World's First Recipient Of Self-Sustaining Artificial Heart Making Excellent Recovery In France

A 75-year-old Frenchman with terminal heart disease continues to recover after a successful implantation Dec. 18 with a revolutionary new artificial heart. More...

Where Alzheimer's Starts and How It Spreads

Using high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI) imaging in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in mouse models of the disease, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have clarified three fundamental issues about Alzheimer's: where it starts, why it starts there, and how it spreads. More...

Ancient Cranial Surgery: Practice of Drilling Holes in the Cranium That Dates Back Thousands of Years

Cranial surgery is tricky business, even under 21st-century conditions (think aseptic environment, specialized surgical instruments and copious amounts of pain medication both during and afterward). More...

3-D Tissue Printing: Cells from the Eye Inkjet-Printed for the First Time

A group of researchers from the UK have used inkjet printing technology to successfully print cells taken from the eye for the very first time. More...

Activating Pathway Could Lead To A Cure For Baldness

A new study, published in Cell Stem Cell, identifies a molecular pathway that can be activated to prompt hair growth of dormant hair follicles, or blocked to prevent growth of unwanted hair. More...

Pills of the Future: Nanoparticles; Researchers Design Drug-Carrying Nanoparticles That Can Be Taken Orally

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer. More...

Kids Hospitalized for Flu Need Antiviral Meds Right Away: Study

Kids near death because of severe flu infection have a better chance of survival if they are given antiviral medications early in their treatment, researchers say. More...

Gut bacteria may help combat cancer

The friendly bacteria in our gut may help fight cancer. More...

Fast-Mutating DNA Sequences Shape Early Development; Guided Evolution of Uniquely Human Traits

What does it mean to be human? According to scientists the key lies, ultimately, in the billions of lines of genetic code that comprise the human genome. More...

Alcohol and acetaminophen combined increases kidney risks

New research suggests that moderate or light consumption of alcohol taken in conjunction with the common pain killer acetaminophen (paracetamol) may increase the risk of kidney dysfunction. More...

New Imaging Research Shows Increased Iron in the Brain in Early Stages of MS

While it's been known for over a century that iron deposits in the brain play a role in the pathology of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), new imaging research from Western University (London, Canada) helps to answer the question of whether these accumulations are a cause or consequence of the disease. More...

Need Different Types of Tissue? Just Print Them!

What sounds like a dream of the future has already been the subject of research for a few years: simply printing out tissue and organs. More...

Long-Term Obesity Associated With Poorer Pancreatic Cancer Survival

New results from a prospective study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology show that patients with a body mass index (BMI) in the obese range live on average two to three months less after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, compared with healthy weight patients, even after adjusting for factors that are known to predict survival for patients with this disease, such as age and disease stage. More...

Two Forms of Parkinson's Disease Identified

Why can the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary so greatly from one patient to another? More...

Researchers Uncover Keys to Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

University of Notre Dame researchers Shahriar Mobashery and Mayland Chang and their collaborators in Spain have published research results this week that show how methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) regulates the critical crosslinking of its cell wall in the face of beta-lactam antibiotics. More...

New Marker Identified for Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

A protein called isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) is present at high levels in lung cancers and can be detected in the blood, making it a noninvasive diagnostic marker for lung cancers, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. More...

A Racing Game to Rejuvenate the Brain?

If keeping the brain spry were as simple as pumping iron, everyone would want to own the ultimate piece of cognitive exercise equipment. More...

Eating Whole Fruits Linked to Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Eating more whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes, and apples, was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. Greater consumption of fruit juices was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. More...

Single Injection May Revolutionize Melanoma Treatment

A new study at Moffitt Cancer Center could offer hope to people with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. More...

An Organized Approach to 3-D Tissue Engineering: Getting Closer to Viable Organ Implants

Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) have developed a simple method of organizing cells and their microenvironments in hydrogel fibers. More...

Big Pharma Shrinks Headcount, But Biotech Hiring Compensates

With all the restructuring and strategic scrambling over the past several years, one could be forgiven for thinking that the pharmaceutical industry has drastically reduced its headcount. More...

New Data Reveal Extent of Genetic Overlap Between Major Mental Disorders

The largest genome-wide study of its kind has determined how much five major mental illnesses are traceable to the same common inherited genetic variations. More...

Irreversible Tissue Loss Seen Within 40 Days of Spinal Cord Injury

The rate and extent of damage to the spinal cord and brain following spinal cord injury have long been a mystery. More...

Oxygen – Key to Most Life – Decelerates Many Cancer Tumors When Combined With Radiation Therapy

A multidisciplinary team at UT Southwestern Medical Center has found that measuring the oxygenation of tumors can be a valuable tool in guiding radiation therapy, opening the door for personalized therapies that keep tumors in check with oxygen enhancement. More...

