Medical Science News

RSS

Evolution of cancer genome to be discussed at 2012 AAAS annual meeting

Professor Mike Stratton, Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, will speak about 'the evolution of the cancer genome' at the prestigious 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting. The AAAS annual meeting is one of the world's most widely recognized science events.

19 Feb 2012

Low dose carbon monoxide therapy can prevent fetal death

Heme oxygenase-1 is essential for the growth of blood vessels in the placenta and in establishing blood flow in the umbilical cord. Too little HO-1 can lead to a restriction in the growth of the fetus and even in fetal death and miscarriage. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Medical Gas Research has shown that low dose carbon monoxide therapy is able to restore placental function and prevent fetal death in mice, without any detrimental effects.

19 Feb 2012

In young children autism does not appear suddenly, but develops over time

A new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism, compared to high-risk infants who did not develop autism.

18 Feb 2012

Researchers discover significant differences in brain development in infants who later develop autism

Researchers have found significant differences in brain development in infants as young as six months old who later develop autism, compared with babies who don't develop the disorder.

18 Feb 2012

The 'nutritional magic' behind soy's heart health benefits

Nutrition science has regarded soy as a superfood with many health benefits for decades. In fact, "25 grams of soy protein per day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease," according to the FDA.

18 Feb 2012

Scientists discover the off signal for inflammation

Proteins, the building block for all living organisms, are the ultimate transformers - able to splice and switch roles and functions within the human body. But when these changes go wrong, diseases such as cancers and arthritis may result, says University of British Columbia researcher Chris Overall.

18 Feb 2012

Scientists discover molecular mechanism behind MS relapses

Scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism that could help explain how multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases can be exacerbated by the onset of an infection.

18 Feb 2012

TRANSFUSION publishes positive results from CryoStor collaborative research

BioLife Solutions, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of proprietary clinical grade hypothermic storage and cryopreservation freeze media for cells and tissues, today announced that TRANSFUSION, the foremost publication in the world for new information regarding transfusion medicine, has published a peer-reviewed journal article reporting positive results of collaborative research on CryoStor, BioLife's serum-free, protein-free cryopreservation freeze media.

18 Feb 2012

Scientists produce mathematical model of calcium activity within atrial heart cell

What we perceive as the beating of our heart is actually the co-ordinated action of more than a billion muscle cells. Most of the time, only the muscle cells from the larger heart chambers contract and relax. But when the heart needs to work harder it relies on back-up from the atrial muscle cells deep within the smaller chambers (atria) of the heart.

18 Feb 2012

UB researchers express concern about a new variant of Klebsiella pneumoniae

University at Buffalo researchers are expressing concern about a new, under-recognized, much more potent variant of a common bacterium that has surfaced in the U.S.

18 Feb 2012

RAD51 gene behind the cause of congenital mirror movements

Further work carried out on mice suggests that this gene plays a part in motor network cross-over. Cross-over is a key factor in the transmission of brain signals, because it allows the right side of the brain to control the left side of the body and vice versa. This research has been published in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

18 Feb 2012

Study reveals immune mechanism for surveillance over EBV infection

Some 90 percent of people are exposed to the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) at some point in their life. Even though it is quickly cleared from the body, the virus can linger silently for years in small numbers of infected B cells.

18 Feb 2012

Evolutionary biologist receives LRI grant for lupus research

Evolutionary biologist Harmit Singh Malik, Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has received a $300,000 grant from the Lupus Research Institute to study the potential role of "genetic conflicts" in the development of lupus, an autoimmune disease.

18 Feb 2012

Scientists observe maturation of immune cells in live zebrafish embryos

T-cells are the immune system's security force. They seek out pathogens and rogue cells in the body and put them out of action. Their precursors are formed in the bone marrow and migrate from there into the thymus. Here, they mature and differentiate to perform a variety of tasks. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg have now succeeded for the first time in observing the maturation of immune cells in live zebrafish embryos.

17 Feb 2012

Abcodia, Volition announce collaboration agreement

VolitionRX Limited, a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests, announces a collaboration agreement with Abcodia, a specialist company spun out from University College London (UCL), under which Volition will gain access to Abcodia's biobank of over 5,000,000 human serum samples to validate its suite of NuQ tests.

17 Feb 2012

Scientists discover molecular pathway by which maternally inherited deafness appears to occur

Yale scientists have discovered the molecular pathway by which maternally inherited deafness appears to occur: Mitochondrial DNA mutations trigger a signaling cascade, resulting in programmed cell death.

17 Feb 2012

New technology opens up pathways for disease cures

The understanding of diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's is set to take a step forward following groundbreaking technology at which will enable cell analysis using automated 3D microscopy.

17 Feb 2012

New UTA method shows promise against heart disease

University of Texas at Austin researchers have demonstrated a new and more effective method for regrowing blood vessels in the heart and limbs - a research advancement that could have major implications for how we treat heart disease, the leading cause of death in the Western world.

17 Feb 2012

Study reveals new guiding principles for cancer genomics

That our chromosomes can break and reshuffle pieces of themselves is nothing new; scientists have recognized this for decades, especially in cancer cells. The rules for where chromosomes are likely to break and how the broken pieces come together are only just now starting to come into view.

17 Feb 2012

New potential strategy for KRAS-mutant colon cancers

Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center have identified a new potential strategy for treating colon tumors driven by mutations in the KRAS gene, which usually resist both conventional and targeted treatments.

17 Feb 2012