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Sonic hedgehog gene maintains normal physiological state and repair process of adult lungs

The whimsically named sonic hedgehog gene, best known for controlling embryonic development, also maintains the normal physiological state and repair process of an adult healthy lung, if damaged, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published online this week in Nature in advance of the print edition.

6 Oct 2015

New smartphone-based device can reliably perform molecular diagnoses at low cost

NIBIB-funded researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a smartphone-based device that can reliably carry out molecular diagnoses in under an hour for approximately two dollars per patient. The device could enable point-of-care cancer diagnostics in low- to middle-income or remote areas, which often have high rates of mortality from cancer due to missed opportunities for treatment.

6 Oct 2015

Neuron firing patterns in IT cortex linked with object-recognition tasks

When the eyes are open, visual information flows from the retina through the optic nerve and into the brain, which assembles this raw information into objects and scenes.

6 Oct 2015

Unpredictable stress during adolescence may help you prepare for future challenges

Rats exposed to frequent physical, social, and predatory stress during adolescence solved problems and foraged more efficiently under high-threat conditions in adulthood compared with rats that developed without stress, according to Penn State researchers. The results may provide insights into how humans respond to adolescent stress.

6 Oct 2015

Body weight change in older women may aid in diagnosis, management of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers led by Deborah Gustafson, PhD, MS, professor of neurology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, have shown that women with a gene variant (APOEe4 allele) associated with Alzheimer's disease experience a steeper decline in body mass index (BMI) after age 70 than those women without the version of the gene, whether they go on to develop dementia or not.

6 Oct 2015

Georgia State University researcher receives $1.35 million federal grant to study effects of emulsifiers

Andrew Gewirtz, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a four-year, $1.35 million federal grant to study how emulsifiers affect bacteria in the intestinal tract and cause chronic inflammatory diseases in the gut.

6 Oct 2015

U of T study provides hope for treating ALS and FTD

It's the most common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but until now scientists weren't sure how a specific gene caused these devastating diseases. Now researchers from the University of Toronto are one step closer to solving this incredibly complex puzzle, offering hope for treatment.

6 Oct 2015

Sexual activity causes physiological changes in the body that increase women's chances of getting pregnant

Research from Indiana University has found that sexual activity triggers physiological changes in the body that increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant, even outside the window of ovulation.

6 Oct 2015

Researchers design specialized catheter for fixing holes in the heart

Researchers from Boston Children's Hospital, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Karp Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital have jointly designed a specialized catheter for fixing holes in the heart using a biodegradable adhesive and patch.

6 Oct 2015

Novel computational strategy may help identify genetic variants that cause disease in children

The team behind the Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) Study, one of the world's largest nationwide rare disease genome-wide sequencing initiatives, have developed a novel computational approach to identify genetic variants that cause disease in young children.

6 Oct 2015

Paradigm failure is primary reason for lack of progress in cancer research, says cancer biologist

A recent publication, which received sustained media attention, claimed that most cancers are just “bad luck”. Its authors stated that only about one-third of cancer mutations are caused by known lifestyle or environmental factors.

6 Oct 2015

Songbirds may help researchers find cure for Huntington’s disease

Many neurological disorders can rob someone of the ability to speak clearly, causing them to stutter, mispronounce words, and struggle to put together coherent sentences. However, the molecular and neurological dysfunctions that cause these symptoms aren't well understood. Recent work at The Rockefeller University may give researchers a new tool to better study these vocal and speech impairments, particularly in Huntington's disease.

6 Oct 2015

Targeting protein used by tumors to help detect food supplies could restrict cancerous cells' ability to grow

Oxford University researchers have identified a protein used by tumours to help them detect food supplies. Initial studies show that targeting the protein could restrict cancerous cells' ability to grow.

6 Oct 2015

Genetic polymorphisms may serve as prognostic markers for lung cancer

Genetic polymorphisms associated with cancer progression lead to variations in gene expression and may serve as prognostic markers for lung cancer. Researchers at the Hiroshima University and Saitama Medical University found that in patients with lung cancer, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may regulate gene and protein expression and be associated with poor prognosis.

6 Oct 2015

Researchers identify role of microglia during early stages of Alzheimer's disease

For the first time, researchers have determined how toxic tau fibrils spread by the help of brain immune cells called microglia during the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discovery of this new pathway may lead to a therapeutic target for AD, one that has not been previously identified.

5 Oct 2015

UNC researchers find association between gut microbiota and anorexia nervosa

Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine found that people with anorexia nervosa have very different microbial communities residing inside their guts compared to healthy individuals and that this bacterial imbalance is associated with some of the psychological symptoms related to the eating disorder.

5 Oct 2015

Insulin sensitivity of main glucose storage sites in the body improve following gastric bypass surgery

Roux-en-Y, the most common type of gastric bypass surgery, can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes along with weight loss. A new study in the American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology examines why, finding that insulin sensitivity of the main glucose (sugar) storage sites in the body improve after gastric bypass surgery.

5 Oct 2015

International team of scientists create world's largest catalog of genomic variations among humans

An international team of scientists from the 1000 Genomes Project Consortium has created the world's largest catalog of genomic differences among humans, providing researchers with powerful clues to help them establish why some people are susceptible to various diseases. While most differences in peoples' genomes - called variants - are harmless, some are beneficial, while others contribute to diseases and conditions, ranging from cognitive disabilities to susceptibilities to cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other disorders.

1 Oct 2015

Experimental drug shows promise in mice with multiple sclerosis

An experimental drug originally identified in a National Cancer Institute library of chemical compounds as a potential therapy for brain and basal cell cancers improves the symptoms of mice with a form of the debilitating neurological disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research from NYU Langone Medical Center.

1 Oct 2015

Two studies identify promising new anti-retroviral strategy to combat HIV-1

A pair of studies by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the University of Trento in Italy, and the University of Geneva in Switzerland, point to a promising new anti-retroviral strategy for combating HIV-1.

1 Oct 2015

Medical Science News

Sonic hedgehog gene maintains normal physiological state and repair process of adult lungs

New smartphone-based device can reliably perform molecular diagnoses at low cost

Neuron firing patterns in IT cortex linked with object-recognition tasks

Unpredictable stress during adolescence may help you prepare for future challenges

Body weight change in older women may aid in diagnosis, management of Alzheimer's disease

Georgia State University researcher receives $1.35 million federal grant to study effects of emulsifiers

U of T study provides hope for treating ALS and FTD

Sexual activity causes physiological changes in the body that increase women's chances of getting pregnant

Researchers design specialized catheter for fixing holes in the heart

Novel computational strategy may help identify genetic variants that cause disease in children

Paradigm failure is primary reason for lack of progress in cancer research, says cancer biologist

Songbirds may help researchers find cure for Huntington’s disease

Targeting protein used by tumors to help detect food supplies could restrict cancerous cells' ability to grow

Genetic polymorphisms may serve as prognostic markers for lung cancer

Researchers identify role of microglia during early stages of Alzheimer's disease

UNC researchers find association between gut microbiota and anorexia nervosa

Insulin sensitivity of main glucose storage sites in the body improve following gastric bypass surgery

International team of scientists create world's largest catalog of genomic variations among humans

Experimental drug shows promise in mice with multiple sclerosis

Two studies identify promising new anti-retroviral strategy to combat HIV-1

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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