Medical Research News

RSS

Environmental influences on college freshman weight gain

If college students gain weight during their first year in school, it might have a lot to do with how close they live to their campus dining halls and exercise facilities, a new study reports.

3 Aug 2010

Researchers discover manipulation of microRNA-29a shows potential of novel IBS treatment

A possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome has been traced to a small piece of RNA that blocks a substance protecting the colon membrane, leading to hostile conditions that can produce diarrhea, bloating and chronic abdominal pain.New research shows that this RNA segment sends signals that stop the activity of the gene that produces glutamine, an amino acid. Previous research has linked a shortage of glutamine in the gut with the seepage of toxins and bacteria through the intestinal wall, irritating nerves and creating disease symptoms.

3 Aug 2010

GG genotype may increase severity of multiple sclerosis symptoms: Study

A new study shows a gene variant may increase the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. The research will be published in the August 3, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.For the study, researchers screened the oligoadenylate synthetase gene in 401 people with MS, 394 people without MS and 178 people receiving the MS treatment beta interferon.

3 Aug 2010

New fat cell with potentially harmful characteristics: Study

The new fat cells arise from stem cells in the bone marrow that travel through the blood stream to fat tissue. They are termed bone marrow progenitor-derived adipocytes. The discovery also revealed that male and female subjects accumulate the new fat cells differently. The research also may help to explain the link between types of obesity and heart disease and other illnesses.

3 Aug 2010

Alphavirus vector induce immune responses in people with advanced cancer: Researchers

There are several challenges to be overcome if therapeutic anticancer vaccines, which are designed to boost the patient's anticancer immune response, are to be successfully developed. For example, the viruses used to deliver the tumor protein to the patient's immune system are themselves targeted by the patient's immune system, inducing neutralizing and suppressive responses. But now, a team of researchers, led by Michael Morse, at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, has developed a way to overcome these neutralizing and suppressive responses by using an alphavirus packaged in virus-like replicon particles.

3 Aug 2010

Neuroglobin may protect against Alzheimer's disease: Study

A team of scientists at the University of California, Davis and the University of Auckland has discovered that neuroglobin may protect against Alzheimer's disease by preventing brain neurons from dying in response to natural stress. The team published the results of their study in the April, 2010 issue of Apoptosis.

3 Aug 2010

OECD approves new, non-animal testing guideline for skin irritation

After more than a decade of scientific research and lobbying by animal protection groups, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has approved a new, non-animal testing guideline for skin irritation. The guideline was adopted on July 22 and it is now available for use by companies and governments worldwide.

3 Aug 2010

Research links body weight to glaucoma risk

This month's Ophthalmology journal includes surprising research from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary on the relation of body weight to the risk for glaucoma. Also, from researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, comes the first specific map of how the development of myopic maculopathy, an illness that afflicts many severely nearsighted people, predicts which patients will be most susceptible to vision loss.

3 Aug 2010

Color red makes men more alluring to women: Study

It's a symbol of courage and sacrifice, of sin and sexuality, of power and passion - and now new research demonstrates that the color red makes men more alluring to women.In the United States, England, Germany and China, women found men more appealing when they were either pictured wearing red or framed in red, compared with other colors. The finding is reported in the August issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published by the American Psychological Association.

3 Aug 2010

Disparities in cardiovascular disease risk linked to socioeconomic differences between races: Study

A new UCLA study suggests that disparities in cardiovascular disease risk in the United States are due less to race or ethnicity than to socioeconomic status.

2 Aug 2010

Research findings could lead to new drugs that reduce severity of blood infections leading to sepsis

Scientists have made an important discovery that could lead to new drugs that reduce the severity of blood infections leading to sepsis. Research presented in the August 2010 issue of Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows how interfering with the function of the cell membrane protein called "Programmed Death 1" (PD-1) improves survival in a clinically relevant model of severe infection.

2 Aug 2010

Thymosin beta 4 is essential to healthy heart development, embryonic survival: Research

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that a research team from the Molecular Medicine Unit at UCL-Institute of Child Health in London reported preclinical findings that Thymosin beta 4, is essential to healthy heart development and embryonic survival.

2 Aug 2010

HDL does not predict heart attack risk after dramatic statin therapy: Study

People with high levels of "good cholesterol," HDL-C, tend to have fewer heart attacks, but HDL-C may offer little protection to people who take statins to lower harmful LDL cholesterol, researchers reported July 21. At Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Dr. Paul Ridker and colleagues analyzed a large study of healthy people who took the statin CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) to prevent heart attacks. They found that in this group, having high HDL-C was a bad predictor of heart attack risk.

2 Aug 2010

DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE adopts DATATRAK's eClinical platform for cardiovascular clinical study

DATATRAK International, Inc., a technology and services company focused on global eClinical solutions for the clinical trials industry, today announced that DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE GmbH has selected DATATRAK's eClinical™ platform for a cardiovascular clinical study encompassing 80 sites and 1,200 patients across Europe.

2 Aug 2010

Research shows no link between CCSVI and development of multiple sclerosis

Two important new studies challenge the controversial hypothesis that venous congestion—chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI)—contributes to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). This theory has resulted in many MS patients receiving experimental endovascular angioplasty, a treatment for MS unproven by clinical trials.

2 Aug 2010

Scientists identify genetic basis for prostate cancer susceptibility in non-European population

A genome-wide study on Japanese subjects has identified 5 new genetic variations associated with prostate cancer and revealed differences and similarities between Europeans and Asians in susceptibility to the disease. Reported in Nature Genetics, the findings offer a first-ever glimpse of the genetic basis for prostate cancer susceptibility in a non-European population.

2 Aug 2010

Scientists identify way to regulate uncontrolled growth of blood vessels

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a new way to regulate the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels, a major problem in a broad range of diseases and conditions.

2 Aug 2010

microRNA protects red blood cells from oxidant stress: Study

Pediatric researchers have discovered a new biological pathway in which small segments of RNA, called microRNA, help protect red blood cells from injury caused by chemicals called free radicals. The microRNA seems to have only a modest role when red blood cells experience normal conditions, but steps into action when the cells are threatened by oxidant stress.

2 Aug 2010

Processed meats may increase risk of developing bladder cancer: Research

A new study suggests that consuming specific compounds in meat related to processing methods may be associated with an increased risk of developing bladder cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings may be relevant for understanding the role of dietary exposures in cancer risk.

2 Aug 2010

Abnormal sleep duration adversely affects cardiovascular health

A study in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Sleep suggests that regularly sleeping for more or less than seven hours per day is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

2 Aug 2010