Medical Research News

RSS

USC Norris designated Phase I Clinical Trial Center of Excellence

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC Norris) has been designated a Phase I Clinical Trial Center of Excellence by global pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. The collaboration will bring a number of new phase I clinical trials to USC Norris, and will enable the cancer center's clinical and basic scientists to provide guidance in early phase drug development and trial design.

20 Nov 2010

UH physicists study workings of PGK enzyme that may cause Alzheimer's, cancer

University of Houston physicists are using complex computer simulations to illuminate the workings of a crucial protein that, when malfunctioning, may cause Alzheimer's and cancer.

20 Nov 2010

Discovery could provide new approaches to treat metabolic disorders

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a novel synthetic activator of a pair of proteins that belong to a protein family playing key roles in human metabolism and immune function. The discovery could provide new and potentially more effective therapeutic approaches to diseases ranging from diabetes to osteoporosis.

20 Nov 2010

Study highlights poor outcomes for patients with ESRD admitted over weekend

Patients with end-stage renal disease who are admitted to the hospital during the weekend are at increased risk of death, according to a study presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition.

20 Nov 2010

Researchers develop medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells

Researchers in the United States have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient's own bone marrow. The research, published in STEM CELLS, is especially relevant for paediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies.

20 Nov 2010

Reprogrammed amniotic fluid cells can generate iPS cells

Reprogrammed amniotic fluid cells can generate all types of body cells. High hopes rest on stem cells: one day, they may be used to treat many diseases. To date, embryos are the main source of these cells, but this raises ethical problems. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now managed to convert amniotic fluid cells into pluripotent stem cells.

20 Nov 2010

Consuming a variety of fruit reduces lung cancer risk by 23%

Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables per day is one of the means that experts most frequently recommend for preventing cancer. Now, the European EPIC study carried out by researchers from 10 countries has shown that, in the case of lung cancer, the important thing is not just the quantity but also the variety of fruit consumed, which can reduce the risk by up to 23%.

20 Nov 2010

Childhood obesity linked to adult metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular disease

Mounting evidence linking childhood obesity to an increasing risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in adulthood is clearly presented in a comprehensive review article in the current issue of Childhood Obesity, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online.

19 Nov 2010

AAO to recognize UH optometry dean with Charles F. Prentice Medal Award

Earl L. Smith III, O.D., dean of the College of Optometry and Greeman-Petty Professor at the University of Houston, is the 2010 recipient of the Charles F. Prentice Medal Award from the American Academy of Optometry.

19 Nov 2010

Glenn Foundation awards $60,000 grant to Scripps' scientist for biomedical research

While scientists depend on grants for their research, applying for them is a long and frequently frustrating process. For one Scripps Research Institute scientist, however, the process was shorter.

19 Nov 2010

Fifth gene defect, 47 DNA regions linked to thoracic aortic disease: Researchers

Discovery of a fifth gene defect and the identification of 47 DNA regions linked to thoracic aortic disease are the subject of studies released this month involving researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

19 Nov 2010

Physical activity may protect high-risk individuals from cognitive decline: Study

Physical activity promotes changes in the brain that may protect high-risk individuals against cognitive decline, including development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study done at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).

19 Nov 2010

Research suggests new therapeutic approach to prevent transplant rejection

UCLA researchers have pinpointed the culprit behind chronic rejection of heart, lung and kidney transplants. Published in the Nov. 23 edition of Science Signaling, their findings suggest new therapeutic approaches for preventing transplant rejection and sabotaging cancer growth.

19 Nov 2010

Illness perception related to concurrent depression symptoms: Research

New research findings which highlight the detrimental effect of depression on patients with end-stage kidney disease has celebrated at the University of Hertfordshire 2010 Awards Ceremonies yesterday (17 November 2010) at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban.

19 Nov 2010

Researchers document novel form of splicing in nerve cell cytoplasm

Cells have their own version of the cut-and-paste editing function called splicing. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have documented a novel form of splicing in the cytoplasm of a nerve cell, which dictates a special form of a potassium channel protein in the outer membrane.

19 Nov 2010

International businessman donates $50,000 for SCCO cancer study

International businessman and philanthropist Foster Friess has donated $50,000 to help launch a study of small cell carcinoma of the ovary (SCCO) by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI).

19 Nov 2010

Study suggests pomegranate juice can ward-off complications in kidney disease patients

Studies in recent years have claimed multiple health benefits of pomegranate juice, including that it is a good source of antioxidants and lowers both cholesterol and blood pressure, especially in diabetic and hypertensive patients.

19 Nov 2010

Mouse study finds blocking GnT-V enzyme delays breast cancer growth

New University of Georgia research, published this week in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that blocking the action of an enzyme called GnT-V significantly delays the onset and spread of tumors in mice with cancer very similar to many cases of human breast cancer.

19 Nov 2010

Transplantation of gene-modified hematopoietic stem cells eliminates cancer: Research

A potent anti-tumor gene introduced into mice with metastatic melanoma has resulted in permanent immune reconfiguration and produced a complete remission of their cancer, according to an article to be published in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

19 Nov 2010

Glutaminase inhibitor: New potential target for brain tumors

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have identified a compound that could be used to starve cancers of their sugar-based building blocks. The compound, called a glutaminase inhibitor, has been tested on laboratory cultured, sugar-hungry brain cancer cells and, the scientists say, may have the potential to be used for many types of primary brain tumors.

19 Nov 2010