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New work describes communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bee colonies

A novel study of honey bee genetic diversity co-authored by an Indiana University biologist has for the first time found that greater diversity in worker bees leads to colonies with fewer pathogens and more abundant helpful bacteria like probiotic species.

13 Mar 2012

Binge drinking linked to brain damage in teens and young adults

Every year, thousands of teens and young adults celebrate Spring Break by drinking large amounts of alcohol — binge drinking — a dangerous right-of-passage for some and one linked to possible brain damage later as adults, says an expert.

13 Mar 2012

Trudeau Institute creates TICRO to expand the scope of biomedical research

The Trudeau Institute announced today that it has expanded the scope of its biomedical research by creating a contract research organization (CRO), the Trudeau Institute Contract Research Organization.

13 Mar 2012

FTY720 improves locomotor recovery in mice with SCI

A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury.

13 Mar 2012

Scientists at Seattle conference discuss progress, obstacles in fight against HIV/AIDS

"Scientists, stymied for decades by the complexity of the human immunodeficiency virus, are making progress on several fronts in the search for a cure for HIV infections," but "a major stumbling block is the fact that HIV lies low in pools or reservoirs of latent infection that even powerful drugs cannot reach, scientists told the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, one of the world's largest scientific meetings on HIV/AIDS," in Seattle last week, Reuters reports.

13 Mar 2012

JAK-STAT inhibitors reverse MS-like disease in mice

A new class of drugs completing clinical trials soon for rheumatoid arthritis should be examined as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, according to the authors of a University of Alabama at Birmingham study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

13 Mar 2012

RhoGDI2 protein helps prevent bladder cancer metastasis to the lungs

The diagnosis of localized bladder cancer carries an 80 percent five-year survival rate, but once the cancer spreads, the survival rate at even three years is only 20 percent. A major study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation not only shows how bladder cancer metastasizes to the lungs but pinpoints a method for stopping this spread.

13 Mar 2012

Parental exposure to solvents may increase risk of ASD in children

Could parental exposure to solvents at work be linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their children? According to an exploratory study by Erin McCanlies, a research epidemiologist from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and colleagues, such exposures could play a role, but more research would be needed to confirm an association.

13 Mar 2012

Researchers elucidate function of Codanin-1 protein

Within all our cells lies two meters of DNA, highly ordered in a structure of less than 10 micro meters in diameter. Special proteins called histones act as small building bricks, organising our DNA in this structure. Preservation of the structure is necessary to maintain correct function of our genes, making histones detrimental for maintaining a healthy and functional body.

13 Mar 2012

Study addresses how human body controls gamma-herpesviruses

New research from the Trudeau Institute addresses how the human body controls gamma-herpesviruses, a class of viruses thought to cause a variety of cancers. The study, carried out in the laboratory of Dr. Marcia Blackman, awaits publication in The Journal of Immunology.

13 Mar 2012

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells can promote liver regeneration

The liver is unique among mammalian organs in its ability to regenerate after significant tissue damage or even partial surgical removal. Laurie DeLeve and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles wanted to better understand which cells are specifically responsible for driving liver regeneration.

13 Mar 2012

Scientists develop realistic model to explain cellular signal processing

Scientists at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a realistic model for explaining cellular signal processing.

13 Mar 2012

Researchers identify molecule that helps decrease acute GVHD severity

Researchers have identified a molecule that helps control the severity of graft-versus-host disease, a life-threatening complication for many leukemia patients who receive a bone-marrow transplant.

12 Mar 2012

Elsevier releases NeuroApps: MRI Atlas of Human White Matter

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the release of NeuroApps: MRI Atlas of Human White Matter, the first in a new series of apps created for the iPad.

12 Mar 2012

Majority of physicians utilize genetic testing, finds report

A new report by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Modernization finds that a majority of physicians are utilizing genetic testing. The report, titled "Personalized Medicine: Trends and prospects for the new science of genetic testing and molecular diagnostics," presents new findings on how genetic tests can help diagnose disease, target prevention, and ensure that patients receive the medicines that will best treat their conditions.

12 Mar 2012

UnitedHealth report: Spending on genetic tests to rise sharply in a decade

Genetic tests could become a $25 billion market by 2021. Currently, spending on these tests is estimated at $5 billion annually.

12 Mar 2012

Researchers unlock mystery of how an inflammatory molecule is produced in the body

Cedars-Sinai researchers have unlocked the mystery of how an inflammatory molecule is produced in the body, a discovery they say could lead to advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and numerous other chronic diseases that affect tens of millions of people.

12 Mar 2012

Human diseases with Drosophila counterparts discussed at annual conference

More than two-thirds of human genes have counterparts in the well-studied fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, so although it may seem that humans don't have much in common with flies, the correspondence of our genetic instructions is astonishing. In fact, there are hundreds of inherited diseases in humans that have Drosophila counterparts.

12 Mar 2012

New research could provide roadmap for more effective drug discovery for CF

A recent study led by Gergely Lukacs, a professor at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, and published in the January issue of Cell, has shown that restoring normal function to the mutant gene product responsible for cystic fibrosis (CF) requires correcting two distinct structural defects. This finding could point to more effective therapeutic strategies for CF in the future.

12 Mar 2012

FDA approves Organogenesis oral soft tissue regeneration product, GINTUIT

Today Organogenesis Inc., a business leader in the regenerative medicine field, announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GINTUIT (Allogeneic Cultured Keratinocytes and Fibroblasts in Bovine Collagen), a cell-based product that has been shown to predictably generate new and aesthetically appealing oral soft tissue (gum tissue).

12 Mar 2012