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Discovery may change thinking on how viruses invade the brain

A molecule thought crucial to ferrying the deadly rabies virus into the brain, where it eventually kills, apparently isn't.

20 Apr 2007

Green tea may help protect against Sjogren's syndrome

They found significantly less salivary gland damage in a group treated with green tea extract, suggesting a reduction of the Sjogren's symptom commonly referred to as dry mouth. Dry mouth can also be caused by certain drugs, radiation and other diseases.

20 Apr 2007

Cutting salt intake helps prevent cardiovascular disease

People who significantly cut back on the amount of salt in their diet could reduce their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by a quarter, according to a report on bmj.com today.

20 Apr 2007

Novel forms of synaptic plasticity uncovered

The Chicago Medical School (CMS) of the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) have announced that Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Athanasios Tzounopoulos, has uncovered novel forms of synaptic plasticity that occur at the very first step in the processing of sound in the central nervous system. His findings are released in Neuron.

20 Apr 2007

Local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrom

A single corticosteroid injection in the wrist can offer at least a month of relief to people suffering from severe carpal tunnel syndrome, according to an updated review of studies by Canadian researchers.

20 Apr 2007

Australian researchers identify thousands with curable high blood pressure

Team of researchers led by Professor Richard Gordon and Associate Professor Michael Stowasser has found primary aldosteronism (PAL) , a type of high blood pressure that can be cured by surgery , to be ten times more common than was previously suspected.

19 Apr 2007

Should researchers wash their hands of hand washing?

Despite the high profile given to hand washing in hospitals, there is still little robust evidence to show which are the best ways to improve hand hygiene.

19 Apr 2007

Researchers identify key gene that may be a marker of breast cancer metastasis

Despite the fact that they both infect the liver, the hepatitis A and hepatitis C viruses actually have very little in common.

19 Apr 2007

Researchers find hepatitis A and hepatitis C attack same protein to block immune defenses

Despite the fact that they both infect the liver, the hepatitis A and hepatitis C viruses actually have very little in common.

19 Apr 2007

Researcher looks at health benefits of plant-based phytochemicals

Nutrition: It's not just the four basic food groups any more. Researcher Dr. Susanne Mertens-Talcott of Texas A&M University is looking into how plant-based phytochemicals, including antioxidants and herbal supplements, can be useful in the promotion of health and prevention of chronic diseases.

19 Apr 2007

New insights into how the brain controls movements

In the children's game "red light green light," winners are able to stop, and take off running again, more quickly than their comrades.

19 Apr 2007

New approach to cystic fibrosis treatment

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that an enzyme produced by lung-infecting bacteria further shuts down a protein that is defective in cystic fibrosis patients.

19 Apr 2007

Researchers finds meth receptor that could lead to therapy

A recently discovered signaling system in the brain has just been shown to be turned on by methamphetamine, an Oregon Health & Science University study found.

19 Apr 2007

Flu can actually trigger heart attacks

Doctors need to take concerted action to ensure that people who are at risk of heart disease receive the influenza vaccine every autumn, according to the authors of a new report published in the European Heart Journal.

19 Apr 2007

Novel method to expand the number of immune system "natural killer" cells from blood cells outside the body

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia have devised a novel method to expand the number of immune system "natural killer (NK)" cells from blood cells outside the body.

19 Apr 2007

Neurobiologists pinpoint how brain copes with shifty eyeballs

Neurobiologists have pinpointed brain regions critical to one of the brain's more remarkable feats'piecing together a continuous view of the world by integrating snippets of visual input from constantly moving eyes.

19 Apr 2007

New understanding of genetics behind Noonan Syndrome

Researchers have discovered that the genetic malfunction that causes a form of mental retardation called Noonan Syndrome (NS) produces an imbalance in the genesis of two types of cells in the developing embryonic brain.

19 Apr 2007

Internal part of prefrontal cortex identified as key structure for memory formation

Does a specific memory exist for events involving humans, French researchers from the Vulnerability, Adaptation and Psychopathology Laboratory (CNRS/Universit' Paris VI) and Canadian researchers from Douglas Hospital, McGill University (Montreal) have identified the internal part of the prefrontal cortex as the key structure for the memory formation of social information.

19 Apr 2007

Ethanol vehicles pose a significant risk to human health

Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel.

19 Apr 2007

New discoveries about stem cells in leukemia, breast and colon cancer

Recent discoveries about the role of stem cells in cancer have altered the landscape of cancer research. With each new study, scientists are learning more about cancer-initiating properties of stem cells at organ sites and throughout the body.

19 Apr 2007