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3T MRI scanner allows Polish scientists to perform structural and functional imaging of human brain

The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw launches research programs, which require state-of-the-art magnetic resonance scanner.

3 Dec 2013

Microneedle technique may provide a painless way to deliver drugs, vaccines

Microneedles on a sticking-plaster-like patch may be the painless and safe way doctors will test for drugs and some infections in the future, thanks to work supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

3 Dec 2013

Computer models of neuronal sound processing in brain lead to cochlear implant improvements

Intact hearing is a prerequisite for learning to speak. This is why children who are born deaf are fitted with so-called cochlear implants as early as possible. Cochlear implants consist of a speech processor and a transmitter coil worn behind the ear, together with the actual implant, an encapsulated microprocessor placed under the skin to directly stimulate the auditory nerve via an electrode with up to 22 contacts.

3 Dec 2013

Study shows that DBT increases cancer detection, reduces recall rates

Researchers have found that digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) led to reduced recall rates and an increase in cancer detection in a large breast cancer screening program.

3 Dec 2013

Researchers offer promise of strategy for curing HIV infection

Researchers have used radioimmunotherapy (RIT) to destroy remaining human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cells in the blood samples of patients treated with antiretroviral therapy, offering the promise of a strategy for curing HIV infection. Results of the study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

3 Dec 2013

Automated breast density measurement predicts breast cancer risk in younger women

Automated breast density measurement is predictive of breast cancer risk in younger women, and that risk may be related to the rate at which breast density changes in some women as they age, according to research being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

3 Dec 2013

Study: Strong sense of ethnic identity can help Latina girls feel positive about appearance

A strong sense of ethnic identity can help Latina girls feel positive about their body and appearance, a new study concludes, even as this group slips further into dissatisfaction with themselves when compared to a media-filled world of unrealistic images of thin white women.

3 Dec 2013

Scientists figure out how transporters work

Researchers have tried for decades to understand the undulations and gyrations that allow transport proteins to shuttle molecules from one side of a cell membrane to the other.

3 Dec 2013

Religious liberty issues color Supreme Court consideration of health law's contraception coverage mandate

The Supreme Court in early spring will hear two legal challenges to Obamacare's contraception coverage requirement, a case that addresses a complex question that has never come squarely before the court: Can a for-profit company engaged in commercial activities declare religious beliefs?

3 Dec 2013

New catalog brings interactions between pharmacological molecules and proteins

The three-dimensional structures of proteins determine how, when and where they bind to drugs and other compounds. In 2012 alone, thousands of structures like this were resolved.

3 Dec 2013

Research proves effectiveness of vaccine against leishmaniasis

The disease is considered endemic in the south states of Mexico. A research executed in the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY) has successfully proved, in test animals, the effectiveness of a vaccine that immunizes the organism against leishmaniasis, an ailment transmitted through insects very similar to mosquitos and mainly presents symptoms in the skin, liver or spleen.

3 Dec 2013

New robot to guide surgery, needle insertion, catheters and stents

This robot has a hybrid powerstrain structure which will allow a precise, repetitive, planned and controlled insertion enhancing the current procedures used so far. In addition, it has a lower cost and it requires a brief period of learning.

3 Dec 2013

White paper discusses the effects of particle shape and size on the properties of medical materials

Ceram, the international materials technology company, has published a new white paper for the medical devices industry, ‘The Effects of Particle Size Distribution on the Properties of Medical Materials’.

3 Dec 2013

Sca-1 stem cells replace steadily aging heart muscle cells

Up until a few years ago, the common school of thought held that the mammalian heart had very little regenerative capacity. However, scientists now know that heart muscle cells constantly regenerate, albeit at a very low rate. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, have identified a stem cell population responsible for this regeneration.

3 Dec 2013

Tel Aviv University researchers discover a protein that kills bacteria

In the arms race between bacteria and modern medicine, bacteria have gained an edge. In recent decades, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has developed faster than the production of new antibiotics, making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat. Scientists worry that a particularly virulent and deadly "superbug" could one day join the ranks of existing untreatable bacteria, causing a public health catastrophe comparable with the Black Death.

3 Dec 2013

Scientists investigate factors that influence choice of abused drugs

Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the past 15 years. Scientists investigating why people favor one drug over another have found that oxycodone and hydrocodone are the drugs of choice for 75% of opioid-dependent individuals.

3 Dec 2013

Severely neglected children more prone to indiscriminate friendliness

Children who experience profound neglect have been found to be more prone to a behavior known as "indiscriminate friendliness," characterized by an inappropriate willingness to approach adults, including strangers.

3 Dec 2013

State highlights: States push greater mental health spending after Sandy Hook; Wis. move to delay dropping some from Medicaid may save money

At least 37 states have increased spending on mental health in the year since Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children, six school employees and his mother in Newtown, Conn. It's not just about money, either. States are experimenting with new -- and sometimes controversial -- ways to raise awareness about psychological distress, to make treatment more accessible for children and adults and to keep firearms away from those struggling with mental illness (Simon, 12/2).

3 Dec 2013

People who suffer with chronic pain face daily struggle with sense of self

People who suffer with chronic musculoskeletal pain face a daily struggle with their sense of self and find it difficult to prove the legitimacy of their condition.

3 Dec 2013

Researchers use hyperthermia to treat patients with malignant glioma

Malignant glioma is very sensitive to heat. Prof. Yunlong Ge and team from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China used a brain tumor hyperthermia apparatus to treat malignant glioma patients, and achieved good therapeutic efficacy.

3 Dec 2013