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Odors can alter gene expression in an olfactory neuron

New research from University of California, Davis, shows why a species of tiny worm can learn to ignore an odor – information that could have implications for how human memories are formed.

15 Jan 2009

Study examines live birth rates following IVF

Thirty years ago last summer, the world's first "test-tube" baby was born, and since then more than 1 million infants have been successfully conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), the technique in which a woman's eggs and man's sperm are fertilized in a laboratory and then implanted in the mother's womb.

15 Jan 2009

Stem cells could be used for personalized cancer treatment

Using cancer cells from an ovarian cancer patient and human embryonic stem cells, Israeli researchers have created a cancerous tumor in a mouse that mimics the way the tumor would develop in the patient's body.

15 Jan 2009

Domain duplication, divergence, and loss events in vertebrate Msx paralogs reveal phylogenomically informed disease markers

The work of Forsyth scientist Peter Jezewski, DDS, Ph.D., has revealed that duplication and diversification of protein regions ('modules') within ancient master control genes is key to the understanding of certain birth disorders.

15 Jan 2009

Discovery of new protein that triggers breast cancer

Canadian researchers have identified a new protein in the progression of breast cancer.

15 Jan 2009

Discovery of protein that amplifies cell death

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a small intracellular protein that helps cells commit suicide.

15 Jan 2009

Repressive protein plays unexpected role in odor adaptation

New research provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms that allow experience to influence behavior.

15 Jan 2009

Probiotics prevent IgE-associated allergy until age 5 in cesarean-delivered children but not in total cohort

According to a recent study from the University and the University Central Hospital of Helsinki, Finland, no allergy-preventive effect is extended to age 5 years by perinatal supplementation with probiotics in babies at risk for developing allergies; protection is conferred only to Cesarean section babies.

15 Jan 2009

Presumed consent or opt-out system may increase organ donation rates

There is currently insufficient supply of donor organs to meet the demand for organ transplantations in the UK. The number of patients registered for a transplant continues to increase. In March 2008, 7,655 patients were on the active transplant list; 506 died in 2007-2008 while waiting for their transplant.

15 Jan 2009

Even small amounts of exercise good for people with serious mental illnesses

A new study from Indiana University suggests that even meager levels of physical activity can improve the mood of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

15 Jan 2009

You may not be what your mother eats

Researchers S. Stanley Young, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, Heejung Bang, Ph.D., of Cornell University and Kutluk Oktay. MD, FACOG, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Director, Division of Reproductive Medicine & Infertility Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology from New York Medical College, wrote a paper, "Cereal-Induced Gender Selection? Most Likely a Multiple Testing False Positive," which has been published in the January 14, 2009 online issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

15 Jan 2009

New diagnostic tool to measure blood flow could prevent needless stents

Doctors may be implanting too many artery-opening stents and could improve patient outcomes - and ultimately save lives - if they did more in-depth measurements of blood flow in the vessels to the heart.

15 Jan 2009

Drinking in a group reduces risks

New research has revealed that people who drink alcohol in a group assess risk better and are less likely to make mistakes than those who drink alone.

15 Jan 2009

New model system may better explain regulation of body weight

A new mathematical model of the physiological regulation of body weight suggests a potential mechanism underlying the difficulty of losing weight, one that includes aspects of two competing hypotheses of weight regulation.

15 Jan 2009

New drug shows promise for phenylketonuria

PKU is described by scientists as an autosomal recessive genetic disease that is characterized by a deficiency in an enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH).

15 Jan 2009

Barriers to effective FDA regulation of nanotechnology-based dietary supplements

The ability of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the safety of dietary supplements using nanomaterials is severely limited by lack of information, lack of resources and the agency's lack of statutory authority in certain critical areas, according to a new expert report released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN).

15 Jan 2009

Most support Alzheimer's research based on family consent

By the time they have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, many patients' decision-making ability is so impaired that they cannot give informed consent to participate in research studies.

15 Jan 2009

Scientists explain genetic disease first discovered in Quebec 24 years ago

Scientists at the MUHC and McGill University have identified a gene essential for the uptake of vitamin B12 in human cells.

15 Jan 2009

Morbidly obese patients face high risk for complications after colectomy

New research published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that morbidly obese patients are at higher risk than normal weight patients for complications after colectomy ¨C surgical removal of all or part of the colon ¨C for the treatment of cancer.

15 Jan 2009