Tourette Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders in Children

More than one in every ten schoolchildren suffers from a transient tic disorder, and 1% have a particular type of tic disorder known as Tourette syndrome. More...

Most Popular Weight-Loss Drug Strongly Alters Other Drug Therapies, Study Suggests

A University of Rhode Island researcher has discovered that the weight-loss drug orlistat, known by the brand names Xenical and Alli, inhibits a key enzyme that may lead to "severe toxicity of internal organs such as the liver and kidney." More...

Inflammation May Be a Cause of Plaque Buildup in Heart Vessels

Fifteen new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease have been identified by a large, international consortium of scientists -- including researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine -- taking a significant step forward in understanding the root causes of this deadly disease. More...

Finding the Right Drug to Slow Down MS

Getting a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-changing experience. However, there have been major breakthroughs in MS treatment More...

Prostate Cancer Prognosis Hope

Scientists have discovered a molecular 'tell' in laboratory experiments that could help doctors determine the severity of a patient's prostate cancer. More...

Immunosuppressive Drug Could Delay the Onset of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Rapamycin, a drug used to prevent rejection in transplants, could delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. More...

Sitting for Protracted Periods Increases Risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease and Death

This needed a study? More...

Researchers a Step Closer to Controlling Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis

A University of Adelaide researcher has published results that suggest a possible new mechanism to control multiple sclerosis (MS). More...

Reduced Glaucoma Risk Found in Patients Who Take Statins

People who take statins to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease are less likely to be diagnosed with the most common form of glaucoma, according to a nationwide study of more than 300,000 patients. More...

Should Aspirin Be Used to Help Prevent Cancer?

Aspirin, the everyday drug taken by countless people around the world to ward off pain and reduce their risk of developing heart disease, may have a new trick up its sleeve --preventing cancer. More...

'Brain Training' May Lessen Cognitive Impairments Associated With Coronary Bypass Surgery

Read article

New Enzyme to Fight Alzheimer's Disease Identified

An enzyme that could represent a powerful new tool for combating Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida. More...

Skin and Immune System Influence Salt Storage and Regulate Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is responsible for many cardiovascular diseases that are the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. More...

Novel Airborne Germ-Killing Oral Spray Effective in Fighting Colds and Flu

University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers will present findings about a one-two punch to prevent colds and flu in San Francisco at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) on Sept. 9. More...

New Genetic Clues to Why Most Bone Marrow Transplant Patients Develop Graft-Versus-Host Disease

A team of scientists led by a bone marrow transplant researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has shed new light on why most bone marrow transplant patients who receive tissue-matched cells from unrelated donors still suffer acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). More...

Potency of Statins Linked to Muscle Side Effects

A study from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, published August 22 online by PLoS ONE, reports that muscle problems reported by patients taking statins were related to the strength or potency of the given cholesterol-lowering drugs. More...

First Implantation of Prototype Bionic Eye With 24 Electrodes: 'All of a Sudden I Could See a Little Flash of Light'

In a major development, Bionic Vision Australia researchers have successfully performed the first implantation of an early prototype bionic eye with 24 electrodes. More...

Cholesterol Test With Only a Photo of Patient's Hand

Researchers in India have developed a total cholesterol test that uses a digital camera to take a snapshot of the back of the patient's hand rather than a blood sample. The image obtained is cropped and compared with images in a database for known cholesterol levels. More...

Most Mutations Come from Dad: New Insights Into Age, Height and Sex Reshape Views of Human Evolution

Humans inherit more than three times as many mutations from their fathers as from their mothers, and mutation rates increase with the father's age but not the mother's, researchers have found in the largest study of human genetic mutations to date. More...

Rejected Drug May Protect Against Toxic Substance Common to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases

An international team of scientists led by researchers at Mount Sinai School Medicine have discovered that a drug that had previously yielded conflicting results in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease effectively stopped the progression of memory deterioration and brain pathology in mouse models of early stage Alzheimer's disease. More...

Blood Cancer Cells Initiate Signalling Cascade

Freiburg scientists have uncovered how pathological cells activate themselves in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. More...

