Disease Research
New Sensor Transmits Brain Activity Wirelessly
March 20, 2013 9:51 am | by National Institutes of Health | News | CommentsA compact, self-contained sensor recorded and transmitted brain activity data wirelessly for more than a year in early stage animal tests, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Study Reveals How Some Prostate Tumors Resist Treatment
March 19, 2013 11:45 am | News | CommentsHormonal therapies can help control advanced prostate cancer for a time. However, for most men, at some point their prostate cancer eventually stops responding to further hormonal treatment. This stage of the disease is called androgen-insensitive or castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Panel: No Anthrax Vaccine Testing in Kids
March 19, 2013 12:10 am | by LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsDon't look for testing of the anthrax vaccine to begin in children any time soon. Controversy arose last year as experts debated whether such studies should be done to learn how to treat children in case of a bioterror attack.
Keep Trained Eye on Possible Concussions, Docs Say
March 18, 2013 4:33 pm | by MALCOLM RITTER - AP Science Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsWhen athletes are suspected of having a concussion, they should be taken out of action immediately, new guidelines from a major medical group say. The American Academy of Neurology said athletes shouldn't resume playing until they've been fully evaluated and cleared by a doctor or other professional with concussion expertise.
Report Highlights 1 in 3 Seniors Dies with, Not of, Dementia
March 18, 2013 12:47 pm | by BY LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP MEDICAL WRITER | News | CommentsA staggering 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, says a new report that highlights the impact the mind-destroying disease is having on the rapidly aging population.
Study Pinpoints a Possible Migraine-tracking Biomarker
March 18, 2013 11:25 am | News | CommentsIn a small, preliminary study of regular migraine sufferers, scientists have found that measuring a fat-derived protein called adiponectin (ADP) before and after migraine treatment can accurately reveal which headache victims felt pain relief.
Hundreds Checked for Rabies After Transplant Death
March 18, 2013 9:12 am | News | CommentsPublic health agencies in five states are assessing the rabies risk for hundreds of people who may have had close contact with an infected organ donor and four transplant recipients, one of whom died, officials said Saturday.
New Cancer Diagnostic Technique Debuts
March 15, 2013 3:58 pm | News | CommentsCancer cells break down sugars and produce the metabolic acid lactate at a much higher rate than normal cells. This phenomenon provides a telltale sign that cancer is present. Now, a team of researchers has devised a molecular sensor that can detect levels of lactate in individual cells in real time.
Deadly Fungus Battles Copper Immune Attack
March 15, 2013 11:10 am | News | CommentsA potentially lethal fungal infection appears to gain virulence by being able to anticipate and disarm a hostile immune attack in the lungs, according to findings by researchers.
Suppressing Brain ‘Filter’ Improves Creative Tasks
March 15, 2013 10:52 am | News | CommentsResearchers have shown that inhibiting the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s filter, can boost performance for tasks in which unfiltered, creative thoughts present an advantage.
Vitamin E Can Help Prevent Cancer
March 15, 2013 10:31 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified an elusive anti-cancer property of vitamin E that has long been presumed to exist, but difficult to find.
Radiation Pulses Cause DNA Damage, Induce Repair
March 15, 2013 10:15 am | News | CommentsNew research performed on lab-grown human skin suggests that short but powerful bursts of THz radiation may both cause DNA damage and increase the production of proteins that help the body fight cancer.
Building Smarter—and Smarter—Mice
March 15, 2013 9:54 am | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | CommentsTwo labs reported last week making mice smarter, in two different ways, one of which “changes everything,” according to top neuroscientist Douglas Fields.
Dual Approach May Bring Universal Flu Shot
March 15, 2013 9:44 am | News | CommentsResearchers report that influenza virus-specific CD8+ T cells or virus-specific non-neutralizing antibodies are each relatively ineffective at conferring protective immunity alone. But, when combined, the virus-specific CD8 T cells and non-neutralizing antibodies cooperatively elicit robust protective immunity.
Using Fat to Fight Brain Cancer
March 14, 2013 3:51 pm | News | CommentsResearchers say they have found that stem cells from a patient’s own fat may have the potential to deliver new treatments directly into the brain after the surgical removal of a glioblastoma.
Stent Can Replace Shunt in Pseudotumor Brain Treatment
March 14, 2013 12:42 pm | News | CommentsA team of neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons reported wide success with a new procedure to treat pseudotumor cerebri, a rare but potentially blinding condition marked by excessive pressure inside the skull, caused by a dangerous narrowing of a vein located at the base of the brain.
Protein “Mousetrap” Stops Cancer-driving Enzyme
March 14, 2013 11:26 am | News | CommentsA seemingly obscure gene in the female fruit fly that is only active in cells that will become eggs has led researchers to the discovery of an atypical protein that lures, traps and inactivates the powerful Polo kinase, widely considered the master regulator of cell division.
New Brain Study Reveals Parkinson’s Pathway
March 14, 2013 10:39 am | News | CommentsA new study offers insight into some of the precise impairments caused by the loss of dopamine in brain cells affected by Parkinson’s disease. The findings could help researchers not only better understand the disease, but also develop more targeted treatments.
The Importance of Genomics for Cancer Research
March 14, 2013 10:20 am | by Ruth Burton, PhD, Product Manager Genomic Solutions, Oxford Gene Technology | Articles | CommentsDespite significant advances, cancer remains one of the predominant causes of mortality in the modern world, and as such has remained a top research priority. It is a complex and continually evolving genetic disease and, as such, requires sophisticated tools for study.
Radiation for Breast Cancer Can Harm Hearts
March 13, 2013 5:24 pm | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsWomen treated with radiation for breast cancer are more likely to develop heart problems later, even with the lower doses used today, troubling new research suggests. The risk comes from any amount of radiation, starts five years after treatment and lasts for decades, doctors found.
Imaging Drug Finds Cancerous Lymph Nodes
March 13, 2013 1:45 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Food and Drug Administration has approved a new imaging drug, Lymphoseek, from Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc., to help doctors locate lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer and skin cancer.
Bacteria Tricked to Deliver Safer Vaccine
March 13, 2013 10:26 am | News | CommentsVaccines that employ weakened but live pathogens to trigger immune responses have inherent safety issues but researchers have developed a new trick to circumvent the problem— using bacteria’s own cellular mistakes to deliver a safe vaccine.
B Cells Regulate Obesity-associated Inflammation, Type 2 Diabetes
March 13, 2013 9:48 am | News | CommentsNew research reveals that B cells regulate obesity-associated inflammation and type 2 diabetes through two specific mechanisms.
Bitter Melon Juice Kills Pancreatic Cancer Cells
March 13, 2013 9:31 am | News | CommentsA new study shows that bitter melon juice restricts the ability of pancreatic cancer cells to metabolize glucose, thus cutting the cells’ energy source and eventually killing them.
FDA Adds Heart Risk Warning to Zithromax
March 12, 2013 5:27 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors and patients that a widely used antibiotic from Pfizer can cause rare but deadly heart rhythms in some patients. The agency said Tuesday that it is adding new warnings to the label of Zithromax, which is commonly used to treat bronchitis, pneumonia and other infections.
