Health
Epigenetic Changes Shed Light on Autism
April 23, 2013 1:13 pm | News | CommentsScientists have identified patterns of epigenetic changes involved in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by studying genetically identical twins who differ in autism traits. The study is the largest of its kind and may shed light on the biological mechanism by which environmental influences regulate the activity of certain genes and in turn contribute to the development of ASD and related behavior traits.
Small Molecule Destroys Potentially Dangerous Cells
April 23, 2013 12:52 pm | News | CommentsPluripotent stem cells can turn, or differentiate, into any cell type in the body, such as nerve, muscle or bone, but inevitably some of these stem cells fail to differentiate and end up mixed in with their newly differentiated daughter cells.
Stem Cells Transformed into Brain Cells
April 23, 2013 12:37 pm | News | CommentsIn a serendipitous discovery, scientists have found a way to turn bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells. Current techniques for turning patients’ marrow cells into cells of some other desired type are relatively cumbersome, risky and effectively confined to the lab dish.
Gone, But Not Forgotten
April 23, 2013 12:16 pm | News | CommentsAn international team of neuroscientists has described for the first time in exhaustive detail the underlying neurobiology of an amnesiac who suffered from profound memory loss after damage to key portions of his brain. In a new paper, researchers recount the case of EP, a man who suffered radical memory loss and dysfunction following a bout of viral encephalitis.
Newly Discovered Genes Can Treat Childhood Arthritis
April 23, 2013 12:03 pm | News | CommentsScientists have identified 14 new genes which could have important consequences for future treatments of childhood arthritis. Researchers looked at DNA extracted from blood and saliva samples of 2,000 children with childhood arthritis and compared these to healthy people.
Listeria Bacteria Targets Pancreatic Cancer
April 22, 2013 4:00 pm | by Einstein | News | CommentsResearchers have developed a therapy for pancreatic cancer that uses Listeria bacteria to selectively infect tumor cells and deliver radioisotopes into them. The experimental treatment dramatically decreased the number of metastases (cancers that have spread to other parts of the body) in a mouse model of highly aggressive pancreatic cancer without harming healthy tissue.
Reproductive Effects of Pesticides Span Generations
April 22, 2013 12:58 pm | News | CommentsResearchers studying aquatic organisms called Daphnia have found that exposure to a chemical pesticide has impacts that span multiple generations– causing the so-called “water fleas” to produce more male offspring, and causing reproductive problems in female offspring.
Gene Expression Data Yields Significant Tumor Breakthroughs
April 22, 2013 12:48 pm | News | CommentsA massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor’s fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks.
Stem Cell Transplant Restores Memory, Learning
April 22, 2013 12:21 pm | News | CommentsFor the first time, human embryonic stem cells have been transformed into nerve cells that helped mice regain the ability to learn and remember. A new study shows that human stem cells can successfully implant themselves in the brain and then heal neurological deficits.
Man Dies as UK Measles Epidemic Spreads
April 19, 2013 5:16 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsU.K. authorities say a 25-year-old man is suspected to have died from measles as an epidemic continues to sweep across south Wales. The outbreak has led to more than 800 infections and renewed discussions over the failure of some parents to vaccinate their children against the potentially fatal virus.
The Gene Therapy Renaissance
April 19, 2013 2:07 pm | News | CommentsIn 1999, researchers injected 19 people with a virus carrying a gene designed to correct a rare metabolic disease. Early results appeared promising: Among the first 17 adult subjects, the worst symptom was a fever, an expected response to the modified virus that carried the therapeutic gene. The 18th subject was Jesse Gelsinger, who died.
Study Reveals How Enzymes ‘Walk’ on DNA
April 19, 2013 11:44 am | News | CommentsScientists have revealed how a bacterial enzyme has evolved an energy-efficient method to move long distances along DNA. The findings present further insight into the coupling of chemical and mechanical energy by a class of enzymes called helicases, a widely-distributed group of proteins, which in human cells are implicated in some cancers.
Hologram-like 3-D Brain Decodes Migraine Pain
April 19, 2013 11:00 am | News | CommentsWielding a joystick and wearing special glasses, pain researcher Alexandre DaSilva rotates and slices apart a large, colorful, 3-D brain floating in space before him. Despite the white lab coat, it appears DaSilva's playing the world's most advanced virtual video game.
