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PET scans show gene therapy normalizes brain function in Parkinson's patients

Brain scans used to track changes in a dozen patients who received an experimental gene therapy show that the treatment normalizes brain function - and the effects are still present a year later.

20 Nov 2007

Study shows how men and women differ in their neural responses to psychological stress

According to a study that appears in the current issue of SCAN (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discuss how men and women differ in their neural responses to psychological stress.

20 Nov 2007

Pedometers motivate diabetics to walk more

The use of a pedometer and a Web site that tracked physical activity levels proved to be powerful motivators for people with diabetes who participated in a recent walking study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Health System and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

20 Nov 2007

Older workers generally report low levels of work-related stress

The study, presented in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, is based on 2006 data from 1,544 participants in the U-M Health and Retirement Study, conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR) and funded by the National Institute on Aging.

20 Nov 2007

New technique enables the detection of biomolecules' dynamic reactions in a single living cell

By taking advantage of the signature frequency by which organic and inorganic molecules absorb light, the team of researchers, led by Luke Lee, professor of bioengineering and director of UC Berkeley's Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center, can determine in real time whether specific enzymes are activated or particular genes are expressed, all with unprecedented resolution within a single living cell.

19 Nov 2007

Physical therapy in intensive care reduce hospital stays

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) cites the results of the first study to show the effectiveness of early physical therapy for patients in a medical intensive care unit (ICU).

19 Nov 2007

The right kind of brain exercise can enhance memory

Researchers released initial data at the 60th Annual Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) that showed that doing the right kind of brain exercise can enhance memory and other cognitive abilities of older adults.

19 Nov 2007

New research helps explain how tumors go undetected by the body

Scientists studying how immune cells are regulated in healthy individuals, have made a key discovery in understanding why tumours may go undetected by the immune system and remain untreated by the body's own natural defences.

19 Nov 2007

New organ allocation criteria associated with decreased deaths on liver transplant waiting list

Changing the method by which donated livers are allocated to potential transplant patients appears to have decreased the number of deaths among individuals on the waiting list as well as shortened the time to transplantation, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

19 Nov 2007

New HPV vaccine 'nine-valent' under study

A new vaccine against nine of the most harmful strains of human papillomavirus is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

19 Nov 2007

New guideline for how to treat a person's first unprovoked seizure

A guideline developed by the American Academy of Neurology recommends a routine electroencephalogram (EEG) and brain scans be considered when diagnosing and treating adults who experience their first unprovoked seizure.

19 Nov 2007

First chemical evidence of a sperm recognition system in the oviducts of pigs

Adding another layer of competition to the mating game, scientists are reporting possible biochemical proof that the reproductive system of female mammals can "sense" the presence of sperm and react to it by changing the uterine environment.

19 Nov 2007

New device delivers radiation therapy to specific tumor sites

Physicians at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center will present the initial outcomes of their use of a new device that delivers radiation therapy to a specific tumor site at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), November 25-30, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.

19 Nov 2007

Narrow band imaging colonoscopy identifies flat dysplastic lesions in ulcerative colitis patients

A pilot study from researchers at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, found that narrow band imaging (NBI) colonoscopy used in cancer surveillance for ulcerative colitis patients can identify flat dysplastic lesions.

19 Nov 2007

Super-tiny structures for biomedical research

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is host to a new nanomedicine institute focused on developing super-tiny structures for biomedical research.

19 Nov 2007

Nanogen reissued patent for diagnosis of chronic congestive heart failure

Nanogen, Inc. has announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent No. RE39,816, which is a reissue of United States Patent No. 6,461,828, titled, "Conjunctive Analysis of Biological Marker Expression For Predicting Cardiac Mortality".

19 Nov 2007

Sitting may increase risk of disease

Most people spend most of their day sitting with relatively idle muscles. Health professionals advise that at least 30 minutes of activity at least 5 days a week will counteract health concerns, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity that may result from inactivity.

19 Nov 2007

Morphotek issued new U.S patent for method to enhance the affinity of monoclonal antibodies

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. has announced the issuance of United States Patent No. 7,235,643 B2 (the "643" patent).

19 Nov 2007

Cannabis compound may stop the spread of breast cancer cells

A compound found in cannabis may prove to be effective at helping stop the spread of breast cancer cells throughout the body.

19 Nov 2007

Managing the chronic care of patients is not being captured in today's reimbursement system

Full-time physicians spend an average of one full day a week providing services for patients that are not reimbursed by Medicare, according to a new study conducted by Jeffrey Farber, MD, Assistant Professor of Geriatrics at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, and published the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

19 Nov 2007