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Scientists uncover how immune system responds to invading anthrax bacteria

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered how the body's immune system launches its survival response to the notorious and deadly bacterium anthrax.

17 Jun 2011

Anxiety hinders detection during search for multiple objects

A person scanning baggage or X-rays stands a better chance of seeing everything they're searching for if they aren't feeling anxious, according to a new laboratory experiment.

17 Jun 2011

Key to remove stem cells responsible for fat expansion

Researchers may have found the key to developing a method to rid the body of stem cells responsible for driving fat expansion. According to a report in the June 16 Cell Stem Cell, a Cell Press publication, they've landed the first protein marker on the surface of those so-called adipose stromal cells (ASCs), which serve as progenitors of the cells that make up fat tissue.

17 Jun 2011

New weapon in the fight against cancer

A cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence. There are now quite a number of possibilities to treat cancer. In addition to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, so-called radionuclide treatment has also become an important component in the fight against the mutated cells. It involves injecting radioactive elements, so-called nuclides, into the patient's circulatory system.

17 Jun 2011

BGI releases first complete map of Germany E. coli O104:H4 genome

Building upon previous efforts producing a high-quality de novo genome assemblies of deadly 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak strain, the BGI and their collaborators at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf have now released the first complete map of the genome and plasmids without any assembly gaps.

17 Jun 2011

A bravura singing performance attracts more interest from females, even in mice

Like rock stars of the rodent world, the flashiest performers of a Central American mouse species get the most attention from the ladies, a University of Florida study shows.

17 Jun 2011

Elsevier announces two new biomedical applications from Molecular Connections

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced two new applications from Molecular Connections, a life science informatics company, on SciVerse Applications beta.

17 Jun 2011

Varicocele surgery may increase testosterone production

As many as 15 percent of men have varicoceles, masses of enlarged and dilated veins in the testicles. There is new evidence that varicoceles, long known to be a cause of male infertility, interfere with the production of testosterone -- a crucial hormone to maintaining men's health.

17 Jun 2011

HRT use linked to decreased risk of peripheral arterial disease in postmenopausal women

A new study presented at the 65th Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society of Vascular Surgery found that the use of HRT in postmenopausal women is associated with a significant reduction in the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease.

17 Jun 2011

Cedars-Sinai receives National Eye Institute grant to develop gene therapy for corneal disease

Cedars-Sinai stem cell researchers investigating ways to prevent eye problems in diabetic patients have been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Eye Institute to develop gene therapy in corneal stem cells to alleviate damage to corneas that can cause vision loss.

17 Jun 2011

First genetic, biochemical tests for Idiopathic Infantile Hypercalcemia

A breakthrough in genetic research has uncovered the defect behind a rare hereditary children's disease that inhibits the body's ability to break down vitamin D. This discovery has led researchers to develop the first genetic and biochemical tests that positively identify the disease.

17 Jun 2011

Transgenomic introduces Nuclear Mitome Test for diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced the launch of the Nuclear Mitome Test, a genetic test to aid physicians in the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders.

17 Jun 2011

USPTO issues patent for Predictive Biosciences' multiple biomarker assay

Predictive Biosciences, a provider of novel molecular diagnostic tests, announced that on June 7, 2011 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent Number 7,955,822 for "Detection of Nucleic Acids and Proteins".

17 Jun 2011

Boosting immune response could increase inflammation

People often talk about "boosting" their immunity to prevent and fight colds. Nutritional supplements, cold remedies and fortified foods claim to stave off colds by augmenting the immune system.

16 Jun 2011

Study provides insight into how humans and other vertebrates generate sounds

Cornell researchers have identified regions of a fish brain that reveal the basic circuitry for how humans and other vertebrates generate sound used for social communication.

16 Jun 2011

Researchers reveal why anti-androgen therapy may fail in men with prostate cancer

Cancer is crafty. When one avenue driving its growth is blocked by drugs targeting that path, the malignancy often creates a detour, finding an alternative route to get around the roadblock.

16 Jun 2011

ADDF, AFTD invite scientists to apply for Frontotemporal Dementia-specific biomarker grants

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration invite scientists from academia and the biotechnology industry worldwide to apply for research grants to develop Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)-specific biomarkers that reflect pathological and clinical differences so that appropriate patients can be selected for clinical trials and responses to investigational treatments can be monitored.

16 Jun 2011

Cancer Research UK to launch genetic testing programme

Cancer Research UK's chief executive Harpal Kumar today spoke of a 'golden era' for cancer research as the UK is poised to lead the world in individualising the practice of medicine by understanding which treatments are best suited to an individual patient's particular genetic type of cancer.

16 Jun 2011

University of Houston chemist develops two different materials against E. coli

A University of Houston (UH) chemist who is developing materials for detecting and repelling E. coli has published papers in two high-impact journals this month.

16 Jun 2011

UCLA researchers find new potential therapeutic target for preventing HIV

Specific types of "helper" T cells that are crucial to maintaining functioning immune systems contain an enzyme called PDI. This enzyme affects how proteins fold into specific shapes, which in turn influences how the T cells behave.

16 Jun 2011