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Relationship between fathers and daughters lead to more girls following dad's career path

Good news, dad! All those times your daughter appeared to be tuning you out?

23 Feb 2009

Enhanced skin cancer risk linked to defects in cellular aging controls

Cell lifespan is limited by telomeres, DNA sequences that cap chromosomes and control the number of times a cell may be copied.

23 Feb 2009

Statins may lessen brain function

Research by an Iowa State University scientist suggests that cholesterol-reducing drugs known as statins may lessen brain function.

23 Feb 2009

Spending time with grandparents linked with better social skills

Spending time with a grandparent is linked with better social skills and fewer behavior problems among adolescents, especially those living in single-parent or stepfamily households, according to a new study.

23 Feb 2009

Researchers develop 'wireless' activation of brain circuits

Traditionally, stimulating nerves or brain tissue involves cumbersome wiring and a sharp metal electrode.

23 Feb 2009

Scientists shed light on how proteins find their shapes

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have brought together UCSD theoretical modeling and Caltech experimental data to show just how amino-acid chains might fold up into unique, three-dimensional functional proteins.

23 Feb 2009

Redesign technique for proteins

Proteins are widely viewed as a promising alternative to synthetic chemicals in everything from medications to hand lotion.

23 Feb 2009

Calcium linked to lower risk of cancer in women

Women with higher intake of calcium appear to have a lower risk of cancer overall, and both men and women with high calcium intakes have lower risks of colorectal cancer and other cancers of the digestive system, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 Feb 2009

Babies born in pollen and mold seasons have increased likelihood of wheezing by age two

Newborns whose first few months of life coincide with high pollen and mold seasons are at increased risk of developing early symptoms of asthma, suggests a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

23 Feb 2009

New understanding of how anger can ventricular arrhythmias

New research published in the March 3, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds that anger-induced electrical changes in the heart can predict future arrhythmias in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).

23 Feb 2009

Aneurysms do not occur earlier in second generation

People whose parents or aunts and uncles have had a brain aneurysm are more likely to have one themselves, indicating that genetic risk factors passed down by generation are responsible.

23 Feb 2009

AIDS Healthcare Foundation launches "Stay Negative" HIV testing campaign

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) , which operates the largest community-based alternative HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing program in California, has launched an innovative and eye-catching Los Angeles-area HIV prevention and testing campaign urging the public to "Stay Negative" and to visit www.freehivtest.net to find out where to get tested quickly, conveniently and at no cost.

23 Feb 2009

CERAM offer medical device manufacturers key highlights to materials

CERAM, a global expert in medical device materials analysis, testing and consultancy, has published a white paper that highlights how critical a knowledge of materials and their characteristics is to the medical device manufacturer.

23 Feb 2009

Gold nanoparticles improve gene regulation

Investigators at Northwestern University have found that packing small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules onto the surface of a gold nanoparticle can protect siRNAs from degradation and increase their ability to regulate genes involved in cancer. As a result of this discovery, cancer researchers have at their disposal a relatively straightforward method of delivering these potent gene-regulating agents into targeted cells.

23 Feb 2009

Targeted nanospheres find, penetrate, then fuel burning of melanoma

Hollow gold nanospheres equipped with a targeting peptide find melanoma cells, penetrate them deeply, and then cook the tumor when bathed with near-infrared light. When heated with lasers, the actively targeted hollow gold nanospheres did eight times more damage to melanoma tumors in mice than did the same nanospheres that gathered less directly in the tumors.

23 Feb 2009

Radiolabeled nanoparticles boost PET-CT combination imaging

In an attempt to decrease the amount of cancer-targeting nanoparticle needed to image tumors, a team of investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has developed a simple method for creating iron oxide nanoparticles labeled with 18F, a radioisotope that is easily detected using positron emission tomography (PET). The result is a nanoparticle that can be imaged using PET, computerized tomography (CT), and fluorescence imaging.

23 Feb 2009

Nanoparticles detect dying cancer cells

Two years ago, researchers at the University of South Australia discovered a new molecular marker specific for chemotherapy-induced cancer cell death. Now, those same investigators have used this marker to develop an imaging agent that can pinpoint tumor cell death using magnetic resonance imaging.

23 Feb 2009

Microfluidic device mimics tumor microenvironment, helps drug discovery

One of the challenges that cancer researchers face in designing new antitumor agents is that of predicting how drug molecules will behave in the complex microenvironment that surrounds a tumor. In particular, tumors create all sorts of chemical and physical barriers that limit how much drug is able to enter a tumor, let alone reach cells deep within a tumor.

23 Feb 2009

New imaging techniques let scientists see biomolecules more clearly

Scientists have always wanted to take a closer look at biological systems and materials. From the magnifying glass to the electron microscope, they have developed increasingly sophisticated imaging devices.

23 Feb 2009

Basis of immunity to oral thrush, common in AIDS, identified by UB researchers

Oral thrush, a hallmark symptom in AIDS patients, is caused by a type of yeast that grows unchecked in people with weakened immune systems, and appears in colonies of white patches in the mouth.

23 Feb 2009