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Faster cerebral cortex growth in infancy may lead to higher intelligence

New research suggests the growth rate of the brain's cerebral cortex in babies born prematurely may predict how well they are able to think, speak, plan and pay attention later in childhood. The research is published in the October 12, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Oct 2011

Dual drug sneaks across the blood-brain barrier to fight HIV

In an advance toward eliminating pockets of infection in the brain that help make HIV disease incurable, scientists report the development of new substances that first plug the biological vacuum cleaner that prevents anti-HIV drugs from reaching the brain and then revert to an active drug to treat HIV.

14 Oct 2011

Cylene advances preclinical development of CX-5461 for treatment of cancer

Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has advanced its targeted, non-genotoxic, activator of p53 for the treatment of leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma through formal preclinical development, the Company announced today.

14 Oct 2011

Study: miR-34b gene associated with aggressive form of melanoma

A certain microRNA gene, miR-34b, could be a useful biomarker in early diagnosis of the most lethal forms of melanoma, according to new research published by KGI Professor Animesh Ray and his research collaborators.

14 Oct 2011

Limited decision-making ability of individual cells is bolstered in masses

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have quantified the number of possible decisions that an individual cell can make after receiving a cue from its environment, and surprisingly, it's only two.

14 Oct 2011

New technique stimulates stem cells after liver transplant to prevent rejection

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a way to stimulate a rat's stem cells after a liver transplant as a means of preventing rejection of the new organ without the need for lifelong immunosuppressant drugs.

14 Oct 2011

Laser-based analysis method can detect optical pressure differences in blood cells

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory researchers Dr. Sean J. Hart, Dr. Colin G. Hebert and Mr. Alex Terray have developed a laser-based analysis method that can detect optical pressure differences between populations or classes of blood cells that does not rely on prior knowledge, antibodies, or fluorescent labels for discrimination.

13 Oct 2011

Scientists reprogram skin cells of patients with mental disorders into brain cells

For many poorly understood mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or autism, scientists have wished they could uncover what goes wrong inside the brain before damage ensues.

13 Oct 2011

New insights into how adenovirus triggers an immune response

A Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study could lead to improved gene therapies for conditions such as heart disease and cancer as well as more effective vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.

13 Oct 2011

Cigarette smoke interferes with Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator protein

If you smoke cigarettes, you have more in common with someone who has cystic fibrosis than you think. A new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal shows that smoking cigarettes affects the lungs in a way that is very similar to cystic fibrosis, a life threatening disease affecting the lungs and other organs.

13 Oct 2011

Hospitalized patients with anemia may not always benefit from transfusion

University of Kentucky researchers, including lead author Samy Selim of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, have recently published a paper suggesting that transfusion may not always be the best treatment for hospitalized patients with anemia.

13 Oct 2011

Study reveals new regulatory elements in human genome

An international research team led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute, US and Uppsala University, Sweden has mapped and compared the genomes of 29 mammals. The findings, published in Nature, reveal millions of new regulatory elements in the human genome that in various ways govern how proteins are formed. The new knowledge is important for our understanding of how mutations in human genes give rise to diseases.

13 Oct 2011

U of U researchers receive NIH grant to uncover viral cause of MS

A team of investigators from the University of Utah has received a two-year, $275,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund novel research that may help to uncover a viral cause for the most acute and severe form of multiple sclerosis.

13 Oct 2011

SFDA approves China Medical Technologies' colorectal cancer assay

China Medical Technologies, Inc., a leading China-based advanced in-vitro diagnostic company, today announced that China's State Food and Drug Administration has approved the Company's real-time PCR-based V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog assay as a companion diagnostic test for the use of a targeted drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer patients.

13 Oct 2011

Latest breakthroughs in lasers and optics to be discussed at 95th OSA meeting

Scientists and engineers from around the world will gather in the heart of Silicon Valley next week to discuss some of the latest breakthroughs in lasers and optics and their applications to cutting-edge science, the development of new materials, and medicine.

13 Oct 2011

Specific MIF gene variant plays a crucial role against bacterial infections

Why are some people prone to severe infections, while others handle them with less difficulty? A new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) attempts to answer this question by shedding light on the genetic differences that influence our ability to fight off bacterial infections.

13 Oct 2011

Simmons Center to evaluate CGEN-25009 for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Compugen Ltd. and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation announced today that the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation will provide a grant to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Dorothy P. and Richard P.

13 Oct 2011

UA researchers to study immune response to implanted sensors

A University of Arkansas professor and her colleagues will receive $1.3 million over four years to study the immune response to implanted sensors, such as glucose sensors for diabetics, in hopes of prolonging the life of these important monitoring systems.

13 Oct 2011

Study explores link between BPA exposure and breast cancer

Chronic low-level exposure to a compound found in a variety of plastic household items could pose a threat to women who overproduce a protein linked with breast cancer, say researchers at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

13 Oct 2011

Researchers identify age-dependent beta cell proliferation pathway

As a person ages, the ability of their beta cells to divide and make new beta cells declines. By the time children reach the age of 10 to 12 years, the ability of their insulin-producing cells to replicate greatly diminishes. If these cells, called beta cells, are destroyed-as they are in type 1 diabetes-treatment with the hormone insulin becomes essential to regulate blood glucose levels and get energy from food.

13 Oct 2011