Cancer of the liver rare in the United States but the third-leading cause of cancer death worldwide can result from environmental exposures or infections like chronic hepatitis, but the link is poorly understood. Now, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a mechanism in...
Lymphedema, a chronic swelling condition common in breast cancer survivors, affects three million people in the U.S. In the past, most people believed that exercise might induce or worsen lymphedema. After reviewing the literature, University of Missouri researchers say the benefits of exercise...
When you shatter your kneecap, the surgeon may use an implanted scaffold to coax your bones to knit back together properly. But what happens to the scaffold once you're healed? With this new system, the scaffold just melts away. More »
A team of scientists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and CellThera, a private company located in WPI's Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center, have regenerated functional muscle tissue in mice, opening the door for a new clinical therapy to treat people who suffer major muscle...
Changing the organ donation process in this country from opt-in by, say, checking a box on a driver's license application to opt-out, which presumes someone's willingness to donate after death unless they explicitly object while alive, would not be likely to increase the donation rate in the...
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition associated with obesity and heart disease long thought to undermine health and longevity. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests the condition does not affect survival. A report on the study was published online last...
A new study shows that carotid artery stenting (CAS) following prior same-side carotid artery revascularization is safe, effective and results in lower incidences of in-hospital death, stroke and heart attack compared to first-time CAS for carotid artery stenosis. This study received "Best of...
Clinician-scientists in the Princess Margaret Cancer Program have found a promising approach to treating leukemia, using an old drug in a new way. The proof-of-concept research published today in Cancer Cell (10.1016/j.ccr.2011.10.015) describes how the Canadian team discovered that the...
"Recent data and my own personal experience suggest it's time to start thinking of autism as an advantage in some spheres, not a cross to bear," says Dr. Laurent Mottron, MD, PhD, a professor at the University of Montreal's department of Psychiatry and the director of the autism program at...
According to a study published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, physicians can determine who is likely to have a higher risk of severe high altitude illness (SHAI) by measuring specific...
Finally, E. coli is good for something other than making you regret not washing that lettuce better. Boffins at the Imperial College London have employed the bacteria as living Boolean logic gates—potential building blocks for bio-computers of the future. More »
Instinctive mothering behavior towards care of newborns has long been recognized as a phenomenon in humans and animals, but now research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has shown that motherhood is associated with the acquisition of a host of new behaviors that are driven, at least in...
Itching is one of the most prevalent side effects of powerful, pain-killing drugs like morphine, oxycodone and other opioids. The opiate-associated itch is so common that even women who get epidurals for labor pain often complain of itching. For many years, scientists have scratched their own...
Researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed and used a high-throughput molecular screening approach that identifies and characterizes chemical compounds that can target the stem cells that are responsible for creating deadly brain tumors. Glioblastoma is one of the...
Research by biologists at the University of York and Hull York Medical School has revealed important new information about the way the brain is affected by age. Working with scientists at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Plymouth, they have studied responses to stress in...
It's a bit of a challenge. But, imagine a microscopic jet vacuum cleaner, the size of a pen nib that hovers over cell surfaces without ever touching them. Then imagine that the soap in the cleaning solution is replaced with various molecules that can be selectively delivered to the cells. This...
Errors in the copying and reading of genes can have very serious consequences. Fortunately human genetic material is available in duplicate as everyone inherits a complete genome from both their mother and father. However, the two genomes are different: researchers refer to the different...
A study involving more than 200,000 people worldwide has identified 29 DNA sequence variations in locations across the human genome that influence blood pressure. These genes, whose sequence changes are associated with alterations in blood pressure and are linked to heart disease and stroke...
University of Leeds researchers have used next-generation DNA sequencing techniques to discover what causes a rare form of inherited eye disorders, including cataracts and glaucoma, in young children. The findings should make it easier to identify families with this condition who are at risk of...
The risk of breast cancer dropped significantly in mice when their regular diet included a modest amount of walnut, Marshall University researchers report in the journal Nutrition and Cancer. The study, led by Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, compared the...