EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Bloodstream scavenger inhibits clotting without increased bleeding
A compound that mops up debris of damaged cells from the bloodstream may be the first in a new class of drugs designed to address one of medicine's most difficult challenges -- stopping the formation of blood clots without triggering equally threatening bleeding.

NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
Research shows potential of microneedles to target therapeutics to the back of the eye
Thanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye.

NIH/National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Nature Communications
New findings by GW researcher break tanning misconceptions: 'There is no such thing as a safe tan'
Nature Communications recently published GW research in a study titled, "Melanoma induction by ultraviolet A but not ultraviolet B radiation requires melanin pigment."

NIH/National Cancer Institute, Melanoma Research Foundation

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

AIDS and Behavior
Study finds non-disclosure of HIV serostatus common among India female sex workers
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine in partnership with Indian researchers and HIV positive networks groups, have found that in India, non-disclosure of HIV serostatus to sex partners among both HIV-infected female sex workers (FSWs) and HIV-infected clients of FSWs is exceedingly common. These findings currently appear online in the journal AIDS and Behavior.

NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Indian Council of Medical Research

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Nature Medicine
Neural precursor cells induce cell death in certain brain tumors
Neural precursor cells in the young brain suppress certain brain tumors such as high-grade gliomas, especially glioblastoma, which are among the most common and most aggressive tumors. Now researchers of the Max Delbr�ck Center and Charit� � Universit�tsmedizin Berlin have deciphered the underlying mechanism of action with which neural precursor cells protect the young brain against these tumors.

Helios-Clinics, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012
ICAP study finds concerningly high HIV infection rates for young black gay and bisexual men in US
Researchers at ICAP's Harlem Prevention Center joined the HIV Prevention Trials Network today to announce study results that showed disturbing rates of new HIV infections occurring among black gay and bisexual men in the US (also known as men who have sex with men, or MSM), particularly young black MSM.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Pediatrics
New lipid screening guidelines for children overly aggressive, UCSF researchers say
Recent guidelines recommending cholesterol tests for children fail to weigh health benefits against potential harms and costs, according to a new commentary authored by three physician-researchers at UCSF.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

XIX International AIDS Conference
HPTN study finds greatly elevated HIV infection rates among young black MSM in the US
Study results released today by the HIV Prevention Trials Network show disturbing rates of new HIV infections occurring among black gay and bisexual men in the US.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

American Heart Association�s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2012 Scientific Sessions

Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Aging heart cells rejuvenated by modified stem cells
Elderly heart failure patients' heart cells were rejuvenated with modified stem cells. The rejuvenated cells could one day be used to repair damaged heart muscles.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Polar bear evolution tracked climate change, new DNA study suggests
A whole-genome analysis suggests that polar bear numbers waxed and waned with climate change, and that the animals may have interbred with brown bears since becoming a distinct species millions of years ago.

Penn State University, University at Buffalo, US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Journal of Clinical Investigation
Loss of tiny liver molecule might lead to liver cancer
A new study shows that loss of a molecule called microRNA-122 in liver cells might lead to liver cancer. Cancer scientists found that when the molecule is missing, the liver develops fat deposits, inflammation and tumors that resemble hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer. Artificially restoring the molecule dramatically reduced the size and number of tumors and might offer a new way to treat the disease.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, NIH/ National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Pelotonia Grant, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Alcoholism and HIV infection have different effects on visuomotor procedural memory processes
Visuomotor procedural memory processes include driving a car, riding a bike, and using a computer mouse. This study examined the separate and combined injurious effects of chronic alcoholism and HIV infection upon visuomotor procedural memory processes. Results indicate the two conditions differently affect the processes involved in procedural learning and memory of visuomotor information.

NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Wake Forest School of Medicine

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
When campuses and their surrounding communities can join forces to stop alcohol abuse
US college students typically drink more than their non-college peers and are slow to 'mature out' of their harmful drinking patterns. A new study examines a combined community-level and campus-level approach to reducing high-risk drinking. Findings indicate this approach can decrease both severe and interpersonal consequences of drinking.

NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Wake Forest School of Medicine

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Functional neurologic abnormalities due to prenatal alcohol exposure are common
A new study has examined heavy alcohol exposure during pregnancy using population-based data in Chile. Approximately 80 percent of the children examined had one or more abnormalities associated with alcohol exposure. Functional neurologic impairment was the most frequent and sometimes only sign of alcohol exposure.

NIH/National Institute for Child Health and Human Development

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

Nature Neuroscience
Study offers new clue on how brain processes visual information
Ever wonder how the human brain, which is constantly bombarded with millions of pieces of visual information, can filter out what's unimportant and focus on what's most useful?

NIH/National Eye Institute

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

Nature Cell Biology
Lighting up the plant hormone 'command system'
Light is not only the source of a plant's energy, but also an environmental signal that instructs growth. As a result, a plant's sensitivity to light is of great interest to scientists and their research on this issue could help improve crop yields down the road. Similarly understanding a plant's temperature sensitivity could also help improve agriculture and feed more people. Two new papers identify key aspects of the hormonal responses of plants to changes in light and heat in their environments.

National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, China Scholarship Council

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

JAMA
HPV testing in HIV-positive women may help reduce frequent cervical cancer screening
Compared to the general population, HIV-positive women have a high risk of cervical cancer and thus are advised to undergo more frequent screening tests. This creates a burden for HIV-positive patients and the health care system, leading to frequent biopsies, which often do not reveal clinically relevant disease.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

XIX International AIDS Conference

JAMA
HIV suppression not as good as previously thought, largest study of viral-load blood tests show
Tens of thousands of Americans taking potent antiretroviral therapies, or ART, to keep their HIV disease in check may not have as much control over the viral infection as previous estimates have suggested, according to results of a study by AIDS experts at Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

XIX International AIDS Conference

JAMA
Increased cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected patients may relate to arterial inflammation
The elevated risk of cardiovascular disease seen in patients infected with HIV appears to be associated with increased inflammation within the arteries, according to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

Nature
Key mutations discovered for most common childhood brain cancer
Researchers at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC) linked mutations in specific genes to four subtypes of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor of children. The discovery, reported July in journal Nature, provides potential biomarkers for guiding and individualizing treatment and reveals prospective therapeutic opportunities for countering this devastating malignancy. For the first time, it's possible to classify and treat medulloblastoma based on molecular typing, providing the best therapy with the fewest long-term consequences.

NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH/National Cancer Institute, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, others

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

Nature Biotechnology
Artificial jellyfish swims in a heartbeat
A team of researchers at Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology have turned inanimate silicone and living cardiac muscle cells into a freely swimming "jellyfish." The finding serves as a proof of concept for reverse engineering a variety of muscular organs and simple life forms.

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Office of Naval Research

Public Release: 22-Jul-2012

XIX International AIDS Conference
For gay couples, condom decision-making and condom use varies by race
Black gay couples tend to practice safe sex but don't talk about it, while white gay couples discuss safety but are less likely to use condoms, according to new findings presented at the 19th International AIDS Conference. San Francisco State University researchers studied male couples in San Francisco and New York and explored the differences in how black, white and interracial male couples make decisions about using condoms with their primary partner.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jul-2012
Marshall University scientist awarded NIH grant for lung cancer research
A Marshall University faculty member has been awarded a three-year, $426,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further her research to determine if the nutritional agent capsaicin -- the active ingredient in chili peppers -- can improve the anti-cancer activity of the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin in patients with small cell lung cancer.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 19-Jul-2012

Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery
3-D tumor models improve drug discovery success rate
Imagine millions of cancer cells organized in thousands of small divots. Hit these cells with drugs and when some cells die, you have a candidate for a cancer drug. But a review published this week in the journal Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery argues that these 2-D models in fact offer very little information about a potential drug's effects in the body and may often give researchers misleading results.

NIH/National Eye Institute

Public Release: 19-Jul-2012

Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Meta-analysis: Interventions improve depression in cancer patients
Despite guidelines recommending screening for depression in cancer patients, it's been unclear whether interventions designed to treat this depression are effective. A study by the University of Colorado Cancer Center and other institutions, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, changes that. This meta-analysis of 10 studies encompassing 1362 patients shows that especially cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacologic interventions decrease depressive symptoms in cancer patients.

NIH/National Cancer Institute