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Morphine inhibits BDNF protein, whereas cocaine enhances BDNF

Chronic morphine exposure has the opposite effect on the brain compared to cocaine in mice, providing new insight into the basis of opiate addiction, according to Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers. They found that a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is increased in cocaine addiction, is inhibited in opioid addiction. The research is published in the October 5 issue of Science.

8 Oct 2012

Liquorice-based nanotech material for sterilizing medical devices

A nanotech material containing an extract from liquorice can be used to sterilize and protect medical devices and implants which include biological components, and protects these functional bio-components during the sterilization process.

8 Oct 2012

Power of alpha wave increases just before the distracter

Alpha waves were long ignored, but gained interest of brain researchers recently. Electrical activity of groups of brain cells results in brain waves with different amplitudes. The so called alpha wave, a slow brain wave with a cycle of 100 milliseconds seems to play a key role in suppressing irrelevant brain activity. The current hypothesis is that this alpha wave is associated with pulses of inhibition (every 100 ms) in the brain.

8 Oct 2012

Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka have won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.

8 Oct 2012

Scientists discover process by which vitamin B12 is made in cells

In a development that may lead to new drugs to treat cancer, scientists at the University of Kent have discovered the process by which a key vitamin (B12) is made in cells.

8 Oct 2012

Researchers discover new group of nerve cells that regulate processes of learning and memory

Swedish researchers at Uppsala University have, together with Brazilian collaborators, discovered a new group of nerve cells that regulate processes of learning and memory. These cells act as gatekeepers and carry a receptor for nicotine, which can explain our ability to remember and sort information.

8 Oct 2012

CogniFit releases new cognitive training application

CogniFit, a leading developer of online brain training and cognitive programs announces the release of a new cognitive training application "Tennis Focus" to its online platform. The tasks of the Tennis Focus application are developed in 3D, train a large variety of cognitive skills such as focus, visual perception, visual scanning and eye-hand coordination.

8 Oct 2012

Anesthetics and protein interactions: an interview with José A. Fernández

For a long time there was a controversy about how anesthetics work. The large number of molecules that have anesthetic properties (from benzodiazepines to nitrous oxide) and their very different structures...

8 Oct 2012

Study provides direct evidence for persistent activity in medial entorhinal cortex layer neurons

UCLA researchers have for the first time measured the activity of a brain region known to be involved in learning, memory and Alzheimer's disease during sleep. They discovered that this part of the brain behaves as if it's remembering something, even under anesthesia, a finding that counters conventional theories about memory consolidation during sleep.

8 Oct 2012

Researchers discover smallest and fastest-known RNA switches

A University of Michigan biophysical chemist and his colleagues have discovered the smallest and fastest-known molecular switches made of RNA, the chemical cousin of DNA. The researchers say these rare, fleeting structures are prime targets for the development of new antiviral and antibiotic drugs.

8 Oct 2012

NFKB1 gene variant may reduce risk of lung cancer

A variant in a gene involved with inflammation and the immune response is linked with a decreased risk of lung cancer. That is the finding of an analysis published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The results add to the growing body of literature implicating these processes in the development of lung cancer.

8 Oct 2012

Researchers discover 8 new loci associated with susceptibility to atopic dermatitis

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine (CGM) and their colleagues have identified 8 new loci associated with susceptibility to atopic dermatitis in the Japanese population.

8 Oct 2012

Researchers decipher how AP-1 gene regulator controls survival of liver tumor-initiating cells

Researchers headed by Erwin Wagner, the Director of the BBVA Foundation-CNIO Cancer Cell Biology Programme at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), have deciphered how a stress-inducible gene regulator, AP-1, controls the survival of liver tumor-initiating cells. These results, published in the online edition of Nature Cell Biology, could provide new preventive strategies and identify potentially targetable molecules to prevent liver cancer.

8 Oct 2012

Progenra’s USP7 and USP47 exert non-overlapping anticancer cell effects

Researchers at Progenra, Inc. announce the advanced online publication of the article "Selective Dual Inhibitors of the Cancer-related Deubiquitylating Proteases USP7 and USP47." The new article presents evidence of a therapeutic benefit resulting from dual inhibition of USP7 and a related enzyme, USP47.

8 Oct 2012

New insight into basis of opiate addiction

8 Oct 2012

CytoDyn announces update on feline immunodeficiency virus therapeutic antibody program

CytoDyn Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of new therapies for combating infection with immune deficiency viruses, announced today that it is presenting an update on its Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) therapeutic antibody program at the 19th West Coast Retrovirus meeting in Palm Springs, California.

8 Oct 2012

FDA clears Fenwal's new plasma products

Fenwal Inc., a global leader specializing in separation technologies for blood and cell collection and therapy, announced today it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for two new indications for collection of plasma products on the Fenwal Alyx and Amicus systems.

8 Oct 2012

New ways of how biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to keep behavioral rhythms in order

Biologists from New York University have uncovered new ways our biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to help keep behavioral rhythms in order. The findings, which appear in the journal Current Biology, also point to fresh directions for exploring sleep disorders and related afflictions.

6 Oct 2012

Researchers perfect map of vision in the brain based upon brain structure

Nearly 100 years after a British neurologist first mapped the blind spots caused by missile wounds to the brains of soldiers, Perelman School of Medicine researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have perfected his map using modern-day technology. Their results create a map of vision in the brain based upon an individual's brain structure, even for people who cannot see.

6 Oct 2012

Researchers identify mechanism that protects from developing uncontrollable fear

Researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School have for the first time identified the mechanism that protects us from developing uncontrollable fear.

6 Oct 2012

Medical Science News

Morphine inhibits BDNF protein, whereas cocaine enhances BDNF

Liquorice-based nanotech material for sterilizing medical devices

Power of alpha wave increases just before the distracter

Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka have won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Scientists discover process by which vitamin B12 is made in cells

Researchers discover new group of nerve cells that regulate processes of learning and memory

CogniFit releases new cognitive training application

Anesthetics and protein interactions: an interview with José A. Fernández

Study provides direct evidence for persistent activity in medial entorhinal cortex layer neurons

Researchers discover smallest and fastest-known RNA switches

NFKB1 gene variant may reduce risk of lung cancer

Researchers discover 8 new loci associated with susceptibility to atopic dermatitis

Researchers decipher how AP-1 gene regulator controls survival of liver tumor-initiating cells

Progenra’s USP7 and USP47 exert non-overlapping anticancer cell effects

New insight into basis of opiate addiction

CytoDyn announces update on feline immunodeficiency virus therapeutic antibody program

FDA clears Fenwal's new plasma products

New ways of how biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to keep behavioral rhythms in order

Researchers perfect map of vision in the brain based upon brain structure

Researchers identify mechanism that protects from developing uncontrollable fear

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Shaping the future of lab automation through AI and robotics

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