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Discovery of mechanism of cell type-specific signaling in tumor development

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered the mechanisms behind two key checkpoints in cell growth and development - factors that may ultimately allow investigators to benchmark progression of tumor cells or stop them from further development.

8 Apr 2009

Transplantation immunity breakthrough

Australian scientists have made a discovery that may one day remove the need for a lifetime of toxic immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplants.

8 Apr 2009

Research finds insulin plays a key role in suppressing levels of glucagon

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have shown for the first time that insulin plays a key role in suppressing levels of glucagon, a hormone involved in carbohydrate metabolism and regulating blood glucose levels.

8 Apr 2009

Classroom-based intervention reduces children's viewing of violent TV

A team of Oregon State University researchers has successfully implemented a classroom-based intervention that reduces the amount of violent TV that children watch.

8 Apr 2009

Intercell starts trial for Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine candidate

Intercell AG has announced that a Phase I clinical trial with the company's vaccine candidate IC47 to prevent disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae has started.

8 Apr 2009

Diets high in fat and protein are most dangerous

It's basically a given that diets loaded with fat can lead to considerable health problems.

8 Apr 2009

HIV virus may have become more virulent

Damage to patients' immune systems is happening sooner now than it did at the beginning of the HIV epidemic, suggesting the virus has become more virulent, according to a new study in the May 1, 2009 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

8 Apr 2009

Growth factor TGF-beta helps maintain health of retinal blood vessels

Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have found that the growth factor known as TGF-beta is essential to the health of blood vessels in the retina and that blocking it can cause retinal dysfunction.

8 Apr 2009

Genetic risk factors play role in autoantibody-negative rheumatoid arthritis

During the past few years, several new genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been identified.

8 Apr 2009

Gene delivery appears safe for regenerating tooth-supporting gum tissue

Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a method of gene delivery that appears safe for regenerating tooth-supporting gum tissue---a discovery that assuages one of the biggest safety concerns surrounding gene therapy research and tissue engineering.

8 Apr 2009

New nanostructured biosensors

Research and industry are increasingly exploiting the potential of aptamers.

8 Apr 2009

FDA approves label change for non-invasive fibroid treatment

InSightec Ltd. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label change for the company's ExAblate 2000 MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) system for the treatment of women with non-hysteroscopically resectable uterine fibroids.

8 Apr 2009

Inflammatory chemokine may explain diseases that come with obesity

An inflammatory factor already linked to several diseases, including pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and arthritis, may also be responsible for the insulin resistance that comes with obesity, according to a new study published in the April issue of Cell Metabolism.

8 Apr 2009

Discovery of marker for colon stem cells could shed light on tumor growth

Cancer researchers led by Bruce Boman, M.D., Ph.D. director of Cancer Genetics and Stem Cell Biology at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center of the Christiana Care Health System, and a faculty member at the University of Delaware, have discovered an enzyme common to both normal and malignant colon stem cells that will assist scientists searching for a cure for colon cancer.

8 Apr 2009

Digital photo album puts focus on kids' health

Modern moms and dads snap thousands of photos, recording every drooling smile and flailing attempt to crawl.

8 Apr 2009

Reovirus kills cancer stem cells

Dalhousie Medical School cancer researcher Dr. Patrick Lee has proven that a common virus can infect and kill breast cancer stem cells.

8 Apr 2009

Cognitive behavior therapy helps seniors with generalized anxiety disorder

Older adults with generalized anxiety disorder who received cognitive behavior therapy had greater improvement on measures of worry, depression and mental health than patients who received usual care, according to a study in the April 8 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

8 Apr 2009

Cigarette smoke changes the immune response to bacteria - culprit behind COPD exacerbations

Smoking cigarettes is not only the principle cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but it may change the body's immune responses to bacteria that commonly cause exacerbations of the disease, according to new research in a mouse model.

8 Apr 2009

Smokers with serious illnesses need additional help to quit, study says

Individuals with serious illnesses - including cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - make up a disproportionately high segment of current smokers and are also among the most addicted to tobacco use.

8 Apr 2009

Antibiotics could treat cystic fibrosis, other genetic diseases

By modifying the properties of the common antibiotic gentamicin, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed what could become an effective treatment for many human genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Usher Syndrome and numerous cancers.

8 Apr 2009