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Study offers insights into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides

Antimicrobial peptides are a distinctive class of potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics produced by the body's innate immune system--the first line of defense against disease-causing microbes.

18 Dec 2014

Research findings may lead to new treatment strategies for Ewing sarcoma

The genetic abnormality that drives the bone cancer Ewing sarcoma operates through two distinct processes - both activating genes that stimulate tumor growth and suppressing those that should keep cancer from developing. These findings by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators, published in the November issue of Cancer Cell, may lead to new therapies targeting these aberrant mechanisms.

18 Dec 2014

Secrets of success for pioneering research revealed

The British Pharmacological Society has announced the secrets of success for pioneering research along with the outcome of its annual 'Putting UK Pharmacology on the Map' vote. The vote selects sites of special scientific interest linked to achievements in pharmacology based on a ballot of MPs, peers and senior members of the scientific community.

18 Dec 2014

Sugar-based molecular microcapsule eliminates toxicity of anticancer agent

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a sugar-based molecular microcapsule that eliminates the toxicity of an anticancer agent developed a decade ago at Johns Hopkins, called 3-bromopyruvate, or 3BrPA, in studies of mice with implants of human pancreatic cancer tissue. The encapsulated drug packed a potent anticancer punch, stopping the progression of tumors in the mice, but without the usual toxic effects.

18 Dec 2014

TSRI scientists discover new method for joining complex organic molecules

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute have invented a powerful method for joining complex organic molecules that is extraordinarily robust and can be used to make pharmaceuticals, fabrics, dyes, plastics and other materials previously inaccessible to chemists.

18 Dec 2014

Tel Aviv University study throws spotlight on gene mutation responsible for premature ovarian failure

Premature ovarian failure, also known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), affects 1% of all women worldwide. In most cases, the exact cause of the condition, which is often associated with infertility, is difficult to determine.

18 Dec 2014

Scientists discover how certain gut bacteria can protect themselves, others from antibiotics

Scientists from the Institute of Food Research and the University of East Anglia have discovered how certain gut bacteria can protect themselves and others in the gut from antibiotics.

18 Dec 2014

New study identifies how SNAIL gene helps cancer cells break free from primary tumor

More than 90 percent of cancer-related deaths are caused by the spread of cancer cells from their primary tumor site to other areas of the body. A new study has identified how one important gene helps cancer cells break free from the primary tumor.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers identify a single protein as root cause of multiple allergic reactions

Johns Hopkins and University of Alberta researchers have identified a single protein as the root of painful and dangerous allergic reactions to a range of medications and other substances. If a new drug can be found that targets the problematic protein, they say, it could help smooth treatment for patients with conditions ranging from prostate cancer to diabetes to HIV

17 Dec 2014

Scientists produce novel class of molecules that could help combat cancer, other diseases

Promising treatments known as biologics are on the market and under development for many serious illnesses such as cancer, but some of them come with high risks, even lethal ones. Now scientists have produced a novel class of molecules that could be as effective but without the dangerous side effects.

17 Dec 2014

Researchers gain new insight into how motor neurons in the brain die during ALS

Researchers look to understand the causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in the hope of finding new ways to treat the disease. A new study published online today (December 17th) in the Cell Press journal Neuron shows that a common gene mutation in ALS generates a deadly protein that may cause the damage in the brain that leads to ALS.

17 Dec 2014

Bacterial biofilms may increase colon cancer risk

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have found that dense mats of interacting bacteria, called biofilms, were present in the majority of cancers and polyps, particularly those on the right side of the colon. The presence of these bacterial bunches, they say, may represent an increased risk for colon cancer and could form the basis of new diagnostic tests.

17 Dec 2014

Researchers use novel technique to identify microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients

Using an innovative technique combining genetic analysis and mathematical modeling with some basic sleuthing, researchers have identified previously undescribed microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients. The millimeter-sized abnormalities may explain why areas of the brain that appear normal can produce severe seizures in many children and adults with epilepsy.

17 Dec 2014

UMass Amherst study: Naming between the ages of 6 and 9 months lays 'learning foundation'

In a follow-up to her earlier studies of learning in infancy, developmental psychologist Lisa Scott and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are reporting that talking to babies in their first year, in particular naming things in their world, can help them make connections between what they see and hear, and these learning benefits can be seen as much as five years later.

17 Dec 2014

MU researcher developing nano-scale molecules to image, treat different diseases

Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology, or the use of microscopic structures to diagnose, image, treat and prevent disease. Current problems in nanomedicine include understanding and anticipating the potentially toxic impact these nanostructures have on the body and the environment once they're released.

17 Dec 2014

Researchers explore lifespan variability between races

Eliminating health disparities between races is a goal of many groups and organizations, but a team of sociologists suggests that finding the reasons for the differences in the timing of black and white deaths may be trickier than once thought.

17 Dec 2014

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

With a unique, multi-faceted approach, researchers at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development have quantified the effect of previously unidentified anomalies in genetic expression that determine how the human brain develops from its earliest stages.

17 Dec 2014

Two UH researchers named fellows of National Academy of Inventors

Two University of Houston faculty members have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors for their contributions to scientific and technological innovation.

17 Dec 2014

New study reveals how the brain can distinguish between good and bad smells

Whether an odor is pleasant or disgusting to an organism is not just a matter of taste. Often, an organism's survival depends on its ability to make just such a discrimination, because odors can provide important information about food sources, oviposition sites or suitable mates.

17 Dec 2014

Tufts University researchers report that extra vitamin E can protect against pneumonia

Extra vitamin E protected older mice from a bacterial infection that commonly causes pneumonia. Microbiologists and nutrition researchers from Tufts University report that the extra vitamin E helped regulate the mice's immune system.

17 Dec 2014

Medical Science News

Study offers insights into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides

Research findings may lead to new treatment strategies for Ewing sarcoma

Secrets of success for pioneering research revealed

Sugar-based molecular microcapsule eliminates toxicity of anticancer agent

TSRI scientists discover new method for joining complex organic molecules

Tel Aviv University study throws spotlight on gene mutation responsible for premature ovarian failure

Scientists discover how certain gut bacteria can protect themselves, others from antibiotics

New study identifies how SNAIL gene helps cancer cells break free from primary tumor

Researchers identify a single protein as root cause of multiple allergic reactions

Scientists produce novel class of molecules that could help combat cancer, other diseases

Researchers gain new insight into how motor neurons in the brain die during ALS

Bacterial biofilms may increase colon cancer risk

Researchers use novel technique to identify microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients

UMass Amherst study: Naming between the ages of 6 and 9 months lays 'learning foundation'

MU researcher developing nano-scale molecules to image, treat different diseases

Researchers explore lifespan variability between races

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

Two UH researchers named fellows of National Academy of Inventors

New study reveals how the brain can distinguish between good and bad smells

Tufts University researchers report that extra vitamin E can protect against pneumonia

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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