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IRCM researchers discover a nerve cell's internal clock

A team of IRCM researchers, led by Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, recently uncovered a nerve cell's internal clock, used during embryonic development.

22 Nov 2012

Scientists discover telomerase as cause of chronic inflammation in human cancers

A*STAR scientists have identified the enzyme, telomerase, as a cause of chronic inflammation in human cancers. Chronic inflammation is now recognized as a key underlying cause for the development of many human cancers, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

22 Nov 2012

Crucial link between protein synthesis and autism spectrum disorders

Researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal have identified a crucial link between protein synthesis and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which can bolster new therapeutic avenues.

22 Nov 2012

Study sheds light on how neural ensembles form thoughts

One of the biggest puzzles in neuroscience is how our brains encode thoughts, such as perceptions and memories, at the cellular level. Some evidence suggests that ensembles of neurons represent each unique piece of information, but no one knows just what these ensembles look like, or how they form.

22 Nov 2012

Yawning could be linked to fetal development

The 4D scans of 15 healthy fetuses, by Durham and Lancaster Universities, also suggest that yawning is a developmental process which could potentially give doctors another index of a fetus' health.

22 Nov 2012

Heidelberg researchers uncover function of specific molecular chaperones

Clumped proteins can be dissolved with the aid of cellular repair systems - a process of critical importance for cell survival especially under conditions of stress. Heidelberg researchers have now decrypted the fundamental mechanism for dissolving protein aggregates that involves specific molecular chaperones.

22 Nov 2012

Study provides new insight into human cognitive function and risk for neurological diseases

Short snippets of DNA found in human brain tissue provide new insight into human cognitive function and risk for developing certain neurological diseases, according to researchers from the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The findings are published in the November 20th issue of PLoS Biology.

22 Nov 2012

Kidney tumors may be smarter than previously thought

New research has found there are several different ways that kidney tumours can achieve the same result - namely, grow.

22 Nov 2012

MicroRNAs in ovarian cancer cells promote tumor growth

Unraveling the mechanism that ovarian cancer cells use to change normal cells around them into cells that promote tumor growth has identified several new targets for treatment of this deadly disease.

22 Nov 2012

Homing beacon drugs can kill cancer cells

A medical researcher with the University of Alberta and his team just published their findings about their work on developing 'homing beacon drugs' that kill only cancer cells, not healthy ones, thanks to nano-technology.

22 Nov 2012

Somnogen induces sleep in patients with primary hypersomnia

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered that dozens of adults with an elevated need for sleep have a substance in their cerebrospinal fluid that acts like a sleeping pill.

22 Nov 2012

Inhaled nitric oxide reduces adverse effects of stored blood transfusion in mice

Inhaled nitric oxide reduced the adverse effects of transfusing stored blood in mice, according to a study from the December issue of Anesthesiology. Researchers found that inhaled nitric oxide reduced tissue injury and improved short-term survival in mice that were resuscitated with a stored blood transfusion after hemorrhagic shock.

22 Nov 2012

Study demonstrates memory-enhancing effects of low-level light therapy

It's called the "Silver Tsunami" - the swelling number of baby boomers surpassing age 65. As medical advancements extend their lives, they're expected to live well into their 80s and 90s - outlasting any generation in American history.

22 Nov 2012

Genetic study: Novel coronavirus most closely related to viruses in bats

The virus that is causing alarm among global public health authorities after it killed a man in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia earlier this year and is now linked to two other cases of disease is a novel type of coronavirus most closely related to viruses found in bats, according to a genetic analysis to be published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on November 20.

22 Nov 2012

UPR pathway helps tumor cells escape apoptosis during development of lymphoma

A pathway called the "Unfolded Protein Response," or UPR, a cell's way of responding to unfolded and misfolded proteins, helps tumor cells escape programmed cell death during the development of lymphoma.

21 Nov 2012

Electrophysiology: an interview with Dr Kaylene Young

Bioelectricity is an essential part of our make-up. All cells in our body communicate by electrical activity. If an electrical charge is applied to one of our muscles it will interpret that electrical activity as a signal telling it to contract.

21 Nov 2012

Discovery of DKK1-WNT pathway reveals new drug targets for Alzheimer's

The discovery of the molecular pathway that drives the changes seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is reported today, revealing new targets for drug discovery that could be exploited to combat the disease. The study gives the most detailed understanding yet of the complex processes leading to Alzheimer's.

21 Nov 2012

New polymer nanoparticles can generate heat and kill colorectal cancer cells

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have modified electrically-conductive polymers, commonly used in solar energy applications, to develop revolutionary polymer nanoparticles (PNs) for a medical application. When the nanoparticles are exposed to infrared light, they generate heat that can be used to kill colorectal cancer cells.

21 Nov 2012

BRIGHTs bind to biomarkers of disease and light up to reveal their location

Called BRIGHTs, the tiny probes described in the online issue of Advanced Materials on Nov. 15, bind to biomarkers of disease and, when swept by an infrared laser, light up to reveal their location.

21 Nov 2012

Sweat glands play a key role in providing cells for skin wound recovery

Turns out the same glands that make you sweat are responsible for another job vital to your health: they help heal wounds. Human skin is rich with millions of eccrine sweat glands that help your body cool down after a trip to the gym or on a warm day. These same glands, new University of Michigan Health System research shows, also happen to play a key role in providing cells for recovering skin wounds - such as scrapes, burns and ulcers.

21 Nov 2012