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Additional insights into workings of ALVAC vaccine against HIV

Four years ago, a potential HIV vaccine showed promise against the virus that causes AIDS, but it fell short of providing the broad protection necessary to stem the spread of disease.

11 Jan 2013

Repression of PTB protein in fibroblasts can convert pluripotent stem cells into functional neurons

Repression of a single protein in ordinary fibroblasts is sufficient to directly convert the cells - abundantly found in connective tissues - into functional neurons. The findings, which could have far-reaching implications for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, will be published online in advance of the January 17 issue of the journal Cell.

11 Jan 2013

Scientists track electrical signals in the brain region linked to spatial awareness

Research at the University of Edinburgh tracked electrical signals in the part of the brain linked to spatial awareness.

11 Jan 2013

Baboon embryonic stem cells can be programmed to completely restore severely damaged arteries

Scientists at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute have for the first time demonstrated that baboon embryonic stem cells can be programmed to completely restore a severely damaged artery. These early results show promise for eventually developing stem cell therapies to restore human tissues or organs damaged by age or disease.

11 Jan 2013

Blocking interaction of JNK enzyme may counteract neuron destruction

Oxidative stress is a primary villain in a host of diseases that range from cancer and heart failure to Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

11 Jan 2013

Cancer researchers solve mystery of how Chd5 protein exerts its beneficial effects

A team of cancer researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has solved the mystery of how one of the most powerful of the body's natural tumor-suppressing proteins, called Chd5, exerts its beneficial effects.

11 Jan 2013

Young humans capable of generating new heart muscle cells

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have found, for the first time that young humans (infants, children and adolescents) are capable of generating new heart muscle cells.

11 Jan 2013

Melanomas that develop resistance to vemurafenib also become addicted to the drug

Researchers in California and Switzerland have discovered that melanomas that develop resistance to the anti-cancer drug vemurafenib (marketed as Zelboraf), also develop addiction to the drug, an observation that may have important implications for the lives of patients with late-stage disease.

11 Jan 2013

Blocking TRIP-Br2 gene protects against obesity and insulin resistance

Scientists observed that blocking the expression of the gene TRIP-Br2 in mice protects them against obesity and insulin resistance. The study shows that the gene modulates fat storage by regulating energy expenditure and lipolysis, the process which transforms fat into lipids for the body's energy consumption.

11 Jan 2013

Taking early and repeated WBC is critical in determining infants at high risk of pertussis

A study released today from the upcoming issue of the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS) found that taking early and repeated white blood cell counts (WBC) is critical in determining whether infants have pertussis and which of those children are at highest risk of death from the disease.

11 Jan 2013

Saliva gland test shows promise for Parkinson's

New research suggests that testing a portion of a person's saliva gland may be a way to diagnose Parkinson's disease.

11 Jan 2013

Johns Hopkins develops PapGene test to diagnose ovarian and endometrial cancers

Using cervical fluid obtained during routine Pap tests, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a test to detect ovarian and endometrial cancers. In a pilot study, the "PapGene" test, which relies on genomic sequencing of cancer-specific mutations, accurately detected all 24 (100 percent) endometrial cancers and nine of 22 (41 percent) ovarian cancers. Results of the experiments are published in the Jan. 9 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

11 Jan 2013

Apparent stem cell transplant success in mice may hold promise for people with ALS

Apparent stem cell transplant success in mice may hold promise for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease.

11 Jan 2013

New information on insulin and cell bonding mechanics

The discovery of insulin nearly a century ago changed diabetes from a death sentence to a chronic disease. Today a team that includes researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine announced a discovery that could lead to dramatic improvements in the lives of people managing diabetes.

11 Jan 2013

SLU researchers to test new screening method for MPS disorders among infants

Researchers at Saint Louis University have received a five-year, $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to test a new method of screening newborns for a group of rare, but serious genetic disorders that affect approximately 200 babies born in the U.S., each year.

11 Jan 2013

H. pylori may protect against stroke and some cancers

A new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers reveals that an especially virulent strain of the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) isn't implicated in the overall death rate of the U.S. population, and may even protect against stroke and some cancers.

10 Jan 2013

LM11A-31 effective at improving limb movement after spinal cord injury in mice

An experimental oral drug given to mice after a spinal cord injury was effective at improving limb movement after the injury, a new study shows.

10 Jan 2013

UMDNJ develops rapid detection test for Exserhilum rostratum

A rapid detection test for Exserhilum rostratum, the fungus primarily responsible for 39 deaths among patients injected last year with a contaminated steroid medication, has been developed by a research team led by David S. Perlin, PhD, Executive Director of the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School.

10 Jan 2013

Mutation that causes sickle cell anemia may offer new way to treat drug-resistant cancers

The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell anemia also turns red blood cells into potent tumor killers and may offer a new way to treat cancers that are resistant to existing treatments, according to research published January 9, 2013 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by David S. Terman of Jenomic Research Institute and colleagues from Duke University and other institutions.

10 Jan 2013

TSRI chemists develop new cell-marking method

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found an easier way to perform one of the most fundamental tasks in molecular biology. Their new method allows scientists to add a marker to certain cells, so that these cells may be easily located and/or selected out from a larger cell population.

10 Jan 2013

Medical Science News

Additional insights into workings of ALVAC vaccine against HIV

Repression of PTB protein in fibroblasts can convert pluripotent stem cells into functional neurons

Scientists track electrical signals in the brain region linked to spatial awareness

Baboon embryonic stem cells can be programmed to completely restore severely damaged arteries

Blocking interaction of JNK enzyme may counteract neuron destruction

Cancer researchers solve mystery of how Chd5 protein exerts its beneficial effects

Young humans capable of generating new heart muscle cells

Melanomas that develop resistance to vemurafenib also become addicted to the drug

Blocking TRIP-Br2 gene protects against obesity and insulin resistance

Taking early and repeated WBC is critical in determining infants at high risk of pertussis

Saliva gland test shows promise for Parkinson's

Johns Hopkins develops PapGene test to diagnose ovarian and endometrial cancers

Apparent stem cell transplant success in mice may hold promise for people with ALS

New information on insulin and cell bonding mechanics

SLU researchers to test new screening method for MPS disorders among infants

H. pylori may protect against stroke and some cancers

LM11A-31 effective at improving limb movement after spinal cord injury in mice

UMDNJ develops rapid detection test for Exserhilum rostratum

Mutation that causes sickle cell anemia may offer new way to treat drug-resistant cancers

TSRI chemists develop new cell-marking method

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

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