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Scientists report first human recipients of laboratory-grown vaginal organs

Scientists reported today the first human recipients of laboratory-grown vaginal organs. A research team led by Anthony Atala, M.D., director of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, describes in the Lancet long-term success in four teenage girls who received vaginal organs that were engineered with their own cells.

11 Apr 2014

Findings pave way for potential therapy to combat H1N1 flu virus

Flu epidemics cause up to half a million deaths worldwide each year, and emerging strains continually threaten to spread to humans and cause even deadlier pandemics. A study by McGill University professor Maziar Divangahi published by Cell Press on April 10 in the journal Immunity reveals that a drug that inhibits a molecule called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases survival rates in mice infected with a lethal dose of the H1N1 flu virus.

11 Apr 2014

Targeting enzyme responsible for glucose metabolism halts tumor growth, say researchers

Cancer cells generate energy differently than normal cells, a characteristic that helps them to survive and metastasize. A major goal in the field of cancer metabolism is to find ways to overcome this survival advantage.

11 Apr 2014

Scientists discover protein potentially good target for influenza A virus

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that a protein produced by the influenza A virus helps it outwit one of our body's natural defense mechanisms. That makes the protein a potentially good target for antiviral drugs directed against the influenza A virus.

11 Apr 2014

Researchers develop novel assay to identify genes controlling pharynx regeneration in flatworms

As multicellular creatures go, planaria worms are hardly glamorous. To say they appear rudimentary is more like it. These tiny aquatic flatworms that troll ponds and standing water resemble brown tubes equipped with just the basics: a pair of beady light-sensing "eyespots" on their head and a feeding tube called the pharynx (which doubles as the excretory tract) that protrudes from a belly sac to suck up food.

11 Apr 2014

Researchers to develop cell-based approaches to minimize scarring in adult wounds

In early fetal development, skin wounds undergo regeneration and healing without scar formation. This mechanism of wound healing later disappears, but by studying the fetal stem cells capable of this scarless wound healing, researchers may be able to apply these mechanisms to develop cell-based approaches able to minimize scarring in adult wounds, as described in a Critical Review article published in Advances in Wound Care, a monthly publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers and an Official Journal of the Wound Healing Society.

11 Apr 2014

Scientists identify enzyme that could be a useful target in treating asthma, cancer

In experiments with mice, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have identified an enzyme involved in the regulation of immune system T cells that could be a useful target in treating asthma and boosting the effects of certain cancer therapies.

11 Apr 2014

Tumor-suppressing protein acts as dimmer switch to dial down gene expression

A tumor-suppressing protein acts as a dimmer switch to dial down gene expression. It does this by reading a chemical message attached to another protein that's tightly intertwined with DNA, a team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014.

11 Apr 2014

Scientists solve a decades-long mystery of cell biology

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has identified a long-sought protein that facilitates one of the most basic functions of cells: regulating their volume to keep from swelling excessively.

11 Apr 2014

Researchers identify biological process that appears to trigger Parkinson's disease

Working with human neurons and fruit flies, researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified and then shut down a biological process that appears to trigger a particular form of Parkinson's disease present in a large number of patients. A report on the study, in the April 10 issue of the journal Cell, could lead to new treatments for this disorder.

11 Apr 2014

Two Penn researchers selected as recipients of prestigious Clinical Research Achievement Award

Two researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Cardiovascular Institute are among the 2014 recipients of the prestigious Clinical Research Achievement Award for their work in cardiovascular science.

11 Apr 2014

Acupuncture protects brain neurons against injury in rats following heroin relapse

Heroin abuse can damage many brain areas, including the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus of the midbrain, the ventral tegmental area, and nucleus accumbens. Persistent use of heroin induced irreversible damage to the nervous system.

11 Apr 2014

Researchers untangle genetic and environmental factors related to drug reactions

Why do people respond differently to the same drug? For the first time, researchers have untangled genetic and environmental factors related to drug reactions, bringing us a step closer to predicting how a drug will affect us.

11 Apr 2014

Researchers discover mechanism that control normal lung function in patients with BHD syndrome

Researchers at Penn Medicine have discovered that the tumor suppressor gene folliculin (FLCN) is essential to normal lung function in patients with the rare disease Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs, skin and kidneys. Folliculin's absence or mutated state has a cascading effect that leads to deteriorated lung integrity and an impairment of lung function, as reported in their findings in the current issue of Cell Reports.

11 Apr 2014

Human testes respond differently to endocrine disrupting chemicals

Human and rat testes respond differently to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as BPA in two thirds of all cases, according to a recent review. As human safety levels are extrapolated from rodent data, the study could lead to a re-evaluation of the acceptable daily intake for many endocrine disruptors.

10 Apr 2014

Researchers reveal how cells respond to mechanical manipulation

The push and pull of physical force can cause profound changes in the behavior of a cell. Two studies from researchers working at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center reveal how cells respond to mechanical manipulation

10 Apr 2014

Snack food with olestra speeds up removal of toxins in body

According to a clinical trial led by University of Cincinnati researchers, a snack food ingredient called olestra has been found to speed up the removal of toxins in the body.

10 Apr 2014

Researchers find that cancer gene require copper to promote tumor growth

Drugs used to block copper absorption for a rare genetic condition may find an additional use as a treatment for certain types of cancer, researchers at Duke Medicine report.

10 Apr 2014

Scientists design new system for molecular blood group typing

Scientists in France have designed a new system for molecular blood group typing that offers blood banks the possibility of extensive screening of blood donors at a relatively low cost. Their approach is described in the current issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

10 Apr 2014

Researcher develops synthetic hydrogel that promotes natural clotting, heals surgical wounds

Synthetic collagen invented at Rice University may help wounds heal by directing the natural clotting of blood.

10 Apr 2014

Medical Science News

Scientists report first human recipients of laboratory-grown vaginal organs

Findings pave way for potential therapy to combat H1N1 flu virus

Targeting enzyme responsible for glucose metabolism halts tumor growth, say researchers

Scientists discover protein potentially good target for influenza A virus

Researchers develop novel assay to identify genes controlling pharynx regeneration in flatworms

Researchers to develop cell-based approaches to minimize scarring in adult wounds

Scientists identify enzyme that could be a useful target in treating asthma, cancer

Tumor-suppressing protein acts as dimmer switch to dial down gene expression

Scientists solve a decades-long mystery of cell biology

Researchers identify biological process that appears to trigger Parkinson's disease

Two Penn researchers selected as recipients of prestigious Clinical Research Achievement Award

Acupuncture protects brain neurons against injury in rats following heroin relapse

Researchers untangle genetic and environmental factors related to drug reactions

Researchers discover mechanism that control normal lung function in patients with BHD syndrome

Human testes respond differently to endocrine disrupting chemicals

Researchers reveal how cells respond to mechanical manipulation

Snack food with olestra speeds up removal of toxins in body

Researchers find that cancer gene require copper to promote tumor growth

Scientists design new system for molecular blood group typing

Researcher develops synthetic hydrogel that promotes natural clotting, heals surgical wounds

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Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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