Medical Research News

RSS

One of the most exciting developments in clinical research in decades

One of the most exciting developments in clinical research in decades is taking place at the University of Leeds, led by our professor of cancer medicine Peter Selby in collaboration with the Medical Research Council.

27 Jan 2005

When the tongue slips, the eyes have it

How is it that we can look at a door and accidentally call it a window or call a shovel a rake? When people mislabel objects, they often blame themselves for rushing their words or not paying attention.

27 Jan 2005

The role body fat plays in determining one's risk of chronic diseases

As the prevalence of obesity in America approaches epidemic proportions, researchers are scrambling to learn more about how the body stores fat, how fat tissues affect body systems and the role body fat plays in determining one's risk of chronic diseases.

27 Jan 2005

Can vegetables could help to prevent cervical cancer?

Researchers in South Wales are investigating the possibility that a chemical called Diindolylmethane (DIM), which is usually found in broccoli, sprouts and cabbage, could help to prevent cervical cancer.

27 Jan 2005

Melanopsin plays a key role in the inner workings of the eye

A Brown University team has found that a protein called melanopsin plays a key role in the inner workings of mysterious, spidery cells in the eye called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, or ipRGCs.

26 Jan 2005

VCU Gastroenterology research papers ranked 4th in most cited papers

Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine has been ranked fourth among federally funded U.S. universities based on the average number of citations per research paper published in indexed journals of gastroenterology and hepatology between 1999 and 2003.

26 Jan 2005

Painful surgical adhesions may be preventable by taking the COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex

Adhesions – bands of scar tissue that bind together two internal body surfaces – develop in 55 percent to more than 90 percent of patients undergoing surgery, depending on the type of operation. They are part of normal healing, but when surfaces fuse together that shouldn't, serious pain and complications can result.

26 Jan 2005

Association between fitness and survival suggests a link between impaired oxygen metabolism and disease

Research published in the current issue of Science magazine reinforces the belief that aerobic capacity is an important determinant in the continuum between health and disease.

26 Jan 2005

Researchers discover way to overcome major hurdle in gene therapy for cancer

In a new study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers demonstrated that the technique works by incorporating it into a specially designed virus. The virus eradicated prostate cancer cells in the lab and in animals while leaving normal cells unscathed.

26 Jan 2005

Instant tea may be a source of harmful levels of fluoride

The researchers found that some regular strength preparations contain as much as 6.5 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride, well over the 4 ppm maximum allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency and 2.4 ppm permitted in bottled water and beverages by the Food and Drug Administration.

26 Jan 2005

Supermarket bakery workers are at considerable risk of developing work related asthma

The researchers looked at 239 employees from 20 in-store bakeries for a supermarket chain. They collected data from questionnaires on a number of respiratory symptoms including chest tightness, breathing difficulties, chest wheezing or whistling, running or itchiness of the nose and eyes and sneezing. They also used skin prick tests to check for allergies associated with baking.

26 Jan 2005

Theory on evolution of essential genes is overturned

A gene passed on by fathers that plays a vital role in helping fertilised eggs to develop into adults has helped scientists overturn the idea that essential genes have always been part of the genetic makeup of a species.

26 Jan 2005

Research into foot-eye coordination

By measuring how people respond when a stepping stone suddenly shifts its position mid-step, researchers at the Institute of Neurology in London have shown that a powerful visual process controls the stepping foot – a process similar to that used for manual reaching, in which the hand is rapidly and automatically driven by visual information.

26 Jan 2005

Evolutionarily ancient enzyme-repair system used to identify type of DNA damage responsible for the onset of skin-tumor development

In a finding that broadens our insight into the cause of certain kinds of UV-induced skin cancer, researchers at Erasmus University Medical Center (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) have employed an evolutionarily ancient enzyme-repair system to identify the principal type of DNA damage responsible for the onset of skin-tumor development.

26 Jan 2005

Stem cells given in minimally invasive procedure improve heart function

Patients with severe congestive heart failure who had exhausted all other treatment options showed markedly improved heart function following a procedure in which their own stem cells were deployed directly into the heart by way of four tiny incisions in the chest, according to results of a trial presented today at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Thoracic Surgery.

26 Jan 2005

Local environment directly influences adult stem cell reservoirs

Using the common fruit fly, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that an intricate set of signals released by stem cells' surroundings governs their maintenance.

26 Jan 2005

Researchers have uncovered evidence of sexual reproduction in a single-celled organism long thought to reproduce asexually

The finding by John M. Logsdon, Jr., assistant professor in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Biological Sciences and the Roy J. Carver Center for Comparative Genomics, and colleagues from the UI and Roanoke College (Virginia), provides the first clear evidence that meiosis arose very early in eukaryotic evolution, bringing science one step closer to understanding the mystery of sexual evolution.

26 Jan 2005

Genetic defect leads to electrical instability and mechanical pump failure

In genetic mapping of a large family with several members affected by a type of heart failure called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the Mayo Clinic team found a defect in a gene on chromosome 3 called SCN5A.

26 Jan 2005

Research may provide the basis for development of a new, extensive immunotherapy for human tumors

Scientists have made significant progress towards understanding how the immune system can be more specifically and efficiently targeted against cancer cells. The research, published in the January issue of Immunity, may provide the basis for development of a new, extensive immunotherapy for human tumors.

26 Jan 2005

Brain regions decide where we look

Scientists have found the brain regions that decide where we look, and where to direct our eyes when we’re faced with a difficult choice, such as looking someone straight in the eye or looking away.

25 Jan 2005