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MIRACLE project to develop lab-on-chip system for diagnosing cancer

Today, at the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference in Buenos Aires (Argentina), imec and its project partners announce the launch of the European Seventh Framework Project MIRACLE. The MIRACLE project aims at developing an operational lab-on-chip for the isolation and detection of circulating and disseminated tumor cells in blood.

2 Sep 2010

Research on fruit flies suggest starvation allows sleep deprivation

As anyone who has ever struggled to keep his or her eyes open after a big meal knows, eating can induce sleepiness. New research in fruit flies suggests that, conversely, being hungry may provide a way to stay awake without feeling groggy or mentally challenged.

2 Sep 2010

First genetically engineered rat derived from rat ES cells developed with StemCells' technology

StemCells, Inc. announced today that its technology was recently used by independent researchers to achieve the first genetically engineered rat derived from rat embryonic stem (ES) cells. This breakthrough, published this month in the international peer-reviewed journal Nature, opens the door to the types of genetic manipulations previously only possible in mice, and paves the way for modeling a broader range of human diseases with the rat.

2 Sep 2010

Neutralizing key toxin associated with Staph aureus bacteria reduces severity of skin and soft-tissue damage

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health and University of Chicago have found a promising treatment method that in laboratory mice reduces the severity of skin and soft-tissue damage caused by USA300, the leading cause of community-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections in the United States.

2 Sep 2010

Innate immune processes sufficient for driving silicosis: Study

For the nearly 2 million U.S. workers exposed to silica dust each year, a new discovery may help prevent or treat the development of chronic lung diseases related to this exposure. In the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology scientists from Montana and Texas use mice to show for the first time that the part of our immune system responsible for keeping airways clean and free of contaminants (innate immunity) can cause inflammation and symptoms of disease.

2 Sep 2010

Study on kidneys may help to treat high blood pressure

A study of the body system that deals with Americans' love affair with salt may yield more insight into why so many end up hypertensive and how to better treat them.

2 Sep 2010

Research finds link between chronic heart failure, iron deficiency

Iron plays a key role in human homeostasis. It is essential for growth and survival, and is a vital ingredient in numerous processes including erythropoiesis, oxygen transport and storage, oxidative metabolism in the skeletal and heart muscle, synthesis and degradation of lipids, carbohydrates, DNA and RNA. Important though it is, iron metabolism must be precisely controlled because iron is insoluble and excess levels can be toxic.

2 Sep 2010

Salpingo-oophorectomy and mastectomy decrease risk of cancer in women with BRCA1/2 gene mutations

Women at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer because of inherited mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes who had prophylactic mastectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries) had an associated decreased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2010

High-fat diet during puberty increases risk of breast cancer

Girls eating a high-fat diet during puberty, even those who do not become overweight or obese, may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer later in life, according to Michigan State University researchers.

2 Sep 2010

'Sprouty' protein linked to regulation of bone mass and body fat

Here's good news for anyone trying to lose weight or has osteoporosis: Scientists from Maine are on the trail of a weight loss drug that may revolutionize how we treat these two conditions. In a new research report published in the September 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the researchers describe a newly discovered protein, called "Sprouty," responsible for regulating body fat and bone mass. Then they manipulated how much of this protein was expressed in different groups of mice specially bred to have some human genes.

2 Sep 2010

Researchers find new fusion protein for E.coli bacterium vaccine development

South Dakota State University research is exploring a "fusion strategy" for making improved vaccines to protect pigs and humans against some strains of E. coli.

2 Sep 2010

High selenium intake associated with decreased risk of bladder cancer

According to results of a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, selenium intake is associated with decreased risk of bladder cancer.

2 Sep 2010

Research on adult mammary stem cells may help to cure breast cancer

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have identified and isolated adult mammary stem cells in mice. Long-term implications of this research may include the use of such cells to regenerate breast tissue, provide a better understanding of the role of adult stem cells in breast cancer development, and develop potential new targets for anti-cancer drugs.

2 Sep 2010

High vitamin D level improves survival rate in heart failure patients: Study

Survival rates in heart failure patients with reduced levels of vitamin D are lower than in patients with normal levels. This is the finding of a major study carried out at University Medical Center, Groningen, Netherlands. Results also suggest that low levels of vitamin D are associated with activation of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS - a pivotal regulatory system in heart failure) and an altered cytokine profile.

2 Sep 2010

High levels of OPG hormone associated with adverse outcome after myocardial infarction

Patients suffering with heart failure are more likely to die if they have high levels of a bone hormone called osteoprotegerin (OPG).

2 Sep 2010

Study to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated

A study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics attempts to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is actually being diagnosed and treated.

2 Sep 2010

Release of cortisol with fixed regularity can help cope with stress better

If your body releases cortisol with fixed regularity then you can cope with stress better, says NWO-funded researcher Angela Sarabdjitsingh. She investigated the rhythm of corticosterone production in rats. This rat hormone is comparable to the human stress hormone cortisol. Rats deal considerably less well with stress if the pattern of corticosterone release changes. An irregular release pattern is a characteristic of chronic stress and stress-related diseases. It might therefore be possible to treat these by restoring the rhythm.

31 Aug 2010