Health
MRSA-killing Antibiotic Developed
April 12, 2013 12:03 pm | News | CommentsA new broad range antibiotic has been found to kill a wide range of bacteria, including drug-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) bacteria that do not respond to traditional drugs. The antibiotic, Epimerox, targets weaknesses in bacteria that have long been exploited by viruses that attack themeria.
TB Fighter, Promoter Reveals Split Identity
April 12, 2013 11:17 am | News | CommentsTumor necrosis factor– normally an infection-fighting substance produced by the body– can actually heighten susceptibility to tuberculosis if its levels are too high. A new study shows how excess production of this disease-cell destroyer at first acts as a TB germ killer. But later the opposite occurs: Too much tumor necrosis factor encourages TB pathogens to multiply in the body.
3-D Structure of Telomerase Enzyme Mapped
April 12, 2013 10:58 am | News | CommentsLike finally seeing all the gears of a watch and how they work together, researchers have, for the first time ever, solved the puzzle of how the various components of an entire telomerase enzyme complex fit together and function in a three-dimensional structure.
Scientists Find ‘Second Fiddle’ Diabetes Protein
April 12, 2013 10:34 am | News | CommentsA team of researchers has found that a protein long believed to have a minor role in type 2 diabetes is, in fact, a central player in the development of the condition that affects nearly 26 million people in the United States alone and counts as one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke and kidney, eye and nerve damage.
New Way to Clear Cholesterol from Blood Discovered
April 11, 2013 10:50 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a new potential therapeutic target for lowering cholesterol that could be an alternative or complementary therapy to statins. Scientists in the lab of David Ginsburg at the Life Sciences Institute inhibited the action of a gene responsible for transporting a protein that interferes with the ability of the liver to remove cholesterol from the blood in mice.
Implanted ‘Bracelet’ Treats Chronic Heartburn
April 11, 2013 10:31 am | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsA tiny magnetic bracelet implanted at the base of the throat is greatly improving life for some people with chronic heartburn who get limited relief from medicines. It's a novel way to treat severe acid reflux, which plagues millions of Americans and can raise their risk for more serious health problems.
‘Protein Switch’ Can Pinpoint Cancer’s Key Players
April 11, 2013 10:28 am | News | CommentsResearchers have “rationally rewired” some of the cell’s smallest components to create proteins that can be switched on or off by command. These “protein switches” can be used to interrogate the inner workings of each cell, helping scientists uncover the molecular mechanisms of human health and disease.
Doctors Can ‘See’ Pain
April 10, 2013 5:02 pm | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsIn a provocative new study, scientists reported Wednesday that they were able to “see” pain on brain scans and, for the first time, measure its intensity and tell whether a drug was relieving it. Though the research is in its early stages, it opens the door to a host of possibilities.
Medication Nation: Study Shows Antibiotic Overuse
April 10, 2013 4:59 pm | by MIKE STOBBE - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsU.S. doctors are prescribing enough antibiotics to give them to 4 out of 5 Americans every year, an alarming pace that suggests they are being overused, a new government study finds. Overuse is one reason antibiotics are losing their punch, making infections harder to treat.
Mouse Brains Made Transparent
April 10, 2013 1:29 pm | by MALCOLM RITTER - AP Science Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsTalk about clearing your head: Stanford University scientists have found a way to make see-through mouse brains. You take the brain out of the mouse, soak it in chemicals for a couple of days, and voila: It becomes transparent. That's not just a parlor trick.
Healing by the Clock
April 10, 2013 11:26 am | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsCircadian rhythms keep time for all living things, from regulating when plants open their flowers to foiling people when they try to beat jet lag. Day-night cycles are controlled through ancient biological mechanisms, evolutionarily speaking, so in essence, a human has the same internal clock as a fly does.
Bedbug-trapping Leaves May Lead to Pest Control
April 10, 2013 10:48 am | News | CommentsInspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects, according to new research. Bedbugs have made a dramatic comeback in the U.S. in recent years, infesting everything from homes and hotels to schools, movie theaters and hospitals.
