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U-M microbiome research may lead to new ways to prevent, fight lung infections in patients

With every breath you take, microbes have a chance of making it into your lungs. But what happens when they get there? And why do dangerous lung infections like pneumonia happen in some people, but not others? Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School have started to answer these questions by studying the microbiome of the lungs - the community of microscopic organisms that are in constant contact with our respiratory system.

18 Aug 2015

Muscle mass appears to ward off bad cardiovascular effects of obesity

Even without losing fat, more muscle appears to go a long way in fighting off the bad cardiovascular effects of obesity. That emerging evidence has scientists looking hard for new targets to uncouple the unhealthy relationship between fat and cardiovascular disease.

18 Aug 2015

New research identifies cause of disruption in brain's communication channels linked to psychiatric disorders

New research has identified the mechanisms that trigger disruption in the brain's communication channels linked to symptoms in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. The University of Bristol study, published today [17 Aug] in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, could have important implications for treating symptoms of brain disorders.

18 Aug 2015

Regulation of tumor microenvironment may offer alternate method for cancer treatment

Scientists know that activation of growth factor receptors like epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) promote tumor progression in many types of cancer.

18 Aug 2015

MU researcher proposes method to identify human vulnerabilities

Historically, males have been considered the vulnerable sex, sometimes called "male vulnerability." Charles Darwin noted that boys are more likely to die in infancy than girls and have a higher risk of premature death throughout their lifetimes. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri suggests that research in "male vulnerability" should be expanded to include "female vulnerability."

18 Aug 2015

Tracking retinal changes may help doctors to adjust schizophrenia treatment in the future

Schizophrenia is associated with structural and functional alterations of the visual system, including specific structural changes in the eye. Tracking such changes may provide new measures of risk for, and progression of the disease, according to a literature review published online in the journal Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, authored by researchers at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and Rutgers University.

18 Aug 2015

Newly developed technique delivers wireless power for optogenetics

A miniature device that combines optogenetics - using light to control the activity of the brain - with a newly developed technique for wirelessly powering implanted devices is the first fully internal method of delivering optogenetics.

18 Aug 2015

Studies show jumping genes more active during development of gastrointestinal cancers

Results of a trio of studies done on human cancer tissue biopsies have added to growing evidence that a so-called jumping gene called LINE-1 is active during the development of many gastrointestinal cancers.

18 Aug 2015

Commercial non-invasive brain stimulation device impairs cognitive performance

People show impaired memory after receiving low intensity electrical stimulation administered to the frontal part of the brain by a commercial, freely available, device. Psychologists Laura Steenbergen and Lorenza Colzato, with their colleagues at the Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition and fellow researchers from the Max Planck Institute on Human Development, published their findings in Experimental Brain Research.

17 Aug 2015

Researchers reveal how migrating tumour cells produce protein that helps set up home in bones

Cancer cells that migrate to the bone acquire a unique trait: They start to express the protein cathepsin K. Researchers from the University of Freiburg and the BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies have now solved why it is important for the migrating cells to produce this protein.

17 Aug 2015

New research reveals effects of age on sleep quality

The elderly are doing something right. New research into the effects of age on sleep suggests our older community sleep less, but report better quality sleep, and feel more awake during the day.

17 Aug 2015

Scientists partner to create liver-on-chip device that mimics human physiology

Safety evaluation is a critical part of drug and cosmetic development. In recent years there is a growing understanding that animal experiments fail to predict the human response, necessitating the development of alternative models to predict drug toxicity.

17 Aug 2015

Nitrogen oxides affect pollen of common ragweed plant

Pollen of the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) has higher concentrations of allergen when the plant is exposed to NO2 exhaust gases, according to findings of scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München. In addition, the study published in the journal 'Plant, Cell & Environment' indicates the presence of a possible new allergen in the plant.

17 Aug 2015

‘Medical foods’ for patients with rare IEMs may cause harm when not carefully managed

Many "medical foods" are designed to help manage patients with rare inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), and can help prevent serious and life-threatening complications. However, such special foods may cause harm in some patients when their use is not carefully monitored and managed, according to a research team led by scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

14 Aug 2015

Centenary Institute researchers take lead on promising new class of drugs for melanoma treatment

Researchers at Sydney’s Centenary Institute have taken the lead on a promising new class of drugs that may prove to be highly effective for the treatment of certain cases of melanoma.

14 Aug 2015

Prion protein could play a role in depression

The discovery of antidepressant drugs in the 1950s led to the first biochemical hypothesis of depression, known as the monoamine hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that an imbalance of certain brain chemicals is the key cause of depression.

14 Aug 2015

Neuroscientist discovers how animal's biological clock wakes up, goes to sleep

Fifteen years ago, an odd mutant fruit fly caught the attention and curiosity of Dr. Ravi Allada, a circadian rhythms expert at Northwestern University, leading the neuroscientist to recently discover how an animal's biological clock wakes it up in the morning and puts it to sleep at night.

14 Aug 2015

NSF awards EAGER grant to expand use of temperature-activated protein switches in neurons

Troy Zars, Mirela Milescu, and Lorin Milescu, faculty members of the Division of Biological Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Missouri, have been awarded an Early Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) from the National Science Foundation to expand the use of a temperature-activated protein switches in neurons. The new technology could lead to a better understanding of brain disorders in humans.

14 Aug 2015

UC San Diego researchers discover cells that regenerate better liver tissue than ordinary liver cells

The mechanisms that allow the liver to repair and regenerate itself have long been a matter of debate. Now researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a population of liver cells that are better at regenerating liver tissue than ordinary liver cells, or hepatocytes.

14 Aug 2015

Opioids produced by yeast; revealing the potential for cheaper pain relief

Researchers at Stanford University have genetically engineered yeast so it produces hydrocodone, a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic used in the United States for relief of moderate to severe pain.

14 Aug 2015

Medical Science News

U-M microbiome research may lead to new ways to prevent, fight lung infections in patients

Muscle mass appears to ward off bad cardiovascular effects of obesity

New research identifies cause of disruption in brain's communication channels linked to psychiatric disorders

Regulation of tumor microenvironment may offer alternate method for cancer treatment

MU researcher proposes method to identify human vulnerabilities

Tracking retinal changes may help doctors to adjust schizophrenia treatment in the future

Newly developed technique delivers wireless power for optogenetics

Studies show jumping genes more active during development of gastrointestinal cancers

Commercial non-invasive brain stimulation device impairs cognitive performance

Researchers reveal how migrating tumour cells produce protein that helps set up home in bones

New research reveals effects of age on sleep quality

Scientists partner to create liver-on-chip device that mimics human physiology

Nitrogen oxides affect pollen of common ragweed plant

‘Medical foods’ for patients with rare IEMs may cause harm when not carefully managed

Centenary Institute researchers take lead on promising new class of drugs for melanoma treatment

Prion protein could play a role in depression

Neuroscientist discovers how animal's biological clock wakes up, goes to sleep

NSF awards EAGER grant to expand use of temperature-activated protein switches in neurons

UC San Diego researchers discover cells that regenerate better liver tissue than ordinary liver cells

Opioids produced by yeast; revealing the potential for cheaper pain relief

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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