June 29, 2009
Targeting Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Researchers have identified a key molecular player in a type of age-related macular degeneration. The discovery may lead to better methods of early detection and treatment for this leading cause of blindness.
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A Broader Role for Amyloids
Amyloids are best known for their role in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A new study finds that amyloids may also have a normal biological function.
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Merkel Cells Give You a Light Touch
If you can feel the softness of silk or the fuzziness of a peach, you can thank your Merkel cells, scientists say. A new study confirms what researchers have long suspected—that cells in the skin called Merkel cells are essential to the sense of light touch.
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June 22, 2009
Touted "Depression Risk Gene" May Not Add to Risk After All
A gene variation long thought to increase a person's risk for major depression when paired with stressful life events may actually have no effect, according to a new analysis. The result challenges a common approach to studying depression risk factors.
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Prevention Program Reduces Problem Behaviors in Fifth Graders
A new study found that elementary school children in a character development program were more likely to steer clear of substance abuse, violent behavior or sexual activity by fifth grade than those who weren’t offered the program.
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Scientists Identify Culprit in Huntington's Disease
Scientists have solved why a faulty protein accumulates in cells throughout the body in people with Huntington’s disease, but only kills certain brain cells. It has an accomplice. The discovery provides a potential target to treat or slow the progression of Huntington's.
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June 15, 2009
Treatment Options for Those with Diabetes and Heart Disease
For most patients with diabetes and stable heart disease, intensive drug therapy
is as effective as prompt surgery in preventing death, heart attack and stroke,
according to a large clinical study.
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Researchers Discover How Prion Protein Damages Brain Cells
Scientists have gained a major insight into how the rogue protein responsible for mad cow disease and related neurological illnesses destroys healthy brain tissue.
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Common Diabetes Drug Boosts Immune Memory
In a new mouse study, researchers were able to boost the immune system’s memory by using the anti-diabetic drug metformin. The unexpected finding could transform strategies for vaccine development.
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June 8, 2009
Common Medication Ineffective for Children with Autism
The medication citalopram is often prescribed for children with autism to reduce repetitive behaviors. But now a new clinical study shows that the drug is no more effective than a placebo and leads to more adverse effects.
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Scientists Discover New Genetic Immune Disorder in Children
Researchers have identified a rare but devastating genetic condition
that affects children around the time of birth. Most of the children
responded quickly to a synthetic form of the protein that's
abnormal or missing in the condition.
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June 1, 2009
Unexpected Microbe Diversity on Human Skin
A new study of the skin’s microbiome—all of the DNA of all of the
microbes that inhabit human skin—reveals that our skin is home
to a much wider array of bacteria than previously thought.
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Scientists Detect Key Proteins Needed for Ovulation
Researchers have identified 2 proteins that are essential for ovulation in mice. The discovery may lead to new approaches for treating infertility and preventing pregnancy.
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Flow
Forces Promote Embryonic Blood Cell Formation
Scientists have discovered that cells in an embryo are prompted to develop into blood cells by the force of rushing fluid pushed by the beating heart. The finding has important implications for developing stem cell therapies for blood diseases.
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May 18, 2009
Acupuncture-Like Treatments Improve Low Back Pain
Acupuncture and simulated acupuncture both improved chronic low back pain more than conventional care in a new study. The result highlights central questions about how acupuncture helps people with chronic pain.
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Potassium Channel Linked to Schizophrenia
Scientists have connected a gene that regulates the flow of potassium into and out of cells with schizophrenia. The discovery provides a new potential therapeutic target.
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New Proteins Help Peer Inside Living Animals
Scientists have developed a new molecule that emits infrared light bright enough to be detected deep within the tissues of a living mouse. This type of molecule could one day aid the study of cancer, infections and other biological processes in small animals.
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