Researchers Create Next-gen Alzheimer’s Model
April 10, 2013 10:18 am | News | CommentsA new genetically engineered lab rat that has the full array of brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease supports the idea that increases in a molecule called beta-amyloid in the brain causes the disease, according to a new study.
Tiny Proteins Prevent Bacterial Gene Transcription
April 10, 2013 10:10 am | News | CommentsIn the search for new antibiotics, researchers are taking an unusual approach: They are developing peptides, short chains of protein building blocks that effectively inhibit a key enzyme of bacterial metabolism. The road from gene to protein has an important stop along the way: ribonucleic acid, or RNA.
Symposium Examines Arsenic Contamination in Food, Water
April 10, 2013 9:57 am | News | CommentsAfter virtually eliminating arsenic as a useful tool for homicide, science now faces challenges in doing the same for natural sources of this fabled old “inheritance powder” that contaminates water supplies and food, threatening more than 35 million people worldwide.
Safety Reflectors Reused in Bioterror Detection
April 10, 2013 9:49 am | News | CommentsTiny versions of the reflectors on sneakers and bicycle fenders that help ensure the safety of runners and bikers at night are moving toward another role in detecting bioterrorism threats and diagnosing everyday infectious diseases, scientists said.
Combo Therapy New Key to Treating Blindness
April 10, 2013 9:42 am | News | CommentsResearchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man’s best friend, the treatment could help restore vision in people, too.
Green Coffee Beans Linked to Diabetic Control
April 9, 2013 12:52 pm | News | CommentsScientists described evidence that natural substances extracted from unroasted coffee beans can help control the elevated blood sugar levels and body weight that underpin type 2 diabetes. Their presentation on chlorogenic acids― widely available as a dietary supplement was part of the 245th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Do Cells in the Body Smell the Food We Eat?
April 9, 2013 12:46 pm | News | CommentsIn a discovery suggesting that odors may have a far more important role in life than previously believed, scientists have found that heart, blood, lung and other cells in the body have the same receptors for sensing odors that exist in the nose.
New Brain Cancer Treatment is More Effective, Less Toxic
April 9, 2013 10:00 am | News | CommentsA Phase 2 clinical trial, described this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, tested a new protocol for treating a relatively rare form of brain cancer, primary CNS lymphoma, that may change the standard of care for this disease, according to doctors who led the research.
Hot and Cold Senses Interact
April 9, 2013 9:31 am | News | CommentsA new study offers insights into how the nervous system processes hot and cold temperatures. The research found an interaction between the neural circuits that detect hot and cold stimuli: Cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated.
Robot Hot Among Surgeons, FDA Taking a New Look
April 9, 2013 3:19 am | by BY LINDSEY TANNER - AP MEDICAL WRITER | News | CommentsThe biggest thing in operating rooms these days is a million-dollar, multi-armed robot named da Vinci, used in nearly 400,000 surgeries nationwide last year- triple the number just four years earlier. But now the high-tech helper is under scrutiny over reports of problems, including several deaths that may be linked with it and the high cost of using the robotic system.
Drug for Morning Sickness Making a Comeback
April 8, 2013 7:55 pm | by LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsTalk about a comeback: A treatment pulled off the market 30 years ago has won Food and Drug Administration approval again as the only drug specifically designated to treat morning sickness. That long-ago safety scare, prompted by hundreds of lawsuits claiming birth defects, proved to be a false alarm.
Engineered T Cells Kill Tumors, Spare Normal Tissue
April 8, 2013 11:09 am | News | CommentsThe need to distinguish between normal cells and tumor cells is a feature that has been long sought for most types of cancer drugs. Tumor antigens, unique proteins on the surface of a tumor, are potential targets for a normal immune response against cancer.
Illusive Vel Blood Group Gene Uncovered
April 8, 2013 10:55 am | News | CommentsResearchers have uncovered the gene at the root of a human blood group that has remained a mystery for the past 60 years. They showed that a genetic deletion on this gene is responsible for the lack of this blood group in some people. With the discovery of the gene behind the Vel blood group, medical scientists can now develop a more reliable DNA test to identify people who lack this group.
