Cell Biologists Identify New Tumor Suppressor For Lung Cancer (January 7, 2009) -- Cancer and cell biology experts have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help scientists develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer. ... > full story
Pneumococcal Vaccine Does Not Appear To Protect Against Pneumonia (January 7, 2009) -- Commonly used pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines do not appear to be effective for preventing pneumonia, found a new study by a team of researchers from Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ... > full story
'Recovery Coaches' Effective In Reducing Number Of Babies Exposed To Drugs (January 7, 2009) -- Recovery coaches can significantly reduce the number of substance-exposed births as well as help reunite substance-involved families, saving state child-welfare systems millions of dollars in foster-care and other placement costs. ... > full story
Stem Cells And Leukemia Battle For Marrow Microenvironment (January 7, 2009) -- Learning how leukemia takes over privileged 'niches' within the bone marrow is helping researchers develop treatment strategies that could protect healthy blood-forming stem cells and improve the outcomes of bone marrow transplantation for leukemia and other types of cancer. ... > full story
Decreased Activity Of Basal Ganglia Is Main Cause Of Abnormal Muscle Constrictions In Dystonia (January 7, 2009) -- Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary abnormal muscle constrictions. The mechanism has not been well understood. Now, a Japanese research team has found that the decreased activity of the basal ganglia is the main cause of abnormal muscle constrictions of dystonia using a mouse model. ... > full story
Doubts Make Consumers More Willing To Reevaluate Brands, Study Finds (January 7, 2009) -- Most consumers crave a clear understanding of brand images, making them more receptive to new marketing messages if anything clouds their vision of companies or products, according to a new study. ... > full story
Adult-onset Diabetes Slows Mental Functioning In Several Ways, With Deficits Appearing Early (January 6, 2009) -- Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but lasting deficits in their thought processes. ... > full story
Gold Nanoparticles For Controlled Drug Delivery (January 6, 2009) -- Using tiny gold particles and infrared light, MIT researchers have developed a drug-delivery system that allows multiple drugs to be released in a controlled fashion. ... > full story
Gene Expression And Splicing Vary Widely From One Tissue To The Next (January 6, 2009) -- Genes talk to themselves and to each other to control how a given cell manufactures proteins. But variation in the control of the same gene in two different tissues may contribute to certain human traits, including the likelihood of getting a disease, said a team of geneticists and neuroscientists. ... > full story
Teens Girls Smoke Now, Pay Later With Larger Waistlines As Adults (January 6, 2009) -- Remember the cool girls, huddled together in high school restrooms, puffing their cigarettes? Well, here's consolation for the nerds in the crowd: Those teen smokers are more likely to experience obesity as adults, according to a new study from Finland. ... > full story
Obesity Linked To Elevated Risk Of Ovarian Cancer (January 6, 2009) -- A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight. ... > full story
Increased Risk Of Pneumococcal Disease In Asthma Patients (January 6, 2009) -- Adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, the most common bacteria causing middle ear infections and community acquired pneumonia. ... > full story
'Magnetic Bra' Gives Independence Back To Disabled And Older Women (January 6, 2009) -- Researchers have developed a new bra for older and disabled women which replaces traditional fastenings with magnets. ... > full story
Defensive Protein Killed Ancient Primate Retroviruses, Research Suggests (January 6, 2009) -- Retroviruses are the worst sort of guest. Over eons, these molecular parasites have insinuated themselves into their hosts' DNA and caused a ruckus. The poor hosts can't even be rid of the intruders by killing them, because they stubbornly remain after death. ... > full story
Alternative Way To Save Brain Cells After Stroke Or Head Trauma, New Finding Suggests (January 6, 2009) -- Shredded extracellular matrix is toxic to neurons. Researchers reveal a new mechanism for how ECM demolition causes brain damage. The study suggests that drugs that block KA1, one subunit of the kainate receptor, might provide an alternative way to save brain cells after stroke or head trauma. ... > full story
Genetic Modification Turns E. Coli Bacteria Into High Density Biofuel (January 6, 2009) -- Scientists have successfully pushed nature beyond its limits by genetically modifying Escherichia coli, a bacterium often associated with food poisoning, to produce unusually long-chain alcohols essential in the creation of biofuels. ... > full story
Early Family Depression Has Lasting Effects On Teens, Young Adults (January 6, 2009) -- A new study on 485 Iowa adolescents over a 10-year period (1991-2001) found that early socioeconomic adversity experienced by children contributes to poor mental health by the time they become teens -- disrupting their successful transition into adulthood. ... > full story
Common Gene Variant Linked To High Blood Pressure Identified (January 6, 2009) -- Researchers have identified a common gene variant that appears to influence people's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The STK39 gene is the first hypertension susceptibility gene to be uncovered through a new technique called a genome-wide association study and confirmed by data from several independent studies. ... > full story
