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Adult stem cells lack key pluripotency regulator

The protein Oct4 plays a major role in embryonic stem cells, acting as a master regulator of the genes that keep the cells in an undifferentiated state.

10 Oct 2007

Public misled and confused about exercise

The researchers from Exeter and Brunel Universities found in a survey of nearly 1,200 people that half of the men and three quarters of the women involved thought moderate exercise conferred the greatest health benefits.

10 Oct 2007

British teens clueless when it comes to a healthy diet

A survey by a large supermarket chain in Britain has revealed that a third of teenage girls are on a diet or have recently tried to lose weight.

10 Oct 2007

Thin stay thin while fat get fatter

The average weight among people who are overweight or obese has increased dramatically in the last 10 years.

10 Oct 2007

Stress is a contributing factor in human disease

In a review of the scientific literature on the relationship between stress and disease, Carnegie Mellon University psychologist Sheldon Cohen has found that stress is a contributing factor in human disease, and in particular depression, cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS.

10 Oct 2007

New research warns of the lack of specialization when judging individuals with mental disorders

Research carried out by the Department of Criminal Law of the University of Granada has analysed for the first time all the criminal sentences passed in Spain since 1870 in which the defendant was acquitted of the charge or the sentence was reduced on account of mental disorder.

10 Oct 2007

First animal model of age-related macular degeneration

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have created the first animal model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) caused by a mutation known to produce disease in people, an important first step in developing treatments.

10 Oct 2007

Interleukin-8, key marker for colorectal cancer treatment

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently one of the three most frequent malignancies in Western industrial nations.

10 Oct 2007

Human and avian influenza viruses target different cells in the lower respiratory tract of humans and other mammals

Researchers have identified which sites and cell types within the respiratory tract are targeted by human versus avian influenza viruses, providing valuable insights into the pathogenesis of these divergent diseases.

10 Oct 2007

Genomic technologies to identify toxic chemicals should be developed

A new report from the National Research Council recommends that government agencies enhance their efforts to incorporate genomic data into risk assessments of chemicals and medicines, and calls for a concerted effort to fully develop these methods' potential to protect public health.

10 Oct 2007

Discovery of type of retinal cell that sees motion

A research team combining high-energy physicists from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and neuroscientists from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif., has discovered a type of retinal cell that may help monkeys, apes, and humans see motion.

10 Oct 2007

British attitudes to exercise show misleading guidelines 'should be changed'

British adults now believe that moderate activity is more beneficial than vigorous exercise, according to new research by the University of Exeter and Brunel University.

10 Oct 2007

Injectable antibody reverses cognitive deficits in mice

A special protein can be injected into the body to reverse learning problems in mice that have an animal version of Alzheimer's disease, Saint Louis University researchers have found.

9 Oct 2007

Researchers create microvascular system to nourish growing tissues

One day soon, laboratories may grow synthetically engineered tissues such as muscle or cartilage needed for transplants.

9 Oct 2007

New peptides inhibit HIV's entry into cells

Based in part on protein structures determined at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists at the University of Utah have developed new peptides that appear to be significantly more effective at blocking HIV's entry into cells than other drugs in their class.

9 Oct 2007

Research highlights importance of adopting current adult pneumococcal vaccination guidelines

Among patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, those who had previously received the pneumococcal vaccine had a lower risk of death and admission to the intensive care unit than patients who were not vaccinated, according to a report in the Oct. 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Oct 2007

Gene may hold key to future cancer hope

Scientists may have discovered a new way of killing tumours in what they hope could one day lead to alternative forms of cancer treatments.

From The University of Manchester 9 Oct 2007

Three new genes found that cause lung cancer

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered three genes that interact with cancerous results in 20% of lung cancers.

9 Oct 2007

Beneficial bacteria in the appendix aid digestion after infection

Long denigrated as vestigial or useless, the appendix now appears to have a reason to be – as a “safe house” for the beneficial bacteria living in the human gut.

9 Oct 2007

SSRIs may double risk of gastrointestinal bleeding

New research shows that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a group of drugs commonly used to treat depression, may double the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

9 Oct 2007