Medical Science News

RSS

Different types of happiness have surprisingly different effects on human genome

A good state of mind - that is, your happiness - affects your genes, scientists say. In the first study of its kind, researchers from UCLA's Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and the University of North Carolina examined how positive psychology impacts human gene expression.

30 Jul 2013

Genistein derived from soybeans shows promise in inhibiting HIV infection

A compound found in soybeans may become an effective HIV treatment without the drug resistance issues faced by current therapies, according to new research by George Mason University researchers.

30 Jul 2013

Joints of children with chronic inflammatory arthritis contain premature aging of immune cells

The joints of children with the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis contain immune cells that resemble those of 90-year-olds, according to a new study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

30 Jul 2013

Mutation in a gene could play role in congenital heart disease, say researchers

A mutation in a gene crucial to normal heart development could play a role in some types of congenital heart disease-the most common birth defect in the U.S. The finding, from a team in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, could help narrow the search for genes that contribute to this defect, which affects as many as 40,000 newborns a year.

30 Jul 2013

Hepatocytes from stem-cell derived human liver cells increase survival of animals with liver disease

Researchers have generated functional hepatocytes from human stem cells, transplanted them into mice with acute liver injury, and shown the ability of these stem-cell derived human liver cells to function normally and increase survival of the treated animals.

29 Jul 2013

Scientists identify key neurons that sense unexpected motion and have implications for motion sickness

It happens to all of us at least once each winter in Montreal. You're walking on the sidewalk and before you know it you are slipping on a patch of ice hidden under a dusting of snow.

29 Jul 2013

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

British American Tobacco has published the protocol for a clinical study designed to determine whether using reduced-toxicant prototype cigarettes that reduce smokers' exposure to smoke toxicants impacts biological effect (ISRCTN81286286).

29 Jul 2013

Incidence of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release benzene

The incidence of a particular type of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release the chemical benzene into the environment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This and other studies like it will be critical to identifying and enacting public health policies to decrease or prevent cancer.

29 Jul 2013

New method can pinpoint DNA mutations that could help treat cancer, tuberculosis

The slightest variation in a sequence of DNA can have profound effects. Modern genomics has shown that just one mutation can be the difference between successfully treating a disease and having it spread rampantly throughout the body.

29 Jul 2013

IGTP, UAB discover first genetic biomarker to detect Lewy body dementia

The Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have discovered the first genetic biomarker to detect Lewy body dementia, a disease that can be confused with Alzheimer's.

26 Jul 2013

Implanting false memory in the brain can be possible, say MIT neuroscientists

The phenomenon of false memory has been well-documented: In many court cases, defendants have been found guilty based on testimony from witnesses and victims who were sure of their recollections, but DNA evidence later overturned the conviction.

26 Jul 2013

Researchers create calcium-sensitive proteins that respond quickly to changes in neuron activity

Princeton University researchers have created "souped up" versions of the calcium-sensitive proteins that for the past decade or so have given scientists an unparalleled view and understanding of brain-cell communication.

26 Jul 2013

Rapamycin extends mice lifespan but has limited effects on aging

The body's repair mechanisms begin to fail with increasing age. As a result, signs of wear and tear appear and the risk for many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and cancer, increases.

26 Jul 2013

Nanofiber scaffolds regulate apoptosis, proliferation in neural stem cells by altering gene expression

The surface characteristics of nanoscaffolds made by nanotechnology are more similar to the three-dimensional topological structure of the extracellular matrix and the effects on the biological behaviors of cells and tissue repair are more beneficial.

26 Jul 2013

New way of looking at DNA

Stem cell genes seek each other in the cell nucleus. So a study by the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has found, published this week in Nature. “It’s a new way of looking at DNA.”

26 Jul 2013

Adaptimmune initiates Phase I/IIa open-label clinical trial in patients with ovarian cancer

Adaptimmune announced today that it has opened a Phase I/IIa, multiple-site, two-cohort, open-label clinical trial in ovarian cancer at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) in Buffalo, N.Y., and City of Hope (COH) in Duarte, Calif.

26 Jul 2013

Scientists show link between lunar cycles and human sleep behavior

Many people complain about poor sleep around full moon. Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland now report evidence that lunar cycles and human sleep behavior are in fact connected.

26 Jul 2013

Non-invasive optical techniques use LED, laser to view beneath skin

Impressive examples of new non-invasive optical techniques using lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and spectroscopic methods to probe and render images from beneath the surface of the skin are featured in a newly completed special section in the Journal of Biomedical Optics published by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

26 Jul 2013

Inner ear supporting cells protect hair cells by secreting HSP70

An underlying cause of hearing loss is the death of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, which can be damaged in response to a variety of factors including the use of aminoglycoside antibiotics.

26 Jul 2013

New technology enables all of the world's crops to take nitrogen from the air

A major new technology has been developed by The University of Nottingham, which enables all of the world's crops to take nitrogen from the air rather than expensive and environmentally damaging fertilisers.

26 Jul 2013

Medical Science News

Different types of happiness have surprisingly different effects on human genome

Genistein derived from soybeans shows promise in inhibiting HIV infection

Joints of children with chronic inflammatory arthritis contain premature aging of immune cells

Mutation in a gene could play role in congenital heart disease, say researchers

Hepatocytes from stem-cell derived human liver cells increase survival of animals with liver disease

Scientists identify key neurons that sense unexpected motion and have implications for motion sickness

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

Incidence of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release benzene

New method can pinpoint DNA mutations that could help treat cancer, tuberculosis

IGTP, UAB discover first genetic biomarker to detect Lewy body dementia

Implanting false memory in the brain can be possible, say MIT neuroscientists

Researchers create calcium-sensitive proteins that respond quickly to changes in neuron activity

Rapamycin extends mice lifespan but has limited effects on aging

Nanofiber scaffolds regulate apoptosis, proliferation in neural stem cells by altering gene expression

New way of looking at DNA

Adaptimmune initiates Phase I/IIa open-label clinical trial in patients with ovarian cancer

Scientists show link between lunar cycles and human sleep behavior

Non-invasive optical techniques use LED, laser to view beneath skin

Inner ear supporting cells protect hair cells by secreting HSP70

New technology enables all of the world's crops to take nitrogen from the air

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News