Acute Gastric Injury Due To High-dose Analgesics? (January 6, 2009) -- A new study has documented the gastrointestinal complications of high dose acetaminophen, a commonly used drug. The study investigated the acute high dose ingestion of analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen, with suicidal intent. The study results surprisingly indicated that acetaminophen induces gastric lesions. ... > full story
Power Of Wilderness Experiences As A Catalyst For Change In Young Offenders (January 6, 2009) -- Researchers have been working with young offenders to help them turn their lives around. Findings of the self-reported measures of self-confidence, trust, belonging and connectedness to nature showed that after each wilderness experience, feelings increased and during the months in between levels fell, as participants had less contact with nature. The final value at the end of the project was substantially higher than the initial starting value. ... > full story
Dormant Cancer Cells Rely On Cellular Self-cannibalization To Survive (January 5, 2009) -- A tumor-suppressing gene is a key to understanding, and perhaps killing, dormant ovarian cancer cells that persist after initial treatment only to reawaken later, researchers report. They found that expression of ARHI turns on autophagy, or self-eating, in ovarian cancer cells, which promotes their survival in a dormant state. ... > full story
Patient-derived Induced Stem Cells Retain Disease Traits (January 5, 2009) -- When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased. The dying cells -- the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy -- confirmed that the stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient. ... > full story
Newly Identified Gene Powerful Predictor Of Colon Cancer Metastasis (January 5, 2009) -- Scientists have identified a gene which enables them to predict for the first time with high probability if colon cancer is going to metastasize. They were able to demonstrate that the gene MACC1 not only promotes tumor growth but also the development of metastasis. When MACC1 gene activity is low, the life expectancy of patients with colon cancer is longer in comparison to patients with high MACC1 levels. ... > full story
Family Members Of Critically Ill Patients Want To Discuss Loved Ones' Uncertain Prognoses (January 5, 2009) -- Critically ill patients frequently have uncertain prognoses, but their families overwhelmingly wish that physicians would address prognostic uncertainty candidly, according to a new study. ... > full story
Scientists Make Strides Toward Defining Genetic Signature Of Alzheimer's Disease (January 5, 2009) -- Scientists have new information about the complex genetic signature associated with Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly. The research uses a powerful, high-resolution analysis to look for genes associated with this devastating neurodegenerative disorder. ... > full story
In Lung Cancer, Silencing One Crucial Gene Disrupts Normal Functioning Of Genome (January 5, 2009) -- While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, scientists have discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism. They say that "silencing" of a single gene in lung cancer led to a general impairment in genome-wide changes in cells, contributing to cancer development and progression. ... > full story
The Culture Of Medicine (January 5, 2009) -- Everybody is familiar with the stereotypes of medical education from the student perspective: grueling hours, little recognition, and even less glory. A new study pulls back the curtain on the dominant environment of academic medicine from the perspective of faculty, the providers of medical education in medical schools. The study raises questions about how the prevailing culture of academic medicine shapes the delivery of health care. ... > full story
Fusing Embryonic Stem Cells With Adult Cells Using Highly Efficient New Fusing System (January 5, 2009) -- Engineers have developed a new, highly efficient way to pair up cells so they can be fused together into a hybrid cell. The new technique should make it much easier for scientists to study what happens when two cells are combined. For example, fusing an adult cell and an embryonic stem cell allows researchers to study the genetic reprogramming that occurs in such hybrids. ... > full story
Genetic Variation May Lead To Early Cardiovascular Disease (January 5, 2009) -- Scientists have identified a variation in a particular gene that increases susceptibility to early coronary artery disease. For years, scientists have known that the devastating, early-onset form of the disease was inherited, but they knew little about the gene(s) responsible until now. ... > full story
Microbes In The Intestine: Friend Or Foe? (January 5, 2009) -- Micro-organisms in the intestine live in symbiosis with humans but can cause illness or even death. Scientists have researched the factors that make a person immune to worm infections. The knowledge can now be used to develop vaccines. ... > full story
Lung Cancer Cells Activate Inflammation To Induce Metastasis (January 5, 2009) -- Scientists have identified a protein produced by cancerous lung epithelial cells that enhances metastasis by stimulating the activity of inflammatory cells. ... > full story
Fat Tissue Is Sensitive To Irradiation (January 5, 2009) -- Scientists found that irradiation damages fat tissue. Radiation therapy directed at cancer management also damages normal tissues. Autologous transplant of tissues such as fat tissue has often been used to prevent the fibrosis, organ dysfunction, and necrosis that result from radiation treatment; however, the effects of radiation on the transplanted fat tissue had not been studied. ... > full story
