Stem Cell Technology Used To Create Neuronal Model For Alzheimer's Disease

T Goodman — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:00:59 -0800

Researchers at UC San Diego have developed a "true human neuronal model" that replicates the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in actual human brain cells. They have accomplished this model by using adult stem cells to more accurately demonstrate the pathology of the disease.

First Embryonic Stem Cells Used In Humans Safely Treat Dry Macular Degeneration

T Goodman — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:59 -0800

Results for the very first human embryonic stem cell treatment were announced today in the online first section of The Lancet journal. The first aim of the study was to determine if the stem cell transplant was a safe treatment for age-related dry macular degeneration (dry AMD), the main cause of blindness in persons over 60. But, in addition...

Scientists Hope Natural Herb Will Prove Effective Treatment For Alcoholism

T Goodman — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:00:59 -0800

A tree that is native to China, the Hovenia dulcis, or Asian raisin tree, has been described to contain a hangover remedy since 659 AD. If you can fathom how long it's been in use, you may wonder why it's taken so long for modern research to study its potential as a treatment for alcohol addiction. Well, now a multi-disciplinary team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are actively studying its impact; first on rats....

Deep Brain Stimulation Tested On Bipolar Subjects Unresponsive To Other Treatments

T Goodman — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:00:59 -0800

Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, is in its early experimental stages; this study, for example, had only 17 subjects. But when you cut into a person's skull and implant electrodes on either side of the brain while people are awake, it's probably not that easy to attract willing subjects. Nevertheless...

Groundbreaking Research Supports Calorie Reduction As Key To Healthy Aging

T Goodman — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:00:59 -0800

It has long been known that calorie restricted diets have positive impacts on better mental and physical health, but now a team of researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome have discovered the molecule that is triggered by caloric restriction. CREB1 is the molecule and, once activated, it triggers another group of molecules linked to longevity - the sirtuins.

Tap Water Is OK To Drink, But Watch What You Put Up Your Nose

T Goodman — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:00:59 -0800

Neti-pot nose rinses have recently been reported to have caused the death of two persons in Louisiana. The pots, used by many to drain their sinuses during colds, flu, or allergy flare-ups, convey salt water through the nostrils....

Sensing Microneedles Developed For Continuous Monitoring Of Body Chemicals

T Goodman — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:00:59 -0800

In the future, maybe not too distant, diabetics may be able to monitor their glucose levels continuously, rather than at one point in time, thanks to the researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego. These researchers have incorporated sensors into multiple microneedles, each less than a millimeter long, that may make today's glucose analyzers, the annoying skin prick tests, obsolete.

Surgeons Check Out Donor Lungs 'Ex Vivo' Prior To Transplant

T Goodman — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:00:59 -0800

Surgeons at the New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University performed the very first 'ex vivo' lung transplants yesterday, placing a deceased donor's lungs into a test dome for four hours to get the lungs in shape for their new human recipients. Organ testing procedures have been available prior to now, but none as sophisticated as the XVIVA Perfusion System employed in these particular transplant surgeries.

Family Violence Is Risk Factor For Psychological Disorders Later In Life

T Goodman — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:00:59 -0800

Scientists at the University College of London (UCL) and the Anna Freud Center liken the impact of family violence on the brains of children to the brains of soldiers exposed to combat. Both kinds of combat result in hypersensitivity to danger and put subjects at risk for developing anxiety disorders.

'Breast On A Chip' Will Test Nanomedical Detection & Treatment Options For Breast Cancer

T Goodman — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:00:59 -0800

Purdue University researchers have accomplished a major milestone in the engineering of a micro-model for breast cancer research. The slide-size model has been dubbed "breast on-a-chip" for its replication of the branching of the mammary duct system, where most breast cancers occur.