China Bird Flu Not Spreading Easily in Humans
April 19, 2013 1:44 am | by BY GILLIAN WONG -- ASSOCIATED PRESS | News | CommentsThere's no evidence a new bird flu strain is spreading easily among people in China even though there may be sporadic cases of the virus spreading to people who have close contacts with patients, the World Health Organization said Friday. Fifteen global and Chinese health experts are on a mission in Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about the H7N9 bird flu virus that has killed 17 people and sickened 70 others.
Individual Neurons Linked to Aggression Regulation in Flies
April 18, 2013 3:51 pm | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsScientists have long pondered the roots of aggression—and ways to temper it. Now, new research is beginning to illuminate the cellular-level circuitry responsible for modulating aggression in fruit flies, with the hope of someday translating the findings to humans.
Food Poisonings Up from Raw Milk, Poultry Bacteria
April 18, 2013 12:09 pm | by MIKE STOBBE - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsHealth officials are seeing more food poisonings caused by a bacteria commonly linked to raw milk and poultry. A study released Thursday said campylobacter cases grew by 14 percent over the last five years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report was based on foodborne infections in only 10 states- about 15 percent of the American population.
Cancer-causing DNA Breakdowns Explored
April 18, 2013 11:46 am | News | CommentsNew research has thrown light on the way breakdowns in the DNA copying process inside cells can contribute to cancer and other diseases. A team of researchers discovered that the protein machines that copy DNA in a model organism pause frequently during this copying process, creating the potential for dangerous mutations to develop.
Memory Loss Reversed in Animal Brains
April 18, 2013 11:09 am | News | CommentsNeuroscientists have taken a major step in their efforts to help people with memory loss tied to brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Using sea snail nerve cells, the scientists reversed memory loss by determining when the cells were primed for learning.
Researchers Test Caffeine's Effect on Cancer
April 18, 2013 11:04 am | News | CommentsResearchers are abuzz after using fruit flies to find new ways of taking advantage of caffeine’s lethal effects on cancer cells—results that could one day be used to advance cancer therapies for people. Previous research has established that caffeine interferes with processes in cancer cells that control DNA repair, a finding that has generated interest in using the stimulant as a chemotherapy treatment.
Scientists Decode DNA of ‘Living Fossil’ Fish
April 17, 2013 2:42 pm | by MALCOLM RITTER - AP Science Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsScientists have decoded the DNA of a celebrated “living fossil” fish, gaining new insights into how today's mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds evolved from a fish ancestor. The African coelacanth is closely related to the fish lineage that started to move toward a major evolutionary transformation, living on land.
Rat Brain ‘GPS’ Maps Routes to Rewards
April 17, 2013 12:46 pm | News | CommentsWhile studying rats’ ability to navigate familiar territory, scientists found that one particular brain structure uses remembered spatial information to imagine routes the rats then follow. Their discovery has implications for understanding why damage to that structure, called the hippocampus, disrupts specific types of memory and learning in people with Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline.
Acute Stress is Good for the Brain
April 17, 2013 11:42 am | News | CommentsOverworked and stressed out? Look on the bright side: Some stress is good for you. New research has uncovered exactly how acute stress– short-lived, not chronic– primes the brain for improved performance. In studies on rats, researchers found that significant, but brief stressful events caused stem cells in their brains to proliferate into new nerve cells.
Molecule Treats Leukemia by Blocking DNA Repair
April 17, 2013 10:44 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a molecule that prevents repair of some cancer cells, providing a potential new "genetic chemotherapy" approach to cancer treatment that could significantly reduce side effects and the development of treatment resistance compared with traditional chemotherapy.
Decoding the Structure of Bone
April 17, 2013 10:28 am | News | CommentsThe bones that support our bodies are made of remarkably complex arrangements of materials— so much so that decoding the precise structure responsible for their great strength and resilience has eluded scientists’ best efforts for decades. But now, a team of researchers has finally unraveled the structure of bone with almost atom-by-atom precision.
Colic May be Early Form of Migraines
April 16, 2013 4:49 pm | by LINDSEY TANNER - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe distressing nonstop crying in babies with colic is often blamed on tummy trouble, but a new study says the problem could be linked with migraine headaches in at least some infants. Children and teens treated for migraine headaches at three hospitals in Italy and France were much more likely than other kids to have had colic in infancy.
