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UC Irvine study opens door to novel treatments for people with retinal damage

Driving down a dimly lit road at midnight can tax even those with 20/20 vision, but according to a recent UC Irvine study, the brain processes the experience no differently than if it were noon. The same study also reveals how quickly the brain adapts to vision loss, contradicting earlier research and opening the door to novel treatments.

12 May 2015

Discovery paves way for developing treatments for people addicted to cocaine, amphetamines

In a major advance in the field of neuropsychiatry, researchers in the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have illuminated how cocaine and amphetamines disrupt the normal functioning of the dopamine transporter in the brain.

12 May 2015

Experimental gene therapy holds promise against metastatic prostate cancer

Even with the best available treatments, the median survival of patients with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer is only two to three years. Driven by the need for more effective therapies for these patients, researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine have developed a unique approach that uses microscopic gas bubbles to deliver directly to the cancer a viral gene therapy in combination with an experimental drug that targets a specific gene driving the cancer's growth.

12 May 2015

OSU scientists develop more accurate method to evaluate cancer risk of pollutants

Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a faster, more accurate method to assess cancer risk from certain common environmental pollutants.

12 May 2015

Study highlights potential new targets for development of novel cancer therapy

An international consortium of scientists led by a group from the University of Leicester has announced a new advance in understanding the mechanisms of cancer and how to target it more effectively with new treatments.

12 May 2015

Study sheds light on specific roles for dopamine in reward process

Dopamine is the chemical messenger in the brain most closely associated with pleasure and reward. Recent scientific advances now shed light on precise roles for dopamine in the reward process.

12 May 2015

New method may help determine potential indicator of stress, neurological disorders

A research collaboration between the universities of Oslo and Aarhus has resulted in the development of a new method with diagnostic potential. The new method that combines phase extraction with an enzymatic reaction may eventually be used for an improved and faster screening analysis of isatin as a potential indicator of stress and neurological disorders.

12 May 2015

Scientists find smooth muscle cells as major contributing factor to vascular stiffness

Increased vascular stiffness has been identified as an important part of hypertension in aging adults. Previous studies of aortic stiffness have focused on changes in structural proteins that alter the properties of vascular walls causing them to become rigid.

11 May 2015

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

New research by investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests the immune system plays an unsuspected and surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder affecting children. Immune cells known as macrophages are unable to perform their normal function and are instead amplifying the disease.

11 May 2015

Scientists identify gene that causes hereditary hypertension and brachydactyly type E

Individuals with this altered gene have hereditary hypertension (high blood pressure) and at the same time a skeletal malformation called brachydactyly type E, which is characterized by unusually short fingers and toes. The effect on blood pressure is so serious that -- if left untreated -- it most often leads to death before age fifty.

11 May 2015

Walnut-enriched diet may slow colorectal tumor growth

A new animal study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Christos Mantzoros, indicates that a diet containing walnuts may slow colorectal tumor growth by causing beneficial changes in cancer genes.

11 May 2015

MJFF announces acquisition of parkin research tools from Imago Pharmaceuticals

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research announces the acquisition of a library of research tools around the parkin protein from Imago Pharmaceuticals. The Foundation believes these tools — cell lines, plasmids, compounds and more — will accelerate biological study and drug development against this promising disease-modification target.

11 May 2015

Southern Indiana to be oasis free from Lyme disease, finds Indiana University researcher

Over nearly 15 years spent studying ticks, Indiana University's Keith Clay has found southern Indiana to be an oasis free from Lyme disease, the condition most associated with these arachnids that are the second most common parasitic disease vector on Earth.

11 May 2015

Research findings could lead to new targeted treatments for aggressive subtype of lymphoma

An international team of researchers, including Lukas Kenner from the Clinical Department of Pathology at MedUni Vienna, has discovered a specific combination of mutations and new gene fusions, which are heavily implicated in tumour growth in patients with a particularly aggressive subtype of lymphoma (ALCL).

11 May 2015

A pioneering facial recognition cane for the blind

The ‘XploR’ mobility cane, being developed by ICT students Steve Adigbo, Waheed Rafiq and Richard Howlett, uses smartphone technology to recognise familiar faces from up to 10m away. The cane also features GPS functionality to aid navigation...

11 May 2015

Small ion pump gives new hope for severe nerve pain sufferers

A small ion pump in organic electronics is giving new hope to people suffering from severe nerve pain. Researchers at Swedish Linköping University and the Karolinska Institute are the first in the world with technology that can stop pain impulses in living, freely moving rats using the body's own pain relief signals.

11 May 2015

Researchers discover potential mechanism to combat haemorrhagic diseases

A potential mechanism to combat diseases caused by haemorrhagic fever viruses has been discovered by researchers at the University of Montreal's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. These diseases present a dramatic risk to human health as they often spread quickly and kill a high percentage of infected individuals, as demonstrated by the recent Ebola outbreaks.

11 May 2015

Obesity rates elevated in childhood cancer survivors who are exposed to certain treatments

Individuals who had cancer as a child may be at increased risk of being obese due to the therapies they received during their youth. The finding comes from a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest the need for effective counseling and weight loss interventions for certain childhood cancer survivors.

11 May 2015

Study sheds light on developing more targeted therapies against medulloblastoma

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have gained ground toward developing more targeted therapies for the most common childhood brain tumor.

10 May 2015

Moffitt scientists examine why prostate cancer patients who receive ADT experience hot flashes

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a common treatment option for patients with advanced stage prostate cancer. But nearly 80 percent of patients who receive ADT report experiencing hot flashes during and after treatment. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are working to determine what genetic factors and other characteristics might make prostate cancer patients more likely to experience hot flashes during and after therapy.

10 May 2015

Medical Science News

UC Irvine study opens door to novel treatments for people with retinal damage

Discovery paves way for developing treatments for people addicted to cocaine, amphetamines

Experimental gene therapy holds promise against metastatic prostate cancer

OSU scientists develop more accurate method to evaluate cancer risk of pollutants

Study highlights potential new targets for development of novel cancer therapy

Study sheds light on specific roles for dopamine in reward process

New method may help determine potential indicator of stress, neurological disorders

Scientists find smooth muscle cells as major contributing factor to vascular stiffness

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

Scientists identify gene that causes hereditary hypertension and brachydactyly type E

Walnut-enriched diet may slow colorectal tumor growth

MJFF announces acquisition of parkin research tools from Imago Pharmaceuticals

Southern Indiana to be oasis free from Lyme disease, finds Indiana University researcher

Research findings could lead to new targeted treatments for aggressive subtype of lymphoma

A pioneering facial recognition cane for the blind

Small ion pump gives new hope for severe nerve pain sufferers

Researchers discover potential mechanism to combat haemorrhagic diseases

Obesity rates elevated in childhood cancer survivors who are exposed to certain treatments

Study sheds light on developing more targeted therapies against medulloblastoma

Moffitt scientists examine why prostate cancer patients who receive ADT experience hot flashes

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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