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Researchers develop new method to screen tumor samples for presence of human polyomaviruses

Human polyomaviruses are commonly found in the population and generally do not produce noticeable symptoms. However, one type of human polyomavirus, the Merkel cell polyomavirus, is known to cause a rare form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma, and other members of the polyomavirus family can induce non-cancer related diseases in people with compromised immune systems.

27 Feb 2016

Brains have different traits that affect anatomical and cognitive factors

Everyone has a different mixture of personality traits: some are outgoing, some are tough and some are anxious. A new study suggests that brains also have different traits that affect both anatomical and cognitive factors, such as intelligence and memory.

27 Feb 2016

Penn State researchers develop self-powered enzyme pumps

A new way to use the chemical reactions of certain enzymes to trigger self-powered mechanical movement has been developed by a team of researchers at Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh. A paper describing the team's research, titled "Convective flow reversal in self-powered enzyme micropumps," is published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

27 Feb 2016

Mice with lymphatic defects develop obesity late in life

Lymphatic vessels play multifaceted roles in the body, including the absorption of dietary lipid in the intestines as well as the movement of immune cells throughout the body. Previous work by Guillermo Oliver and colleagues showed that mice with lymphatic defects due to loss of one copy of the Prox1 gene developed obesity late in life.

27 Feb 2016

New 3-D microscope allows researchers to look at living cancer cells in controlled microenvironment

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have designed and built a microscope capable of creating high-resolution, 3-D images of living cancer cells in realistic, controllable microenvironments.

27 Feb 2016

New imaging study shows how exercise affects the brain

People who exercise have better mental fitness, and a new imaging study from UC Davis Health System shows why. Intense exercise increases levels of two common neurotransmitters -- glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA -- that are responsible for chemical messaging within the brain.

27 Feb 2016

Researchers develop effective technique for studying high-arched palate using mouse model

Researchers from the laboratory of Paul Trainor, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute of Medical Research have developed an effective and reliable technique for studying high-arched palate using a mouse model. The methodology could expand research into the genetic aspects of this craniofacial abnormality.

27 Feb 2016

TTR protein causes autoimmune reaction in joints of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA, is the most common form of childhood arthritis. It appears to be an autoimmune disease, caused by antibodies attacking certain proteins in a person's own tissue. But no "autoantigens" -- the proteins triggering an immune attack -- have been linked to JIA.

27 Feb 2016

New drug shows promise against Huntington's disease

A drug that would be the first to target the cause of Huntington's disease (HD) is effective and safe when tested in mice and monkeys, according to data released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

27 Feb 2016

Major breakthrough opens door to better understanding of molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer carries a very bleak prognosis for patients. However, a recent breakthrough by two research teams, including one at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CIUSSS-EST, Montreal) and University of Montreal, has opened the door to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause this cancer to develop.

26 Feb 2016

Researchers map cellular pathway that may lead to treatments for obesity, diabetes

Control over obesity and diabetes may be one step closer thanks to a Hiroshima University study in fat tissue.

26 Feb 2016

New analytical tool may help diagnose cancer faster than conventional methods

Researchers have developed a new analytical tool for medical applications and biological research that might be used to diagnose cancer more rapidly than conventional methods.

26 Feb 2016

Protein p62 acts as molecular brake to keep inflammation in check, avoid collateral damage

Inflammation is a Catch-22: the body needs it to eliminate invasive organisms and foreign irritants, but excessive inflammation can harm healthy cells, contributing to aging and sometimes leading to organ failure and death. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a protein known as p62 acts as a molecular brake to keep inflammation in check and avoid collateral damage.

26 Feb 2016

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Life-threatening heart damage is an adverse side effect of the cancer drug doxorubicin, damage that also limits the use of newer chemotherapeutic agents such as trastuzumab and imatinib. The ability to protect the heart from these side effects would benefit patients, including cancer survivors who are at risk of developing heart damage years later, and it also could allow safer use of these drugs at higher doses.

26 Feb 2016

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

For the first time, genome sequencing has been carried out on Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), a bacteria responsible for the disease Trachoma - the world's leading infectious cause of blindness, according to a study in Nature Communications.

26 Feb 2016

Japanese bioengineers tweak E. coli genes to pump out morphine precursor

A common gut microbe could soon be offering us pain relief. Japanese bioengineers have tweaked Escherichia coli genes so that they pump out thebaine, a morphine precursor that can be modified to make painkillers. The genetically modified E. coli produces 300 times more thebaine with minimal risk of unregulated use compared to a recently developed method involving yeast.

26 Feb 2016

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

An international research team has identified four likely new subtypes of a rare brain tumor using molecular techniques that lay the foundation for more accurate diagnosis and tailored therapies for the hard-to-treat cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center led the study, results of which appear today in the scientific journal Cell.

26 Feb 2016

Medical community has unique role to play in determining future use of mitochondrial replacement techniques

There is a unique role for the United States medical community to play in determining the future application of, and ethically acceptable approach to, mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs), according to a commentary published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Feb 2016

Aggregated forms of transthyretin can trigger JIA development

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a the most common form of arthritis in children and affects approximately 50,000 individuals in the United States alone. Previous research suggested that autoimmune responses cause JIA, but the specific antigens that are responsible for driving autoimmunity have not been identified.

26 Feb 2016

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

Columbia University scientists have developed a new optical technique to study how information is transmitted in the brains of mice. Using this method, they found that only a small portion of synapses -- the connections between cells that control brain activity--may be active at any given time.

26 Feb 2016

Medical Science News

Researchers develop new method to screen tumor samples for presence of human polyomaviruses

Brains have different traits that affect anatomical and cognitive factors

Penn State researchers develop self-powered enzyme pumps

Mice with lymphatic defects develop obesity late in life

New 3-D microscope allows researchers to look at living cancer cells in controlled microenvironment

New imaging study shows how exercise affects the brain

Researchers develop effective technique for studying high-arched palate using mouse model

TTR protein causes autoimmune reaction in joints of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

New drug shows promise against Huntington's disease

Major breakthrough opens door to better understanding of molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer

Researchers map cellular pathway that may lead to treatments for obesity, diabetes

New analytical tool may help diagnose cancer faster than conventional methods

Protein p62 acts as molecular brake to keep inflammation in check, avoid collateral damage

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

Japanese bioengineers tweak E. coli genes to pump out morphine precursor

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

Medical community has unique role to play in determining future use of mitochondrial replacement techniques

Aggregated forms of transthyretin can trigger JIA development

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

Flow chemistry, AI, and NMR: A next-gen approach to scalable API production

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

Bioprocess Efficiency with Cell Density Monitoring

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