Nutrigenomics: Developing Personalized Diets For Disease Prevention (January 5, 2009) -- The emerging field of nutrigenomics aims to identify the genetic factors that influence the body's response to diet and studies how the bioactive constituents of food affect gene expression. ... > full story
Fewer Deaths With Preventive Antibiotic Use (January 4, 2009) -- Administering antibiotics as a preventive measure to patients in intensive care units increases their chances of survival. This has emerged from a study involving nearly six thousand Dutch patients in thirteen hospitals. ... > full story
Immune Molecule Decreases Severity Of Multiple Sclerosis-like Disease In Mice (January 4, 2009) -- Scientists have explored the expression of an immune molecule (CXCL1) that interacts with myelin-producing cells, finding that CXCL1 decreases the severity of disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). ... > full story
Expectant Brains Help Predict Anxiety Treatment Success (January 4, 2009) -- A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment. ... > full story
Cancer Drug Effectively Treats Transplant Rejections (January 4, 2009) -- Researchers have discovered a new therapy for transplant patients, targeting the antibody-producing plasma cells that can cause organ rejection. ... > full story
Sulfurous Ping-pong In The Urinary Tract (January 4, 2009) -- Entirely new protein structures are very rarely found to drive known biochemical processes. But molecular biologists have just succeeded in finding an example. They studied the protein ASST, present in pathogenic E. coli bacteria, which cause urinary tract infections. In addition to an entirely new structure, the researchers found a transfer mechanism similar to ping-pong, whereby the "ball" is held a previously unknown manner. ... > full story
Vitamins C And E And Beta Carotene Again Fail To Reduce Cancer Risk In Randomized Controlled Trial (January 4, 2009) -- Women who took beta carotene or vitamin C or E or a combination of the supplements had a similar risk of cancer as women who did not take the supplements, according to data from a randomized controlled trial. ... > full story
Societal, Economic Burden Of Insomnia Is High (January 4, 2009) -- The indirect costs of untreated insomnia are significantly greater than the direct costs associated with its treatment. The study estimates that the total annual cost of insomnia in the province of Quebec is 6.5 billion Canadian dollars, representing about one percent of the province's 8.5 billion in gross domestic product for 2002. The largest proportions of all insomnia-related expenses are attributed to lost job productivity, absences from work and alcohol used as a sleep aid. ... > full story
Single Letter In Human Genome Points To Risk For High Cholesterol (January 3, 2009) -- Write out every letter in the human genome, one A, C, T or G per millimeter, and the text would be 1,800 miles long, roughly the distance from New York to Colorado. Now, in the search for genes that affect how humans synthesize, process and break down cholesterol, scientists have found a single letter among this expanse of code that is associated with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, one of the leading health concerns that has come to dominate the 21st century. ... > full story
Scientists Pull Protein's Tail To Curtail Cancer (January 3, 2009) -- When researchers look inside human cancer cells for the whereabouts of an important tumor-suppressor, they often catch the protein playing hooky, lolling around in cellular broth instead of muscling its way out to the cells' membranes and foiling cancer growth. ... > full story
Hope For Treating Kidney Cancer (January 3, 2009) -- Kidney cancer is typically without symptoms until it has spread to other organs, when it is also the most difficult to treat. ... > full story
Physical Disability Brings Marital Happiness (January 3, 2009) -- A new study finds that the onset of physical disability boosts marital happiness more often than not. ... > full story
Impaired Energy Metabolism Linked With Initiation Of Plaques In Alzheimer's Brain (January 3, 2009) -- Scientists have identified an initiating molecular mechanism in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study provides new information about generation of damaging amyloid beta (A-beta) plaques within the AD brain and underscores the importance of developing new preventative and disease-modifying therapies for AD, especially those aimed at interrupting pathological A-beta-production. ... > full story
Novel Pathway Involved In Therapy-resistant Cancers Discovered (January 3, 2009) -- Scientists have begun to unpick the complex mechanisms underpinning the development of drug resistant cancers. They have identified a novel target that may help to combat the growing problem of therapy resistant cancers and pave the way for innovative therapeutic approaches. ... > full story
Trying To Eat Less Becomes More Important To Fend Off Middle-Age Weight Gain (January 3, 2009) -- Lots of experts disagree over the seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight off by trying to eat less -- a debate that centers on whether the practice backfires, leading to binging and weight gain. ... > full story
Common Oral Osteoporosis Drugs Linked To Serious Jaw Necrosis (January 2, 2009) -- Clinical data links oral bisphosphonates to increased jaw necrosis. The study is among the first to acknowledge that even short-term use of common oral osteoporosis drugs may leave the jaw vulnerable to devastating necrosis. Fosomax is the most widely prescribed oral bisphosphonate. ... > full story
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