Multiple Sclerosis Research Could Help Repair Damage Affecting Nerves

Multiple sclerosis treatments that repair damage to the brain could be developed thanks to new research. More...

Study First to Identify Heart Attack-Causing Plaque in Living Patients

Scientists may be closer to predicting who is at risk for a heart attack, according to a recently published Spectrum Health study. More...

Study confirms link between omega-3 fatty acids and increased prostate cancer risk

A second large, prospective study by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has confirmed the link between high blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids and an increased risk of prostate cancer. More...

Exercise reorganizes the brain to be more resilient to stress

Physical activity reorganizes the brain so that its response to stress is reduced and anxiety is less likely to interfere with normal brain function, according to a research team based at Princeton University. More..

What Do Rotten Eggs and Colon Cancer Have in Common?

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered that hydrogen sulfide -- the pungent-smelling gas produced by rotten eggs -- is a key player in colon cancer metabolism, and a potential target for therapies for the disease. More...

Antibiotics: Change Route of Delivery to Mitigate Resistance

New research suggests that the rapid rise of antibiotic resistance correlates with oral ingestion of antibiotics, raising the possibility that other routes of administration could reduce the spread of resistance. More...

Animal study shows promising path to prevent epilepsy

Duke Medicine researchers have identified a receptor in the nervous system that may be key to preventing epilepsy following a prolonged period of seizures. More...

New MERS virus spreads easily, deadlier than SARS

A mysterious new respiratory virus that originated in the Middle East spreads easily between people and appears more deadly than SARS, doctors reported Wednesday after investigating the biggest outbreak in Saudi Arabia. More...

Breakthrough Allows Fast, Reliable Pathogen Identification

A University of Toronto team -- including researchers from Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering -- has created an electronic chip that can analyze blood and other clinical samples for infectious bacteria with record-breaking speed. More...

MRI Detects Early Effects of Chemotherapy On Children's Hearts

MRI scans of children who have had chemotherapy can detect early changes in their hearts finds research in biomed Central’s open access journal Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. More...

Multiple Sclerosis: Phase 1 Trial Safely Resets Patients' Immune Systems, Reduces Attack On Myelin Protein

A phase 1 clinical trial for the first treatment to reset the immune system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed the therapy was safe and dramatically reduced patients' immune systems' reactivity to myelin by 50 to 75 percent, according to new Northwestern Medicine research. More...

Cancer Drug Shortages Hit 83 Percent of U. S. Oncologists

Eighty-three percent of cancer doctors report that they've faced oncology drug shortages, and of those, nearly all say that their patients' treatment has been impacted, according to a study from researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. More...

3-D printer helps save dying baby

When he was 6 weeks old, Kaiba Gionfriddo lay flat on a restaurant table, his skin turning blue. He had stopped breathing. More...

New bird flu strain may be capable of spreading from human to human - study

The H7N9 bird flu virus may be capable of spreading from human to human and can be transmitted not only through direct contact but also through airborne exposure, researchers at the University of Hong Kong have found. More...

Ubiquitous Engineered Nanomaterials Can Cause Lung Inflammation: Substances Are Used in Everything from Paint to Sporting Equipment

A consortium of scientists from across the country has found that breathing ultrafine particles from a large family of materials that increasingly are found in a host of household and commercial products, from sunscreens to the ink in copy machines to super-strong but lightweight sporting equipment, can cause lung inflammation and damage. More...

UCSB Researchers Successfully Treat Autism in Infants

Most infants respond to a game of peek-a-boo with smiles at the very least, and, for those who find the activity particularly entertaining, gales of laughter. More...

Attention Baby Boomers: Get Screened for Hepatitis C

If you were born during 1945-1965, talk to your doctor about getting tested for hepatitis C. Baby boomers are five times more likely than other adults to be infected. More...

Gene networks in brains of deceased patients reveal potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Most information about the cause of Alzheimer's disease is based on studies from animal models. Now, a study published by Cell Press on April 25th in the journal Cell examines the brain tissue of deceased human patients and sheds light on dysfunctions in molecular networks in the brain that are at the root of Alzheimer's disease. More...

Commonly Used Drug Can Limit Radiation Damage to Lungs and Heart for Cancer Patients

Unavoidable damage caused to the heart and lungs by radiotherapy treatment of tumours in the chest region can be limited by the administration of an ACE inhibitor, a drug commonly used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, a group of Dutch researchers have found. More...

Anxious About Life and Afraid of Death? Tylenol May Do the Trick, Study Suggests

University of British Columbia researchers have found a new potential use for the over-the-counter pain drug Tylenol. More...

