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Neurobiological markers of depression can help tailor antidepressant treatment to the brain

Depression is actually defined by specific clinical symptoms such as sadness, difficulty to experience pleasure, sleep problems etc., present for at least two weeks, with impairment of psychosocial functioning. These symptoms guide the physician to make a diagnosis and to select antidepressant treatment such as drugs or psychotherapy.

31 Aug 2010

UBC researchers lead development of new 'toolbox of MiniPromoters' for gene research and therapy

University of British Columbia researchers have led the development of a new "toolbox of MiniPromoters" for research and future therapies on brain, spinal cord and eye function.

31 Aug 2010

Running continuously over 50 or 100 miles may not be good for the heart: Study

In 2009, a study was conducted in UK by Liverpool John Moores University and the Countess of Chester Hospital to assess the effects of running in ultra-endurance races. Typically aimed at super-fit and experienced athletes, these races are held over distances exceeding 50 miles (80 kilometres). The conclusions suggest that some damage is likely to occur to the heart muscle of competitors, while 12 percent of the study group showed signs of significant cardiac damage.

31 Aug 2010

Advanced Life Sciences scientific publication demonstrates triterpenoids' potential as anticancer agents

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.,a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, today announced the publication of a research paper in the journal Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters that reports data using the Company's core triterpenoid platform technology in the discovery and development of new cancer therapeutic agents.

31 Aug 2010

Biotage launches new Resolux line of HPLC columns optimized for peptide purification

Biotage, a leading supplier of tools and technology for medicinal and analytical chemistry, has launched a new range of HPLC columns optimized for peptide purification. The Resolux™ line was introduced during the ACS Fall 2010 National Meeting & Exposition in Boston, Massachusetts USA and will be premiered at the 31st European Peptide Symposium on September 5th in Copenhagen, Denmark.

31 Aug 2010

New hybrid proteins may lead to better gene replacement and editing therapies

An Iowa State University team of researchers has developed a type of hybrid proteins that can make double-strand DNA breaks at specific sites in living cells, possibly leading to better gene replacement and gene editing therapies.

31 Aug 2010

Researchers find heightened activation of limbic circuitry in borderline personality disorder patients

The notion that cutting or burning oneself could provide relief from emotional distress is difficult to understand for most people, but it is an experience reported commonly among people who compulsively hurt themselves.

31 Aug 2010

MGH scientists develop new microfluidic tool for accurate isolation of neutrophils

A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) scientists has developed a new microfluidic tool for quickly and accurately isolating neutrophils - the most abundant type of white blood cell - from small blood samples, an accomplishment that could provide information essential to better understanding the immune system's response to traumatic injury. The system, described in a Nature Medicine paper that received advance online release, also can be adapted to isolate almost any type of cell.

31 Aug 2010

Research on trypanosomes can open way for African sleeping sickness drug development

Trypanosomes are parasites responsible for many human and animal diseases, primarily in tropical climates. One disease these parasites cause, African sleeping sickness, results from the bite of infected tsetse flies, putting over 60 million Africans at risk in 36 sub-Saharan countries. The recent 1998-2001 sleeping sickness epidemics in South Sudan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda killed tens of thousands of people and resulted in over a half million infected individuals.

31 Aug 2010

Peripheral arterial disease increases cardiovascular disease risk: Study

Most patients don't suspect a thing, and yet they are seriously ill: hardening of the arteries - peripheral arterial disease PAD - doubles the risk of premature death and serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

31 Aug 2010

Genetic profiling to predict treatment benefits of ACE inhibitor therapy for CAD

The advantages of prescribing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for stable coronary artery disease (CAD) may be increased by targeting the therapy to the patients most likely to benefit.Clinical characteristics alone do not allow a reliable identification of these patients, so a research programme was carried out at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam to develop a genetic profiling model that predicts the treatment benefits of ACE inhibitors and optimises the recommended therapy.

31 Aug 2010

Disruption of structural component in heart muscle cells occurs before decline in heart function

The disruption of a structural component in heart muscle cells, which is associated with heart failure, appears to occur even before heart function starts to decline, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

31 Aug 2010

Advanced Cell Technology updates transdifferentiation plans to enhance regenerative medicine

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. provides an update today on its plans to utilize its transdifferentiation platform to enhance regenerative medicine.

