EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health

Study in Nature: MicroRNAs hold promise for treating diseases in blood vessels

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Rochester Medical Center) A newly discovered mechanism controls whether muscle cells in blood vessels hasten the development of both atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, according to an article published online today in the journal Nature.

Pitt team finds molecule that regulates heart size by using zebrafish screening model

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences) Using zebrafish, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified and described in Nature Chemical Biology an enzyme inhibitor that increases the number of cardiac progenitor cells and influences the size of the developing heart. The task was accomplished primarily because of the powerful advantages of studying embryonic development in zebrafish, vertebrates whose transparent embryos develop rapidly, are small and easy to handle and, most importantly, grow outside of the mother.

DNA variations linked to brain tumors

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Mayo Clinic) Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues at the University of California San Francisco have found a connection between DNA alterations on human chromosome 9 and aggressive brain cancer known as glioblastoma.

Gladstone scientists identify genetic factors that hold promise for treatment of vascular diseases

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Gladstone Institutes) Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have discovered a key switch that makes stem cells turn into the type of muscle cells that reside in the wall of blood vessels. The same switch might be used in the future to limit growth of vascular muscle cells that cause narrowing of arteries leading to heart attacks and strokes, limit formation of blood vessels that feed cancers or make new blood vessels for organs that are not getting enough blood flow.

GUMC discovery highlights new direction for drug discovery

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Georgetown University Medical Center) In a discovery that rebuffs conventional scientific thinking, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered a novel way to block the activity of the fusion protein responsible for Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer found in children and young adults.

Variations in 5 genes raise risk for most common brain tumors

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) Common genetic variations spread across five genes raise a person's risk of developing the most frequent type of brain tumor, an international research team reports online in Nature Genetics.

Rare sheep could be key to better diagnostic tests in developing world, says Stanford study

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Stanford University Medical Center) The newest revolution in microbiology testing walks on four legs and says "baa". It's the hair sheep, a less-hirsute version of the familiar woolly barnyard resident. A new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, which is to be published July 3 in PLoS ONE, finds that not only are these ruminants low-maintenance and parasite-resistant, they're also perfect blood donors for the microbiology tests necessary to diagnose infectious disease in the developing world.

Study identifies how tamoxifen stimulates uterine cell growth and cancer

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - San Francisco) University of California - San Francisco researchers have identified a new "feed-forward" pathway linking estrogen receptors in the membrane of the uterus to a process that increases local estrogen levels and promotes cell growth.

Perfect pitch study offers window into influences of nature and nurture

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - San Francisco) Practice, practice, practice might get you to Carnegie Hall, but for aspiring musicians, there's new evidence that genes may influence one's ability to get there, as well.

Learning from locusts

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Queen's University) A similarity in brain disturbance between insects and people suffering from migraines, stroke and epilepsy points the way toward new drug therapies to address these conditions.

Prostate cancer patients disease free after 5 years likely to be disease free after 10 years

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Society for Radiation Oncology) Prostate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Center receives grant renewal for hypertension and vascular disease studies

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) The Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest University School of Medicine has received renewal of a multi-million dollar grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to continue the development of new approaches to treat hypertension and vascular disease. The program is in its 16th year of existence at the School of Medicine.

Brain malformations significantly associated with preterm birth, Wake Forest research shows

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides for the first time a solid scientific answer for the long-standing question of whether there is an association between preterm birth and brain malformations.

Overweight kids experience more loneliness, anxiety, MU study finds

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Missouri-Columbia) As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.

Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal connection between cancer and human evolution

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have discovered that gene mutations that once helped humans survive may increase the possibility for diseases, including cancer. The findings were recently the cover story in the journal Genome Research.

UT multimedia program increases middle school interest in science

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Middle school students who were part of a unique science learning program developed by the University of Texas School of Public Health showed significant increases in interest and achievement scores compared to other students, a recent study found.

Natural compound stops retinopathy

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Oklahoma) Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a natural compound to stop one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States.

Sexist jokes favor the mental mechanisms that justify violence against women

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Granada) These are the conclusions of research work carried out at the University of Granada in a sample of 109 18-26 year old university male students. The results of this work will be released July 2 in the framework of the International Summer School and Symposium on Humor and Laughter.

Poor health among indigenous peoples a question of cultural loss as well as poverty

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Canadian Institutes of Health Research) Health problems of Indigenous peoples around the world are intimately tied to a number of unique factors, such as colonization, globalization, migration, and loss of land, language and culture. These factors remain even after the "typical" social problems facing the poor, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, and low education levels are addressed, according to Dr. Malcolm King, lead author of a paper to be published tomorrow in The Lancet,.

UT scientist receives hemophilia research award

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Keri Smith, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, has received a Career Development Award from the National Hemophilia Foundation.

Children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups, pilot study confirms

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(City College of New York) Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. Today, at the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum being held at the City College of New York, neuroscientists announced conclusive evidence to verify this fact.

Visit to the doctor: The supply of additional private services is increasing

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Deutsches Aerzteblatt International) Panel physicians are increasingly offering individual health services to patients with statutory health insurance. This is documented by Susanne Richter et al. of the Department of Social Medicine, Lubeck University, in the new edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt. IHS include medical health services which are not reimbursed by the health insurance funds and which the patient has to pay for himself.

Grant received for eye disorder research

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry) Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth and Exeter have received a grant of £9,600 ($15.7 thousand) from the Northcott Devon Medical Foundation to continue its research into the genetic causes of eye movement disorders.

News media registration open for 20th World Diabetes Congress

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(International Diabetes Federation) News media registration for the biennial meeting of the International Diabetes Federation is now open. The 20th World Diabetes Congress will be held October 18-22, 2009 at Palais des Congres de Montreal (Montreal Convention Center) in Montreal, Canada.

Liverpool to strengthen health research in Africa

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) Researchers at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool will work with universities across Africa as part of a £30 million ($49 million) initiative to strengthen research into science and health on the continent.