In recent years, researchers have worked to develop more flexible, functional prosthetics for soldiers returning home from battlefields in Afghanistan or Iraq with missing arms or legs. But even new prosthetics have…
Maternal Obesity May Lead To Infertility In The Next Generation
Levels of the hormone ghrelin are low in obese women and a recent study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a publication of The Endocrine Society, reports that mice whose mothers had low…
Spinal Cord Processes Information Just Like Areas Of The Brain
Patrick Stroman’s work mapping the function and information processing of the spinal cord could improve treatment for spinal cord injuries. “Basic physiology books describe the spinal cord as a relay system, but…
Discovery In Liver Cancer Cells Provides New Target For Drugs
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) have discovered a novel mechanism in gene regulation that contributes to the development of a form of…
Genetic Errors Linked To Life-Threatening Pregnancy Disorder
Scientists have identified genetic errors in women with autoimmune diseases that increase the risk of preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs in 10 percent of all pregnancies. The researchers also found…
‘Sleeping Sickness’ Pandemic Offers Insight Into Parkinson’s
A bizarre disease that caused sufferers to fall into a deep ‘sleep’ while still being aware of their surroundings can offer us insight into the nature of Parkinson’s disease. Dr Paul Foley…
Molecular Code Regulating Neuronal Excitability Cracked By Scientists
A key question in protein biochemistry is how proteins recognize “correct” interaction partners in a sea of cellular factors. Nowhere is that more critical to know than in the brain, where interactions…
Trial Results Confirm Five Years Of Tamoxifen Boosts Breast Cancer Survival
Experts are urging breast cancer patients to complete their full prescription of tamoxifen, following long-term results from a major Cancer Research UK-funded trial which showed the cancer was less likely to come…
Breakthrough In Ultra-Sensitive Sensor Technology
Princeton researchers have invented an extremely sensitive sensor that opens up new ways to detect a wide range of substances, from tell-tale signs of cancer to hidden explosives. The sensor, which is…
Minority Women Might Have Higher Depression Risk In Pregnancy
A new study finds that African-American and Asian/Pacific Islander women have double the risk that others do of becoming depressed before giving birth, after adjusting for socioeconomic risk factors. Prenatal or antenatal…
Counting Lung Cancer Cells Opens Window On Disease
Cancer Research UK scientists have found that counting the number of lung cancer cells circulating in the blood could determine how aggressive the cancer is and predict the best treatment to use….
The Toothbrush, Dental Floss Effect Of Streptococcus Enzyme
Investigators from Japan show in vitro that the bacterium Streptococcus salivarius, a non-biofilm forming, and otherwise harmless inhabitant of the human mouth, actually inhibits the formation of dental biofilms, otherwise known as…
Revised Guidance Issued On Prevention Of GBS Infection
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College) issued revised guidelines for the prevention and treatment of perinatal group B streptococcal (GBS) disease. The document summarizes the 2010 US Centers for…
Gene Discovery That Increases Risk For Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis
Canadians have one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the world with approximately 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Primarily striking in adulthood, physicians and researchers with the Canadian…
Discovery Of Molecular Determinant Of Cell Identity
If a big bunch of your brain cells suddenly went rogue and decided to become fat cells, it could cloud your decision-making capacity a bit. Fortunately, early in an organism’s development, cells…