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Researchers find new method to create uniform standards in search for cancer-relevant mutations

Oncologists are increasingly using information obtained from investigations of the tumor genome in order to find individualized therapies for patients. They specifically search the hereditary information of cancer cells for mutations that drive malignant growth. By now, targeted drugs against many of these cancer-typical cellular alterations have become available.

11 Dec 2015

UC San Diego biologists develop a method to screen natural products for new antibiotics

Biologists at UC San Diego have found that a method they developed to identify and characterize new antibiotics can be employed to screen natural products quickly for compounds capable of controlling antibiotic resistant bacteria.

11 Dec 2015

Early life exposures to toxic chemicals reduce infants' response to TB vaccine

Early life exposures to toxic chemicals such as PCBs and DDT dampen an infant's response to the tuberculosis vaccine, according to a new study from the University of Rochester Environmental Health Sciences Center.

11 Dec 2015

Discovery may provide reliable 'clock' for forensic scientists

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that unique and changing microbial communities present during decomposition of human cadavers may provide a reliable "clock" for forensic scientists. The method could be used to estimate time of death in different seasons, as well determine the original location of moved corpses and help locate buried corpses.

11 Dec 2015

Study reveals why anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen works better in some women than others

The anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen can reduce breast cancer recurrence by about half in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. But it works better in some women than others. Researchers are not sure why.

11 Dec 2015

TSRI-led study shows how different drugs regulate protein linked to asthma, obesity and diabetes

A new study, led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, shows how different pharmaceutical drugs hit either the "on" or "off" switch of a signaling protein linked to asthma, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

11 Dec 2015

TBK1 protein plays vital role in the process of cell division

Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have found that a protein called TBK1 plays an important role in the process of cell division, especially at a stage called mitosis.

11 Dec 2015

Sex differences in the brain may provide clues to why certain forms of autism more common in males

Many early-onset neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, are more common in males than females. The origin of this gender bias is not understood, partially due to a major gap in research on sex differences regarding how the brain typically develops.

11 Dec 2015

Report shows relationship between sensation seeking, reward sensitivity and cannabis use

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that describes a person's tendency to seek out novel and exciting experiences, and a high level of sensation seeking has been implicated as a risk factor for addiction.

11 Dec 2015

Researchers set up citizen science program to gain insight into triatomine insects in Texas

Chagas disease is caused by a parasitic protozoan (Trypanosoma cruzi) and transmitted via triatomine insects known locally in Texas as "kissing bugs". Due to the success of community based triatomine surveillance and collection in Central and South America, researchers from Texas A & M University set up a citizen science program to gain insight into the distribution and infection prevalence of triatomine insects in Texas.

11 Dec 2015

Virologists demonstrate how poxviruses defeat the body's host immune defenses

Smallpox virus, which killed millions of humans through the ages, ranks among the world's most feared bioterrorism agents. Human monkeypox continues to occur sporadically in remote African villages.

11 Dec 2015

Apigenin improves neuron formation, strengthens connections between brain cells

Brazilian researchers from D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Federal University of Bahia have demonstrated in laboratory that apigenin, a substance found in parsley, thyme, chamomile and red pepper, improves neuron formation and strengthens the connections between brain cells.

11 Dec 2015

LSD reduces connectivity within human brain networks

LSD is known to cause changes in consciousness, including "ego-dissolution", or a loss of the sense of self. Despite a detailed knowledge of the action of LSD at specific serotonin receptors, it has not been understood how this these pharmacological effects can translate into such a profound effect on consciousness.

11 Dec 2015

DZNE molecular biologist to receive Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize for research on neurons

The molecular biologist Frank Bradke (46), group leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and professor for neurobiology at the University of Bonn, will be awarded the "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize", which is endowed with 2.5 million euros.

11 Dec 2015

Scientists find effective antiviral mechanisms to inhibit chikungunya virus

Scientists looking at the antiviral mechanisms of two previously identified human monoclonal antibodies have found they potently inhibit chikungunya virus (CHIKV) at multiple stages of infection.

11 Dec 2015

Neuroscientists find link between neurotransmitter GABA and tactile learning

In an international collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA), neuroscientists at the Ruhr-University Bochum have determined a link between brain levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, the main source of inhibition in the brain, and tactile learning. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, they were able to show that success in learning can be predicted by baseline GABA levels.

11 Dec 2015

Specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency can alter forebrain activity, alertness levels

Adjusting a specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency immediately and dramatically alters rats' forebrain activity and alertness levels, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have shown.

11 Dec 2015

Cancer drug can neutralize toxic RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy

A group of researchers has shown for the first time in cells and in a mouse model that a drug used to treat cancer can neutralize the toxic RNA that causes the prolonged muscle contractions and other symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy.

11 Dec 2015

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

Although it is known that psychiatric disorders have a strong genetic component, untangling the web of genes contributing to each disease is a daunting task. Scientists have found hundreds of genes that are mutated in patients with disorders such as autism, but each patient usually has only a handful of these variations.

10 Dec 2015

New framework launched for global elimination of human rabies

A new framework to eliminate human rabies and save tens of thousands of lives each year has been launched today by the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Global Alliance for the Control of Rabies.

10 Dec 2015

Medical Science News

Researchers find new method to create uniform standards in search for cancer-relevant mutations

UC San Diego biologists develop a method to screen natural products for new antibiotics

Early life exposures to toxic chemicals reduce infants' response to TB vaccine

Discovery may provide reliable 'clock' for forensic scientists

Study reveals why anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen works better in some women than others

TSRI-led study shows how different drugs regulate protein linked to asthma, obesity and diabetes

TBK1 protein plays vital role in the process of cell division

Sex differences in the brain may provide clues to why certain forms of autism more common in males

Report shows relationship between sensation seeking, reward sensitivity and cannabis use

Researchers set up citizen science program to gain insight into triatomine insects in Texas

Virologists demonstrate how poxviruses defeat the body's host immune defenses

Apigenin improves neuron formation, strengthens connections between brain cells

LSD reduces connectivity within human brain networks

DZNE molecular biologist to receive Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize for research on neurons

Scientists find effective antiviral mechanisms to inhibit chikungunya virus

Neuroscientists find link between neurotransmitter GABA and tactile learning

Specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency can alter forebrain activity, alertness levels

Cancer drug can neutralize toxic RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

New framework launched for global elimination of human rabies

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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