31 Aug 2010

RXR-alpha protein helps to protect pigment cells from invasive melanoma: Research

New research on how skin cancer begins has identified adjacent cancer cells that scientists are calling "co-conspirators" in the genesis of melanoma, in findings that could someday hold the key to predicting, preventing and stopping this hard-to-treat cancer before it spreads.

31 Aug 2010

Amino acid arginine vital in fighting infection

Richard Lamb and his post doctoral fellow Virginie Mieulet, in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, may be able to explain why proper nutrition is so vital in fighting infection.

31 Aug 2010

Cell Therapy Foundation analysis calls for funding in medical research

Some of the most promising medical research conducted to treat diseases of the brain, heart, and circulatory system is moving too slowly to help millions of patients, according to the Cell Therapy Foundation, which advocates the use of adult stem cells to dramatically impact and improve the condition of patients who suffer from a variety of conditions.

31 Aug 2010

Cognizant Communication launches 'Cell Medicine' open access journal

A new and unique journal on cell transplantation aimed at helping translate laboratory findings into clinical applications is being launched by Cognizant Communication Corporation as a companion journal to Cell Transplantation. Cell Medicine, an online-only, open access journal, publishes research papers that promise to have direct clinical relevance. The journal is freely accessible at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/cm.

30 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: GM mosquitoes; Iodine deficiency in Nepal; South African health workers strike; Novartis to build vaccine plant in Brazil; Population control in Niger

Malaysia is still "considering releasing" up to 3,000 mosquitoes that are genetically modified to "combat dengue fever, in a landmark field trial that has come in for criticism from environmentalists," Agence France-Presse reports. The insects are modified "so that their offspring quickly die," which researchers hope will cull the population and lessen the risk of dengue.

30 Aug 2010

Reactivation of CDX2 gene may halt progression of colon cancer

The intestines have to work properly if we are to benefit from the food we eat. Digestive juices must be secreted, the food broken down into smaller components and then transported through the gut wall and onwards to muscles and organs. The lining of the gut is coated in epithelial cells, a specialised layer that produces mucous and hormones while keeping dangerous bacteria and toxins at bay. Close contact with pathogenic microbes and toxins means that the epithelial cells may mutate to form cancer.

30 Aug 2010

Smoked cannabis relieves chronic neuropathic pain

The medicinal use of cannabis has been debated by clinicians, researchers, legislators and the public at large for many years as an alternative to standard pharmaceutical treatments for pain, which may not always be effective and may have unwanted side effects. A new study by McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University researchers provides evidence that cannabis may offer relief to patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain.

30 Aug 2010

Medical Science News

Neurobiological markers of depression can help tailor antidepressant treatment to the brain

UBC researchers lead development of new 'toolbox of MiniPromoters' for gene research and therapy

Running continuously over 50 or 100 miles may not be good for the heart: Study

Advanced Life Sciences scientific publication demonstrates triterpenoids' potential as anticancer agents

Biotage launches new Resolux line of HPLC columns optimized for peptide purification

New hybrid proteins may lead to better gene replacement and editing therapies

Researchers find heightened activation of limbic circuitry in borderline personality disorder patients

MGH scientists develop new microfluidic tool for accurate isolation of neutrophils

Research on trypanosomes can open way for African sleeping sickness drug development

Peripheral arterial disease increases cardiovascular disease risk: Study

Genetic profiling to predict treatment benefits of ACE inhibitor therapy for CAD

Disruption of structural component in heart muscle cells occurs before decline in heart function

Advanced Cell Technology updates transdifferentiation plans to enhance regenerative medicine

RXR-alpha protein helps to protect pigment cells from invasive melanoma: Research

Amino acid arginine vital in fighting infection

Cell Therapy Foundation analysis calls for funding in medical research

Cognizant Communication launches 'Cell Medicine' open access journal

Also in Global Health News: GM mosquitoes; Iodine deficiency in Nepal; South African health workers strike; Novartis to build vaccine plant in Brazil; Population control in Niger

Reactivation of CDX2 gene may halt progression of colon cancer

Smoked cannabis relieves chronic neuropathic pain

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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