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Researchers find methods to manipulate natural proteins that self-assemble into amyloid fibrils

Nature has many examples of self-assembly, and bioengineers are interested in copying or manipulating these systems to create useful new materials or devices. Amyloid proteins, for example, can self-assemble into the tangled plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease -- but similar proteins can also form very useful materials, such as spider silk, or biofilms around living cells.

27 Jan 2015

Study explores economic outcomes of hospital-based violence intervention

At more than 25 hospitals across the U.S., health care professionals have embraced a public health approach to their work--taking action to prevent violent injuries, not just treat them. In programs known as hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs), teams of medical professionals, social workers and researchers step in at a critical moment in a patient's life--the period following a violent injury such as a gunshot or stab wound--with case management, counseling and other services that help these victims break free from the cycle of violence.

27 Jan 2015

Household rules, regular sleep-wake routines improve sleep in children

Children obtain better and more age-appropriate sleep in the presence of household rules and regular sleep-wake routines, according to sleep researchers.

27 Jan 2015

Morphine after tonsillectomy may be life threatening for children

Treating post-operative pain with morphine can cause life-threatening respiratory problems in some children who have had their tonsils and/or adenoids removed, new research has found.

27 Jan 2015

Progenitor cells responsible for generation and maintenance of Merkel cells

Researchers have identified a population of "progenitor" cells in the skin that are solely responsible for the generation and maintenance of touch-sensing Merkel cells. The study appears in The Journal of Cell Biology.

27 Jan 2015

Alcohol drinking pattern influences risk of cirrhosis

Approximately 170,000 people die from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver in Europe every year. Although alcohol is the most important risk factor, less is known about the significance of different patterns of drinking. Currently scientists believe that cirrhosis is a function of the volume of alcohol consumed irrespective of patterns of drinking. Investigators have now established that alcohol drinking pattern has a significant influence on the risk of cirrhosis and that daily drinking increases that risk compared with drinking less frequently.

27 Jan 2015

Many breast cancer patients lack knowledge about their tumors

A new analysis has found that many women with breast cancer lack knowledge about their illness, with minority patients less likely than white patients to know and report accurate information about their tumors' characteristics.

27 Jan 2015

Flexible work hours may help curb sleep deficiency

Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.

27 Jan 2015

BRCA1/2 analysis: an interview with Jurgi Camblong, CEO of Sophia Genetics

BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are two of the most well studied genes in the cancer field. They are tumor suppressors - mutations in these genes can lead to breast and/or ovarian cancer. Predispositions can be detected in women before they develop cancer.

26 Jan 2015

NMR in cancer research: an interview with Andy Byrd

My research these days is generally classified as structural biology, although as I trained in chemistry. I specialize in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) applied to biological problems. Our lab is very interested in studying mammalian proteins, particularly systems involved in cancer, in order to try to understand mechanisms to provide that information for our collaborators, and for the general knowledge of the community as well.

From Bruker BioSpin Division 26 Jan 2015

Removing volatile organic solvents from your 96-well microplates in minutes

The MiniVap™ blowdown evaporator from Porvair Sciences takes just minutes to remove volatile organic solvents from your 96-well microplates. The MiniVap™ is the perfect tool for labs where smaller numbers of individual plates need drying.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 26 Jan 2015

Attaching Epirubicin drug to nanodiamonds eliminates chemoresistant cancer stem cells

A study led by the National University of Singapore found that attaching chemotherapy drug Epirubicin to nanodiamonds effectively eliminates chemoresistant cancer stem cells. The findings were first published online in ACS Nano, the official journal of the American Chemical Society, in December 2014.

26 Jan 2015

New imaging technique increases detection rates of invasive breast cancers

A new breast imaging technique pioneered at Mayo Clinic nearly quadruples detection rates of invasive breast cancers in women with dense breast tissue, according to the results of a major study published this week in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

24 Jan 2015

Phase I of new Heart Hospital opens at MedStar Washington Hospital Center

An entire floor of the new Heart Hospital at MedStar Washington Hospital Center was dedicated earlier this month by MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute medical staff, associates and administrators. The opening of the new 60-bed unit marks the completion of Phase I of four phases in the construction of the first dedicated Heart Hospital in the nation's capital.

24 Jan 2015

Large numbers of boys suffer from cognitive disabilities linked to lead than girls

A study recently published in the Journal of Environmental Health provides evidence the female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, in greater numbers than girls, are shown to suffer from the cognitive disabilities linked to lead.

24 Jan 2015

Research findings may accelerate work to safely control diabetes

For those with diabetes, managing blood sugar is a balancing act -- if blood sugar is too high it raises the risk for nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and heart trouble, and if too low it can lead to a seizure or unconsciousness.

24 Jan 2015

International scientists take new path in epilepsy research

An international team of scientists together with the University of Bonn Hospital have taken a new path in the research into causes of epilepsy: The researchers determined the networks of the active genes and, like a dragnet, looked for the "main perpetrators" using a computer model.

24 Jan 2015

Bayer, MD Anderson partner to evaluate how a drug may affect patient's disease-related symptoms

When cancer patients take part in a clinical trial to develop new therapies, they and their physicians want to know how they will feel and function during treatment. A new collaboration between Bayer and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will go straight to the patients to learn how certain investigational new drugs affect them.

24 Jan 2015

Researchers develop new treatment that extends telomeres

Will extending telomeres lead to longer, healthier lives? Researchers have taken an important step toward answering this question by developing a new treatment used in the laboratory that extends telomeres.

24 Jan 2015

Survey sheds light on issues that limit acute heart failure patients' ability to care for themselves

A tool designed to assess what interferes with acute heart failure patients' ability to care for themselves after hospital discharge holds promise for improving patient outcomes and reducing readmissions to the hospital.

24 Jan 2015