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Johns Hopkins study shows gene expression in autism brains

While many different combinations of genetic traits can cause autism, brains affected by autism share a pattern of ramped-up immune responses, an analysis of data from autopsied human brains reveals. The study, a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, included data from 72 autism and control brains.

11 Dec 2014

Alcohol consumption interferes with sleep homeostasis

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that drinking alcohol to fall asleep interferes with sleep homeostasis, the body's sleep-regulating mechanism.

11 Dec 2014

New study reveals how COX-2 inhibitors can increase risk of heart attack in arthritis patients

A class of drug for treating arthritis - all but shelved over fears about side effects - may be given a new lease of life, following the discovery of a possible way to identify which patients should avoid using it.

11 Dec 2014

Enzymatic activity essential for vision may provide target for drug transport

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have uncovered the mechanism that enables the enzyme Lecithin: retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) to store vitamin A--a process that is indispensable for vision.

10 Dec 2014

Simple supplement could reduce heart disease in individuals born with low birth weight

A simple supplement could be a safe and cost-effective way of reducing heart disease in individuals born with a low birth weight, suggests research from the University of Cambridge. The study, carried out in rats, also raises the possibility of developing a blood test to indicate how much damage there is in the aortas of these individuals.

10 Dec 2014

Study brings researchers closer to understanding how brains work

Whether we're paying attention to something we see can be discerned by monitoring the firings of specific groups of brain cells. Now, new work from Johns Hopkins shows that the same holds true for the sense of touch. The study brings researchers closer to understanding how animals' thoughts and feelings affect their perception of external stimuli.

10 Dec 2014

Study: Long-term endurance training alters epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that long-term endurance training in a stable way alters the epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle. The research team behind the study, which is being published in the journal Epigenetics, also found strong links between these altered epigenetic patterns and the activity in genes controlling improved metabolism and inflammation.

10 Dec 2014

Scientists develop new technique to get detailed images of mouse neurons

Scientists can now explore nerves in mice in much greater detail than ever before, thanks to an approach developed by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy. The work, published online today in Nature Methods, enables researchers to easily use artificial tags, broadening the range of what they can study and vastly increasing image resolution.

10 Dec 2014

Variations in ERAP1 enzyme could lead to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered variations in an enzyme belonging to the immune system that leaves individuals susceptible to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

10 Dec 2014

Genetic variations may contribute to treatment-related cognitive problems in children with ALL

Common variations in four genes related to brain inflammation or cells' response to damage from oxidation may contribute to the problems with memory, learning and other cognitive functions seen in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a study led by researchers from Boston Children's Hospital, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, and Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

10 Dec 2014

Heat-shock protein 90 enables ER+ breast cancers to develop resistance to hormonal therapy

Long known for its ability to help organisms successfully adapt to environmentally stressful conditions, the highly conserved molecular chaperone heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) also enables estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers to develop resistance to hormonal therapy.

10 Dec 2014

McGill University scientists show how simple potato extract can fight obesity

Take a look in your pantry: the miracle ingredient for fighting obesity may already be there. A simple potato extract may limit weight gain from a diet that is high in fat and refined carbohydrates, according to scientists at McGill University. The results of their recent study were so surprising that the investigators repeated the experiment just to be sure.

10 Dec 2014

UT Southwestern biophysicist named recipient of 2015 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas has selected Dr. Yuh Min Chook, Professor of Pharmacology and of Biophysics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as the recipient of the 2015 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science.

10 Dec 2014

Novel drug target could lead to better antipsychotic medications

Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have identified a novel drug target that could lead to the development of better antipsychotic medications.

10 Dec 2014

Chemical chaperone: A new therapeutic option for epilepsy

Researchers found out that the conformational defect in a specific protein causes Autosomal Dominant Lateral Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (ADLTE) which is a form of familial epilepsy. They showed that treatment with chemical corrector called "chemical chaperone" ameliorates increased seizure susceptibility in a mouse model of human epilepsy by correcting the conformational defect.

10 Dec 2014

Targeted therapy with radiopharmaceuticals has great potential for cancer treatment

Cancer therapy can be much more effective using a new way to customize nuclear medicine treatment, researchers say in the December 2014 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The process could also be useful for other diseases that could benefit from targeted radiation.

10 Dec 2014

Learning technique may help overcome cognitive issues in fragile X syndrome

A learning technique that maximizes the brain's ability to make and store memories may help overcome cognitive issues seen in fragile X syndrome, a leading form of intellectual disability, according to UC Irvine neurobiologists.

10 Dec 2014

University of Illinois study could provide insight into protein-misfolding diseases

When a large protein unfolds in transit through a cell, it slows down and can get stuck in traffic. Using a specialized microscope -- a sort of cellular traffic camera -- University of Illinois chemists now can watch the way the unfolded protein diffuses.

10 Dec 2014

Scientists identify brain mechanism that drives our appetite for glucose-rich foods

Scientists have discovered a mechanism in the brain that may drive our appetite for foods rich in glucose and could lead to improved treatments for obesity.

10 Dec 2014

Researchers freeze biological structures to illustrate DNA double-strand break process

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, led by Guillermo Montoya, have developed a method for producing biological crystals that has allowed scientists to observe --for the first time-- DNA double chain breaks. They have also developed a computer simulation that makes this process, which lasts in the order of millionths of a second, visible to the human eye.

9 Dec 2014

Medical Science News

Johns Hopkins study shows gene expression in autism brains

Alcohol consumption interferes with sleep homeostasis

New study reveals how COX-2 inhibitors can increase risk of heart attack in arthritis patients

Enzymatic activity essential for vision may provide target for drug transport

Simple supplement could reduce heart disease in individuals born with low birth weight

Study brings researchers closer to understanding how brains work

Study: Long-term endurance training alters epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle

Scientists develop new technique to get detailed images of mouse neurons

Variations in ERAP1 enzyme could lead to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Genetic variations may contribute to treatment-related cognitive problems in children with ALL

Heat-shock protein 90 enables ER+ breast cancers to develop resistance to hormonal therapy

McGill University scientists show how simple potato extract can fight obesity

UT Southwestern biophysicist named recipient of 2015 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science

Novel drug target could lead to better antipsychotic medications

Chemical chaperone: A new therapeutic option for epilepsy

Targeted therapy with radiopharmaceuticals has great potential for cancer treatment

Learning technique may help overcome cognitive issues in fragile X syndrome

University of Illinois study could provide insight into protein-misfolding diseases

Scientists identify brain mechanism that drives our appetite for glucose-rich foods

Researchers freeze biological structures to illustrate DNA double-strand break process

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

Reimagining light scattering for biotherapeutics

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