Ordinary Skin Cells Morphed Into Functional Brain Cells

Researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine have discovered a technique that directly converts skin cells to the type of brain cells destroyed in patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other so-called myelin disorders. More...

How Our Bodies Interact With Our Minds in Response to Fear and Other Emotions

New research has shown that the way our minds react to and process emotions such as fear can vary according to what is happening in other parts of our bodies. More...

Artificial Spleen to Treat Bloodstream Infections: Sepsis Therapeutic Device Under Development

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University announced today that it was awarded a $9.25 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further advance a blood-cleansing technology developed at the Institute with prior DARPA support, and help accelerate its translation to humans as a new type of sepsis therapy. More...

'OK' Contact Lenses: New Technique Shows Promise in Restoring Near Vision Without Glasses

By middle age, most people have age-related declines in near vision (presbyopia) requiring bifocals or reading glasses. More...

Prostate Cancer Risk Linked To Early-Onset Baldness In New Study

French researchers said it, and now a team from the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have released new evidence to support their claim: Men who lose their hair early in life have a greater risk of developing prostate cancer. More...

Parkinsons' Drug Helps Older People to Make Decisions

A drug widely used to treat Parkinson's Disease can help to reverse age-related impairments in decision making in some older people, a study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has shown. More...

Genetic Evidence That New Therapies Targeting Parkinson's Disease May Cause Harm

NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) and Mayo Clinic researchers have partnered on a study that shows genetic and clinical evidence that therapies targeting the expression of alpha-synuclein -- a gene whose function is involved in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease -- may accelerate disease progression and increase the risk of physical incapacitation and dementia. More...

Millions of People in Asia Potentially Exposed to Health Risks of Popular Herbal Medicines

Scientists from King's College London are warning that millions of people may be exposed to risk of developing kidney failure and bladder cancer by taking herbal medicines that are widely available in Asia. More...

New Monoclonal Antibody Developed That Can Target Proteins Inside Cancer Cells

Researchers have discovered a unique monoclonal antibody that can effectively reach inside a cancer cell, a key goal for these important anticancer agents, since most proteins that cause cancer or are associated with cancer are buried inside cancer cells. More...

Using Fat to Fight Brain Cancer

In laboratory studies, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found that stem cells from a patient's own fat may have the potential to deliver new treatments directly into the brain after the surgical removal of a glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor. More...

Killing cancer cells with acid reflux

Chemistry professor Kevin Belfield used a special salt to make cancer cells more acidic – similar to the way greasy foods cause acid reflux in some people. More...

Legendary Drug Industry Executives Warn U.S. Science Cuts Endanger The Future

Biomedical research and innovation are crucial to improving America’s health, global competitiveness, and economic growth, as both President Obama and House Majority Leader Cantor have stressed in recent weeks. More...

Gene Identified That Causes Obesity in Mice: Deleting Gene Eliminates Obesity, Could Work for Humans

Researchers have discovered that deleting a specific gene in mice prevents them from becoming obese even on a high fat diet, a finding they believe may be replicated in humans. More...

Clogged Heart Arteries Can Foreshadow Stroke

Blockages in your heart arteries could mean you're more likely to have a stroke, even if you're considered low risk, according to research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. More...

Asthma drug treats chronic hives, study finds

For hive sufferers who do not find relief with traditional antihistimines, an asthma drug has proven to be the “magic bullet” in treatment, the New York Times reported. More...

Epigenetic Control of Cardiogenesis

Many different tissues and organs form from pluripotent stem cells during embryonic development. More...

Diabetes Drug Could Hold Promise for Lung Cancer Patients

Ever since discovering a decade ago that a gene altered in lung cancer regulated an enzyme used in therapies against diabetes, Reuben Shaw has wondered if drugs originally designed to treat metabolic diseases could also work against cancer. More...

New Technology Shows Diabetes

A new imaging method for the study of insulin-producing cells in diabetes among other uses is now being presented by a group of researchers at Umeå University in Sweden in the form of a video in the biomedical video journal, The Journal of Visualized Experiments. More...

Blood-Based Biomarkers May Lead to Earlier Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological condition. At present, it is usually diagnosed only when motor features are present. More...

Promising Compound Restores Memory Loss and Reverses Symptoms of Alzheimer's in Mice

A new ray of hope has broken through the clouded outcomes associated with Alzheimer's disease. More...

New Method for Uncovering Side Effects Before a Drug Hits the Market

Side effects are a major reason that drugs are taken off the market and a major reason why patients stop taking their medications, but scientists are now reporting the development of a new way to predict those adverse reactions ahead of time. More...