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Life Sciences - Health - 09.11.2011

Re-training the brain
People experiencing the early signs of Parkinson's disease could see their symptoms improved through a process of regulating and re-training how their brains respond to certain activities and actions, new University research has uncovered. Experts from the University's MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics and School of Psychology, in a paper published in The Journal of Neuroscience , used real-time brain imaging to identify how people with Parkinson's disease react to their own brain responses.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.11.2011

Biologists slow the aging process in fruit flies
The biologists, working with fruit flies, activated a gene called PGC-1, which increases the activity of mitochondria, the tiny power generators in cells that control cell growth and tell cells when to live and die. "We took this gene and boosted its activity in different cells and tissues of the fly and asked whether this impacts the aging process," said David Walker, an assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology at UCLA and a senior author of the study.

Life Sciences - Health - 08.11.2011

Imaging technique IDs plaques, tangles in brains of severely depressed older adults
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the elderly, but little is known about the underlying biology of its development in older adults. In a small study published in the November issue of the peer-reviewed journal Archives of General Psychiatry, UCLA researchers used a unique brain scan to assess the levels of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in older adults with a type of severe depression called major depressive disorder (MDD).

Life Sciences - Health - 08.11.2011

Autism Linked with Excess of Neurons in Prefrontal Cortex
A study shows that brain overgrowth in boys with autism involves an abnormal, excess number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development. The scientists from UC San Diego discovered a 67 percent excess of cortical cells - a type of brain cell only made before birth - in children with autism.

Health - 07.11.2011

Preventing prostate cancer death
Combining radiotherapy and hormone therapy in patients with prostate cancer significantly improves men's survival compared with hormone therapy treatment alone. Results from a large study led by the NCIC Clinical Trials Group located at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada in collaboration with the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and Cardiff have just been published in The Lancet .

Health - Life Sciences - 07.11.2011

Early trial suggests rectal microbicide is safe, could significantly reduce HIV transmission
A topically applied microbicide gel containing a potent anti-HIV drug has been found to significantly reduce infection when applied to rectal tissue that was subsequently exposed to HIV in the laboratory, according to a new study by the UCLA AIDS Institute. The gel was also found to be safe and acceptable to users.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.11.2011

Substance interfering with the cells handling of protein waste could become new cancer drug
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a new kind of cancer drug that has been shown to be effective against tumours in different experimental systems. An article published shows that the new type of drug blocks the machinery that the cell uses to break down defective proteins. Tumour cells have several genetic mutations, one of the effects of which is unbridled cell growth.

Health - Life Sciences - 07.11.2011

HIV study identifies key cellular defence mechanism
Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how one of our body's own proteins helps stop the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in its tracks. The study, carried out by researchers at The University of Manchester and the Medical Research Council's National Institute for Medical Research and published in Nature , provides a blueprint for the design of new drugs to treat HIV infection, say the researchers.

Life Sciences - Health - 04.11.2011

Brain parasite directly alters brain chemistry
Research shows infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10-20 per cent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain. Findings from the University of Leeds research group are the first to demonstrate that a parasite found in the brain of mammals can affect dopamine levels.

Health - 04.11.2011

Combination treatment improves survival rate for prostate cancer
Men with locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer who receive combined radiation and hormone therapy live longer and are less likely to die from their disease, shows clinical research led by radiation oncologists at the University of Toronto and the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) cancer program.

Health - 04.11.2011

Combination treatment improves survival risk for prostate cancer
Men with locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer who receive combined radiation and hormone therapy live longer and are less likely to die from their disease, shows clinical research led by radiation oncologists at the University of Toronto and the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) cancer program.

History / Archeology - Health - 02.11.2011

'Earliest modern humans' in Europe identified by Oxford researchers
Oxford University researchers have provided important new radiocarbon dates for two milk teeth and a jawbone, which shed new light on when the first modern humans arrived in Europe. In the first of the two separate research projects Katerina Douka was part of an international research team re-examining two infant teeth excavated from a prehistoric cave in Italy.

Health - Life Sciences - 02.11.2011

Cellular repair could reduce premature ageing
Cellular repair could reduce premature ageing Researchers have identified a potential drug therapy for a premature ageing disease that affects children causing them to age up to eight times as fast as the usual rate. The study is the first to outline how to limit and repair DNA damage defects in cells and could provide a model for understanding processes that cause us to age.

Life Sciences - Health - 01.11.2011

Pulsating Response to Stress in Bacteria
If the changing seasons are making it chilly inside your house, you might just turn the heater on. That's a reasonable response to a cold environment: switching to a toastier and more comfortable state until it warms up outside. And so it's no surprise that biologists have long thought cells would respond to their environment in a similar way.

Economics / Business - Health - 01.11.2011

Swimming through Complicated Waters, Medicare Part D Participants Learn to Reduce Spending Over Time, Economist Finds
AUSTIN, Texas — Despite substantial controversy among academics and policymakers about individuals' ability to choose complicated drug insurance products, economics research from The University of Texas at Austin has provided evidence that Medicare Part D participants quickly adapt and learn to reduce rates of overspending within the system.

Health - Chemistry - 01.11.2011

Scientists design experimental treatment for iron-overload diseases
Iron overload is a common condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Excess iron in the body is toxic, and deposits can cause damage to the liver, heart and other organs. Current treatments, researchers say, are not ideal and have significant side effects. Iron in the body is regulated by a hormone called hepcidin, and a deficiency in this hormone can cause the iron overload seen in genetic disorders like hereditary hemochromatosis and Cooley's anemia.

Computer Science - Health - 01.11.2011

Could social media be used to detect disease outbreaks?
New research has looked at whether social media could be used to track an event or phenomenon, such as flu outbreaks and rainfall rates. The study by academics at the University of Bristol's Intelligent Systems Laboratory is published online in ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology .

Health - 01.11.2011

University of Sydney grant success to have real-world impact
University of Sydney researchers will pursue breakthroughs across the broadest range of disciplines in Australia thanks to new government funding announced on Tuesday. The federal government's National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP), administered by the Australian Research Council , aims to support top-quality research that leads to the discovery of new ideas.

Life Sciences - Health - 31.10.2011

Modern genetics answers age-old question on Garrod’s fourth inborn error of metabolism
Fifty years after participating in studies of pentosuria, an inherited disorder once mistaken for diabetes, 15 families again welcomed medical geneticists into their lives. Their willingness to have their DNA analyzed with advanced genomics technologies has solved a mystery more than a hundred years old.

Environment - Health - 31.10.2011

Mothers can buffer the worst effects of chronic stress on children’s memory
Chronic stress in childhood can hurt children and teens physically, mentally and emotionally. However, having a sensitive, responsive mother can reduce at least one of these harmful effects, reports a new Cornell study. It shows that such moms can help buffer the effects of chronic stress on teens' working memories.