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Discovery of gene variant associated with increased risk of atopic dermatitis

Scientists of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité - University Medical School, Berlin, Germany, in collaboration with researchers from the Klinikum rechts der Isar of Technical University Munich and Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, have identified a gene variant on chromosome 11 that is associated with an increased risk of atopic dermatitis.

6 Apr 2009

New standardized tool for the assessment of chronic pain helps distinguish pain subtypes

Joachim Scholz from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA and his colleagues studied the symptoms and signs of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve pain such as sciatica) and non-neuropathic (non-nerve) low back pain to identify the best clinical questions and physical tests for diagnosing pain types.

6 Apr 2009

Cooperative behaviors and evolutionary theory

One of the perplexing questions raised by evolutionary theory is how cooperative behavior, which benefits other members of a species at a cost to the individual, came to exist.

6 Apr 2009

Mayer Laboratories acquires Today Sponge contraceptive distribution rights

Mayer Laboratories, Inc., a marketer and distributor of high-quality contraceptive and other reproductive healthcare products, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Alvogen Group for the exclusive distribution rights of the Today Sponge for the United States, Europe and Canada.

6 Apr 2009

Mass spectrometry technique analyzes defensive chemicals on seaweed surfaces for potential drugs

A new analytical technique is helping scientists learn how organisms as simple as seaweed can mount complex chemical defenses to protect themselves from microbial threats such as fungus.

6 Apr 2009

Pre-surgical stress management improves mood, quality of life

Brief stress management sessions prior to and immediately after surgery may have both short- and long-term benefit for men undergoing a radical prostatectomy for early-stage prostate cancer, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

6 Apr 2009

How the retina works: Like a multi-layered jigsaw puzzle of receptive fields

About 1.25 million neurons in the retina -- each of which views the world only through a small jagged window called a receptive field -- collectively form the seamless picture we rely on to navigate our environment.

6 Apr 2009

Researchers aim to determine if specific brain circuits and pathways might be responsible for wisdom

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have compiled the first-ever review of the neurobiology of wisdom – once the sole province of religion and philosophy.

6 Apr 2009

Schizophrenics appear to rely considerably less on top-down processing during perception

Patients with schizophrenia are able to correctly see through an illusion known as the 'hollow mask' illusion, probably because their brain disconnects 'what the eyes see' from what 'the brain thinks it is seeing', according to a joint UK and German study published in the journal NeuroImage.

6 Apr 2009

Helicos BioSciences releases transcriptome sequencing datasets as open access

Helicos BioSciences has announced the release of transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) datasets on the HeliSphere Technology Center, the company's open access Web site for sharing Helicos datasets and bioinformatics software tools.

6 Apr 2009

Gilead Sciences announces notification of ANDA filing for Atripla

Gilead Sciences, Inc. has announced receipt of a Paragraph IV Certification Notice Letter advising that Teva Pharmaceuticals submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting permission to manufacture and market a generic version of Atripla (efavirenz 600 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg). Atripla is currently sold in the United States through a joint venture between Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead.

6 Apr 2009

Rak gene helps protect tumor suppressor in breast cancer

Scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a gene that protects PTEN, a major tumor-suppressor that is reduced but rarely mutated in about half of all breast cancers.

6 Apr 2009

Frogs reveal clues about the effects of alcohol during development

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) cause malformations in babies, including facial defects, short stature, and mental and behavioral abnormalities.

6 Apr 2009

Dietary flaxseed may help prevent colorectal tumors

New research from South Dakota State University offers evidence that including flax in the diet may help prevent colorectal tumors or keep tumors from growing as quickly when they do form.

6 Apr 2009

Killing older mosquitoes is a more sustainable way to control malaria

Killing only older mosquitoes could be a more sustainable way of controlling malaria, and has the potential to lead to evolution-proof insecticides that never become obsolete, according to an article in this week's issue of PLoS Biology.

6 Apr 2009

2,516 potential biomarkers of pancreatic cancer

A cancer scientist from Johns Hopkins has convinced an international group of colleagues to delay their race to find new cancer biomarkers and instead begin a 7,000-hour slog through a compendium of 50,000 scientific articles already published to assemble, decode and analyze the molecules that might herald the furtive presence of pancreatic cancer.

6 Apr 2009

Children with problems regulating their behavior more likely to become overweight preteens

Young children who do not display an ability to regulate their behavior or to delay gratification in exchange for a larger reward appear predisposed to gain extra weight by their pre-teen years, according to two reports published in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

6 Apr 2009

Children with low self-control more likely to become overweight preteens

6 Apr 2009

Childhood psychiatric problems may predict suicide attempts in males

Most males who commit suicide or need hospital care for suicide attempts during their teen or early adult years appear to have high levels of psychiatric problems at age 8, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

6 Apr 2009

Celsion announces promising trial results for ThermoDox in breast cancer

Celsion Corporation has announced that promising Phase I clinical results evaluating ThermoDox for the treatment of recurrent chest wall (RCW) breast cancer were presented by Duke University investigators on Sunday, April 5 at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine (STM) in Tucson, Arizona.

6 Apr 2009