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Plausible way to manipulate beneficial microbes in purified drinking water

Contrary to popular belief, purified drinking water from home faucets contains millions to hundreds of millions of widely differing bacteria per gallon, and scientists have discovered a plausible way to manipulate those populations of mostly beneficial microbes to potentially benefit consumers. Their study appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology.

10 Aug 2012

Breakthrough vaccine against deadly Nipah virus

A major breakthrough in the development of a highly effective vaccine against the deadly Nipah virus has been reported by a team of federal and university scientists. The results of their study, "A Hendra virus G glycoprotein subunit vaccine protects African green monkeys from Nipah virus challenge," will appear in Science Translational Medicine online.

10 Aug 2012

Less sleep leads to more offspring in male pectoral sandpipers

During the breeding season, polygynous male pectoral sandpipers that sleep the least sire the most young. A team of researchers headed by Bart Kempenaers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen has now discovered this extraordinary relationship.

10 Aug 2012

Nanofibers and VEGF hold promise for cardiovascular repair

A National Cheng Kung University research team has made a breakthrough in the regeneration of new blood vessels in cardiovascular therapy by using nanofibers and vascular endothelial growth factor.

10 Aug 2012

Nematode worms help identify potential cancer targets

Through novel experiments involving small nematode worms, scientists from Wyoming have discovered several genes that may be potential targets for drug development in the ongoing war against cancer. Specifically, researchers hypothesize that inhibiting these genes could reverse certain key traits associated with cancer cells.

10 Aug 2012

Stressed individuals use different brain regions and strategies

Stressed and non-stressed persons use different brain regions and different strategies when learning. This has been reported by the cognitive psychologists PD Dr. Lars Schwabe and Professor Oliver Wolf from the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum in the Journal of Neuroscience.

9 Aug 2012

NSF awards Yale University and UCSD collaborative grant to develop Neuroscience Gateway

The University of California, at San Diego and Yale University have been awarded a collaborative grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a Neuroscience Gateway (NSG) that gives neuroscientists broadened access to essential high-performance computing (HPC) and storage resources.

9 Aug 2012

Sirtuins help fight off obesity-linked diseases

A protein that slows aging in mice and other animals also protects against the ravages of a high-fat diet, including diabetes, according to a new MIT study.

9 Aug 2012

Link between chronic exposure to staph bacteria and risk of lupus

Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria could be a risk factor for the chronic inflammatory disease lupus, Mayo Clinic research shows. Staph, short for Staphylococcus aureus, is a germ commonly found on the skin or in the nose, sometimes causing infections.

9 Aug 2012

Two major classes of brain cells repress neural activity in specific mathematical ways

The brain has billions of neurons, arranged in complex circuits that allow us to perceive the world, control our movements and make decisions. Deciphering those circuits is critical to understanding how the brain works and what goes wrong in neurological disorders.

9 Aug 2012

Researchers uncover new key player in amplifying stress in early stages of diabetes

At its most fundamental level, diabetes is a disease characterized by stress—microscopic stress that causes inflammation and the loss of insulin production in the pancreas, and system-wide stress due to the loss of that blood-sugar-regulating hormone.

9 Aug 2012

Scientists develop new way to study role of GABA-A receptors in various disorders

A new way to study the role of a critical neurotransmitter in disorders such as epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, depression, schizophrenia, and alcohol addiction has been developed by a group of scientists led by Gong Chen, an associate professor of biology at Penn State University.

9 Aug 2012

Study identifies a switch in cells that may help to kill tumors with heat

Research at Bangor University has identified a switch in cells that may help to kill tumors with heat. Prostate cancer and other localized tumors can be effectively treated by a combination of heat and an anti-cancer drug that damages the genes. Behind this novel therapy is the enigmatic ability of heat to switch off essential survival mechanisms in human cells. Although thermotherapy is now more widely used, the underlying principles are still unclear.

9 Aug 2012

CardioDx establishes coverage for Corus CAD gene expression test

CardioDx, Inc., a pioneer in the field of cardiovascular genomic diagnostics, today announced that Palmetto GBA, a national contractor that administers Medicare benefits, has established coverage for the company's Corus CAD gene expression test for the evaluation of patients presenting with typical and atypical symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease.

9 Aug 2012

New method gives precise picture of how immune system works

Chronic infections are a large and growing problem throughout the developed world, and intensive research is being conducted in ways to combat the recalcitrant bacteria. When bacteria aggregate into so-called biofilm, they become resistant to antibiotics. Until now scientists have only been able to speculate about what happens when bacteria overpower the immune system during a chronic infection.

9 Aug 2012

Pathologist identifies HPV DNA fragments in post-mortem samples after Gardasil vaccination

According to Norma Erickson, President of SaneVax Inc., testimony provided for a coroner's inquest into the death of Jasmine Renata in New Zealand by Dr. Sin Hang Lee, a pathologist on the medical staff at Connecticut's Milford Hospital, revealed the discovery of HPV DNA fragments in post-mortem samples 6 months after Gardasil vaccination.

9 Aug 2012

MedPage Today, CollabRx sign license agreement for Oncology Next

Tegal Corporation today announced that its recently acquired CollabRx, Inc., subsidiary signed an exclusive license agreement to provide a version of its proprietary Therapy Finder tool to MedPage Today, Everyday Health, Inc.'s rapidly growing online site that serves 96% of all oncologists and 1.6 million monthly online unique users.

9 Aug 2012

New England Biolabs releases Q5 High-Fidelity DNA Polymerase

New England Biolabs (NEB) has released a novel DNA polymerase, Q5 High-Fidelity DNA Polymerase, that provides the highest fidelity amplification currently available, while also offering robust amplification across the broadest range of amplicons, including those that are GC- and AT-rich.

From New England Biolabs 9 Aug 2012

The ALS Association announces new grants to support research on Lou Gehrig's Disease

The ALS Association announced today its latest research awards that include funding commitments of $4 million to researchers in 31 laboratories in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Canada. These awards are part of its Translational Research Advancing Therapies for ALS (TREAT ALS™) program, through which The Association funds a diverse portfolio of research to find treatments and a cure for Lou Gehrig's Disease.

9 Aug 2012

Prostate cancer cells can be killed by theranostic imaging without harming healthy cells

Experimenting with human prostate cancer cells and mice, cancer imaging experts at Johns Hopkins say they have developed a method for finding and killing malignant cells while sparing healthy ones.

8 Aug 2012