third copy of chromosome 21 (1% of the human genome).

18 Apr 2014

Researchers discover new marker derived from human umbilical cord blood

The development of stem cell therapies to cure a variety of diseases depends on the ability to characterize stem cell populations based on cell surface markers.

18 Apr 2014

LSTM researchers to conduct extensive research on HIV and schistosomiasis coinfection in African children

Researchers from LSTM have called for more research to be carried out into HIV and schistosomiasis coinfection in children in sub-Saharan Africa.

18 Apr 2014

Medical Research News

New computational method speeds up estimates of gene activity from RNA-seq data

Study suggests that improving newborns' bacterial environment could fend off infections

Researchers identify key genes linked to pain perception

Researchers receive $3.7M NIH grant to develop anti-smoking program for HIV-infected smoker

Northwestern Medicine study provides new insights on tissue scarring in scleroderma

Researchers devise new approach to treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers reveal connection between Down syndrome and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

New device uses space-tested concept of capillary flow to diagnose infectious diseases

Survey finds counterfeit and defective emergency contraceptives in Peru

Harvard neuroscientists present new view of myelin

U.Va. researchers named recipients of 2013 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

Three Johns Hopkins researchers awarded grants for work on potential treatments for diabetes

Brain-related discovery could revolutionize treatment for attention-deficit disorders

Listening to religious music decreases anxiety about death among older Christians

Dopamine replacement therapy linked with decline in depressed Parkinson patients' cognitive function

Sprifermin reduces cartilage loss in patients with knee osteoarthritis

PET scan can identify vegetative patients who have potential for long-term recovery

Study sheds light on how extra chromosome 21 upsets equilibrium of entire genome in Down syndrome

Researchers discover new marker derived from human umbilical cord blood

LSTM researchers to conduct extensive research on HIV and schistosomiasis coinfection in African children

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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