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New gene associated with Lou Gehrig's disease

A collaborative research effort spanning nearly a decade between researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and King's College London (KCL) has identified a novel gene for inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).

26 Feb 2009

Facts about osteoporosis are staggering

75 million baby boomers are approaching the age where the disease is tightening its grip on their bones.

26 Feb 2009

Spun-sugar filaments show potential for regenerating nerves

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a technique using spun-sugar filaments to create a scaffold of tiny synthetic tubes that might serve as conduits to regenerate nerves severed in accidents or blood vessels damaged by disease.

26 Feb 2009

Antibody recognition of a highly conserved epitope across influenza viruses

The discovery of the molecule, an antibody known as CR6261, is good news for researchers who hope to design a flu vaccine that would give humans lifelong protection against a majority of influenza viruses.

26 Feb 2009

Scientists develop general-purpose method for detecting trace chemicals

Described in an advance, online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology on February 22, 2009, the team's general method could be adapted for detecting a wide variety of compounds, including many that are relevant to diagnostic medicine and environmental work.

26 Feb 2009

fMRI captures wave of brain activity linked to anticipation

Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have, for the first time, shown what brain activity looks like when someone anticipates an action or sensory input which soon follows.

26 Feb 2009

Why do teeth form in a single row?

A system of opposing genetic forces determines why mammals develop a single row of teeth, while sharks sport several, according to a study published in the journal Science.

26 Feb 2009

Proepithelin encourages cell growth and migration in prostate cancer

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University have identified a protein that appears to play a significant role in the growth and migration of prostate cancer cells, especially androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.

26 Feb 2009

Study examines maternal and newborn health risks and colorectal cancer

In one of the first studies to examine maternal and newborn health risks and colorectal cancer, UC Davis researchers have found that women diagnosed with the disease during or shortly after their pregnancies have the same survival as women who have the disease and are not pregnant.

26 Feb 2009

New guide helps physicians understand oncofertility

The powerful chemotherapy and radiation used to save cancer patients' lives can also destroy their fertility.

26 Feb 2009

New software aids discovery of new genetic markers for diseases

Modern genotyping technologies offer new opportunities to explore how genes influence health and disease, but also present the challenge of analyzing huge amounts of genetic and clinical data.

26 Feb 2009

Novel approach to gene hunting uncovers possible new targets for Crohn's disease drugs

Discovering the different genes that contribute to a complex disease is like searching in the proverbial haystack for an unknown number of needles--some much smaller than others, often blending into the background, and many of them widely separated from each other.

26 Feb 2009

New discovery improves efficacy of current tuberculosis vaccine

A new article appearing in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology may lead to improvements in the efficacy of the current tuberculosis vaccine.

26 Feb 2009

How obesity, diet and exercise influence our metabolism and interact with our genome

Research by kinesiology investigator Dustin Hittel, PhD, has proven that muscle in extremely obese individuals produces large amounts of a protein called myostatin, which normally inhibits muscle growth-suggesting that for Type 2 diabetics, and the very obese, the task of getting healthy may be more difficult than initially thought.

26 Feb 2009

Modern lifestyle habits may prevent tooth decay

New research has found that modern lifestyle habits may play a bigger role than food alone, when it comes to tooth decay.

26 Feb 2009

Long-term use of beta carotene supplements may increase cancer risk

Long-term use of beta carotene and some other carotenoid-containing dietary supplements may increase the risk of lung cancer, especially among smokers, according to a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.

26 Feb 2009

Liver transplant recipients with hepatitis B may need lifelong antiviral treatment

Patients who undergo liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related liver damage should receive lifelong antiviral treatment to keep the disease from coming back.

26 Feb 2009

Lab tests show meropenem and clavulanate combination effective against drug-resistant TB bacteria

WHAT: In a finding that could soon help people infected with untreatable, highly drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), scientists have shown that two FDA-approved drugs work in tandem to kill laboratory-grown strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium that causes TB.

26 Feb 2009

Heart-healthy diets that reduce calorie intake promote long-term weight loss

Heart-healthy diets that reduce calorie intake - regardless of differing proportions of fat, protein, or carbohydrate - can help overweight and obese adults achieve and maintain weight loss, according to a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, and published Feb. 26, 2009, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Feb 2009