Chemotherapy Can Inadvertently Encourage Cancer Growth

A new study from the US finds that in the process of targeting and killing off cancer cells, chemotherapy may also spur healthy cells in the neighbourhood to release a compound that stimulates cancer growth, eventually leading to treatment resistance. More...

New Generation of Virtual Humans Helping to Train Psychologists

New technology has led to the creation of virtual humans who can interact with therapists via a computer screen and realistically mimic the symptoms of a patient with clinical psychological disorders, according to new research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. More...

Dementia: Autoantibodies Damage Blood Vessels in the Brain

The presence of specific autoantibodies of the immune system is associated with blood vessel damage in the brain. More...

Allergies? Your Sneeze Is a Biological Response to the Nose's 'Blue Screen of Death'

New research suggests that sneezing is the body's natural reboot and that patients with disorders of the nose such as sinusitis can't reboot, explaining why they sneeze more often than others. More...

Changes in Gait May Be Early Signs of Dementia in Older People

A slow or uneven gait in older patients may be more than the effect of advancing age, according to three studies that found walking disorders in the elderly also may be early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. More...

Small Molecule May Play Big Role in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most dreaded and debilitating illnesses one can develop. More...

Drug from Mediterranean Weed Kills Tumor Cells in Mice

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, working with Danish researchers, have developed a novel anticancer drug designed to travel -- undetected by normal cells -- through the bloodstream until activated by specific cancer proteins. More...

Curry Spice, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Preserve Walking Ability Following Spinal-Cord Injury

UCLA researchers discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice preserved walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury. More...

Biotechs Increased R&D Spending 9% in 2011, Report Finds

Biotechnology companies led by Amgen Inc. (AMGN) and Celgene Corp. (CELG) boosted spending on research and development for a second year in a row in 2011 after a steep drop in 2009, Ernst & Young said. More...

How Infection Can Lead to Cancer

One of the biggest risk factors for liver, colon or stomach cancer is chronic inflammation of those organs, often caused by viral or bacterial infections. More...

Johnson & Johnson Prostate Cancer Drug Impresses

A new study shows that Johnson & Johnson‘s prostate cancer pill Zytiga dramatically slows the progression of the disease in men who are not yet sick enough to start chemotherapy. More...

Walking and Running Again After Spinal Cord Injury

Rats with spinal cord injuries and severe paralysis are now walking (and running) thanks to researchers at EPFL. More...

Dark Chocolate Could Prevent Heart Problems in High-Risk People

Daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes), finds a study published in the British Medical Journal. More...

Vitamin K2: New Hope for Parkinson's Patients?

Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, associated with VIB and KU Leuven, succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson's using vitamin K2. More...

New Maintenance Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Looks Promising, Study Suggests

Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer where the plasma cells in the bone marrow grow out of control, causing damage to bones as well as predisposing patients to anemia, infection and kidney failure. More...

Deep Brain Stimulation May Hold Promise for Mild Alzheimer's Disease

A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. More...

Eating Fast Increases Diabetes Risk

People who wolf down their food are two and a half times more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes than those who take their time according to new research presented at the joint International Congress of Endocrinology and European Congress of Endocrinology in Florence, Italy. More...

No Easy Cure for Diabetic Children

The only pill approved in the U.S. for treatment of children with type 2 diabetes is proving surprisingly ineffective, according to a new study, heightening worries about the fast-growing and largely preventable disease. More...

New Technique May Help Severely Damaged Nerves Regrow and Restore Function

Engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of assisting nerves damaged by traumatic accidents to repair naturally, which could improve the chances of restoring sensation and movement in injured limbs. More...

Big Advance Against Cystic Fibrosis: Stem Cell Researchers Create Lung Surface Tissue in a Dish

Harvard stem cell researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have taken a critical step in making possible the discovery in the relatively near future of a drug to control cystic fibrosis (CF), a fatal lung disease that claims about 500 lives each year, with 1,000 new cases diagnosed annually.

More...

New Mutations in Autistic People May Be Due to Older Fathers

Newly found gene mutations tied to autism may one day help scientists classify types of the developmental disorder and shape treatments based on their DNA profiles, researchers said.

