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New Immune System Discovered
May 21, 2013 | Comments
Mucus may be slimy and gross, but a research team has discovered that it is also home to a powerful immune system that could change the way doctors treat a number of diseases. In this previously undocumented immune system, researchers uncovered bacteria-infecting viruses known as bacteriophage, which shield the body from invading infection.
A New Way to Open Clogged Arteries
May 21, 2013 11:03 am | Comments
Over the past few decades, scientists have developed many devices that can reopen clogged...
Epigenetics Can Predict Postpartum Depression
May 21, 2013 10:04 am | Comments
Researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when...
'Lifespan Machine' Monitors Worm Aging
May 20, 2013 12:00 pm | by Harvard Medical School | Comments
The worm’s tail wriggles, a micrometer-scale twitch. A scanner captures the new posture....
Biogen submits new MS drug for FDA approval
May 21, 2013 3:13 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsSpecialty drugmaker Biogen Idec said Tuesday it submitted a new injectable multiple sclerosis drug to the Food and Drug Administration for U.S. market approval. The drug, called Plegridy, is intended to treat patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, a disease of the immune system in...
France: Drugmaker on trial, suspected in deaths
May 21, 2013 1:35 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe makers of a diabetes and weight loss drug suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people went on trial Tuesday, facing charges they misled the public about the product's safety. But after years of delays in one of France's biggest recent health scandals, the proceedings could still be pushed...
Salamanders Hold Solution to 'Perfect' Regeneration
May 21, 2013 11:45 am | CommentsSalamanders’ immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have found. New research found that when immune cells known as macrophages were systemically removed, salamanders lost their ability to regenerate a limb and instead formed scar tissue.
Tunisia announces 3 cases of coronavirus, 1 death
May 21, 2013 6:23 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsTunisia's Health Ministry says a 66-year-old man has died after being infected by the new coronavirus following a visit to Saudi Arabia. The ministry's statement reported that his son and daughter were also diagnosed with the virus but have been treated and since recovered. The cases are the...
After a decade, global AIDS program looks ahead
May 21, 2013 3:08 am | by JIM ABRAMS - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsThe decade-old law that transformed the battle against HIV and AIDS in developing countries is at a crossroads. The dream of future generations freed from epidemic is running up against an era of economic recovery and harsh budget cuts. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief grew out of...
Report: NPS hantavirus response followed policy
May 21, 2013 12:10 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsYOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Federal investigators probing the hantavirus outbreak blamed for three deaths at Yosemite National Park recommended on Monday that design changes to tent cabins and other privately run lodging first be reviewed by National Park Service officials. The report...
Pfizer halts study of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma drug
May 20, 2013 6:39 pm | by LINDA A. JOHNSON - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | CommentsDrugmaker Pfizer Inc. has halted a late-stage study of an experimental cancer compound being tested in patients with a certain form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, because an interim analysis showed the drug wasn't helping patients live longer. Pfizer said late Monday that it was stopping the study...
Sports seem OK for many with heart-zapping device
May 20, 2013 5:47 pm | by LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | CommentsNew research is challenging medical guidelines that say people with a heart-zapping device in their chests should avoid intense sports like basketball and soccer in favor of golf or bowling. Lots of patients ignore that take-it-easy advice and stay in the game, and Monday's findings suggest...
NYU Researchers Took Chinese Bribes
May 20, 2013 3:37 pm | by BY TOM HAYS - ASSOCIATED PRESS | CommentsThree New York University researchers from China divulged results from a federally funded study to Chinese competitors in exchange for tuition, rent and other expenses, federal prosecutors say. Yudong Zhu, a U.S.-educated NYU professor, and Xing Yang, a lab engineer, were released on bail after appearing in federal court in Manhattan to face commercial bribery and other charges. They left court without speaking to reporters.
Royalty Pharma increases bid for drugmaker Elan
May 20, 2013 2:33 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsRoyalty Pharma has raised its offer to buy Elan on the condition that shareholders reject the Irish drugmaker's push to refocus its business through a string of recently announced deals, including two new deals unveiled Monday. Royalty said Monday it will pay $12.50 in cash for each share of Elan...
FDA has safety concerns with Merck insomnia drug
May 20, 2013 11:42 am | by MATTHEW PERRONE - AP Health Writer - Associated Press | CommentsFederal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday released its review of the company's sleep aid,...
Multitasking Neurons Enhance Brain Flexibility
May 20, 2013 11:40 am | CommentsOver the past few decades, neuroscientists have made much progress in mapping the brain by deciphering the functions of individual neurons that perform very specific tasks, such as recognizing the location or color of an object. However, there are many neurons, especially in brain regions that perform sophisticated functions such as thinking and planning, that don’t fit into this pattern.
New MATH Method for Head, Neck Cancer
May 20, 2013 11:05 am | CommentsA new method of measuring the variety of genetic mutations found in cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. The research describes how a new way of measuring tumor heterogeneity was a better predictor of survival than are most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Biochemical Transformations Were Possible on Early Earth
May 20, 2013 10:50 am | CommentsThe study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes, the study’s findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began.
Osteoarthritis Progression Halted
May 20, 2013 10:30 am | CommentsScientists have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage.