More...

Eating Flavonoids Protects Men Against Parkinson's Disease, Study Finds

Men who eat flavonoid-rich foods such as berries, tea, apples and red wine significantly reduce their risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to new research by Harvard University and the University of East Anglia.

More...

Vaccine to stop heart attacks could be developed

Injections of antibodies could prevent the build up of fat in the arteries which cause narrowings and break off leading to heart attacks, experts said.

More...

New Transplant Method May Allow Kidney Recipients to Live Life Free of Anti-Rejection Medication

New ongoing research published March 7 in the journal Science Translational Medicine suggests organ transplant recipients may not require anti-rejection medication in the future thanks to the power of stem cells, which may prove to be able to be manipulated in mismatched kidney donor and recipient pairs to allow for successful transplantation without immunosuppressive drugs.

More...

High Blood Sugar Lowers Chances of Surviving a Heart Attack

Patients with high blood sugar run an increased risk of dying if they have a heart attack, and diabetics are less likely to survive in-hospital cardiac arrest than non-diabetics, reveals research at the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

More...

Leukemia gene mutations linked to survival odds

Advances in genetic profiling are paving the way for more precise, and effective, treatment of the aggressive bone marrow cancer known as acute mylogenous leukemia, or AML, according to new research.

More...

Genetic Variation That Raises Risk of Serious Complication Linked to Osteoporosis Drugs Identified

Researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine have identified a genetic variation that raises the risk of developing serious necrotic jaw bone lesions in patients who take bisphosphonates, a common class of osteoclastic inhibitors.

More...

Promising New Drug Could Help Patients Battling Deadly and Difficult to Treat Form of Melanoma

Researchers say they may have discovered a new drug for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, one that uses the patient's own tumor cells to customize the therapy. The findings are published in the March issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

More...

Diabetes Risk from Sitting Around

A new study has found that women who stay seated for long periods of time every day are more prone to developing type 2 diabetes, but that a similar link wasn't found in men.

More...

Heart Beats to the Rhythm of a Circadian Clock

Sudden cardiac death -catastrophic and unexpected fatal heart stoppage -- is more likely to occur shortly after waking in the morning and in the late night.

More...

Newly Identified Oral Bacterium Linked to Heart Disease and Meningitis

A novel bacterium, thought to be a common inhabitant of the oral cavity, has the potential to cause serious disease if it enters the bloodstream, according to a study in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

More...

Nasty 'Superbug' Emerging? Strikes Otherwise Healthy, Young Patients

University at Buffalo researchers are expressing concern about a new, under-recognized, much more potent variant of a common bacterium that has surfaced in the U.S.

More...

'Duet of One' Possible With Hand-Controlled Voice Synthesizer

New technology at the University of British Columbia makes it possible for a person to speak or sing just by using their hands to control a speech synthesizer.

More...

A Mitosis Mystery Solved: How Chromosomes Align Perfectly in a Dividing Cell

To solve a mystery, sometimes a great detective need only study the clues in front of him.

More...

Cochlear Implants May Be Safe, Effective for Organ Transplant Patients

Cochlear implants may be a safe, effective option for some organ transplant patients who've lost their hearing as an unfortunate consequence of their transplant-related drug regime, researchers report.

More...

Possible Cure for Leukemia Found in Fish Oil

A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to Penn State researchers.

More...

Three 'Targeted' Cancer Drugs Raise Risk of Fatal Side Effects

Treatment with three relatively new "targeted" cancer drugs has been linked to a slightly elevated chance of fatal side effects, according to a new analysis led by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They added that the risk remains low, but should be taken into account by physicians and patients.

More...

New Indicator May Help Identify Patients With Increased Risk from Throat Cancer

Independent of other factors, such as smoking history and HPV status, matted lymph nodes appear to signal increased chance of oropharyngeal cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

More...

Revolutionary Surgical Technique for Perforations of the Eardrum

A revolutionary surgical technique for treating perforations of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) in children and adults has been developed at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, an affiliate of the Université de Montreal, by Dr. Issam Saliba.

More...