Knock Yourself Out On Caffeine To Prevent Breast Cancer

T Goodman — Wed, 11 May 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Today, Stockholm's Karolinska Institute reaffirmed the findings of a few earlier studies indicating that lots of coffee (5+cups) consumed daily can reduce a woman's risk of certain types of breast cancer, But while the positive effects of coffee in reducing the risks of prostate, liver, and yes, now breast cancer, researchers need to remember the deleterious effects of five or more cups of coffee per day.

Had A Nose Job Or Two? You May Have Body Dysmorphic Disorder

T Goodman — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Though the findings may be the same for persons who desire tummy tucks or buttocks lifts, researchers from the University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium focused their research on people seeking nose jobs, or rhinoplasty. Their findings more than suggest a correlation with an obsessive disorder - body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

Is Cleanliness Next To Godliness? Not According To Your Average Medical Student

T Goodman — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:15:25 -0800

Some med students might think they are gods, but a new study conducted by the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology at Hannover Medical School suggests that they may never have heard the old proverb cleanliness is next to godliness.

X Prize: Geneticists Compete To Duplicate Genomes Of Centenarians

T Goodman — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:00:59 -0800

The search is truly on for what makes people live past 100 years ... aside from eating right, exercising regularly, and having lots of social contact. It's about their genomic makeup, and Archon Genomics is holding a big, as in 10 million dollars, prize for the first genetics team to develop the sequence of genes that can produce medical grade genomes from 100 centenarians. Personalized medicine, here we come!

Do Obese Persons Lack The Guts To Lose Weight?

T Goodman — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Determination. Willpower. Courage. Overweight people need all of these characteristics. But what they may need most is guts. Their guts may not be communicating certain messages to their brains, like "We're full! Stop eating now! We can't hold any more! Now, studies conducted at the Imperial College London suggest that there may be a solution to this problem.

Video Game Therapy For 'Lazy Eye' Gets Cooperation From Kids

T Goodman — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:45:59 -0700

Until now, a condition known as 'lazy eye,' or amblyopia, was considered virtually un-reparable after the age of 10. But Dr. Somen Ghosh has used an ingenious and no doubt, immensely fun, treatment for lazy eye - video games - and it has shown promise in his test groups.

Are Men Funnier Than Women, Or Do We Just Think They Are?

T Goodman — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:00:59 -0700

... The public is largely biased toward males in the who's funnier gender debate, and rationales have ranged from the male role in biological attraction, likening male humor to a peacock's tail, to the male's willingness to be more risque with sexual language and innuendo.

Laser Beams Detect Blood Glucose In Early Experiments

T Goodman — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:00:59 -0700

For millions of people with diabetes, daily finger pricking with needles in order to get a measurement of their blood glucose is an accepted, but unpleasant, part of their lifestyles. Though physicists have been trying to come up with laser beam technology that effectively substitutes for the needle, the accomplishment has evaded them for the past 20 years. Now, physicists at the University of Toronto (UT) have found a way to get around the most prickly problem with using a laser beam....

Testosterone Levels Helpful In Determining Risk Of Heart Disease

T Goodman — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:00:59 -0700

A study by the Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research in Sweden followed 2,400 men in their 70's and 80's for five years, comparing their testosterone levels with incidents of cardiovascular events the men experienced, such as heart attacks and strokes....

Teens With Social Anxiety Disorder At High Risk For Alcohol & Drug Abuse

T Goodman — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:00:59 -0700

A study published online October 17, 2011 in the journal Pediatrics indicates that teens with social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, tend not to receive treatment for this psychiatric disorder because parents and teachers may assume the teens are just very shy. But shyness is not even a prerequisite for the determination of social anxiety disorder....

Which Kids Are Most Likely To Be Teased By Their Peers?

T Goodman — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Kids with any trait that's not the norm often get teased or mocked by other children. It's an unfortunate fact of life. But a new study conducted by psychologists at Kansas State University had some surprising results regarding which children are most likely to be chided by their peers.

Text Neck: Another Health Hazard Caused By Mobile & Tablet Use

T Goodman — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:15:59 -0700

Remember when your mother warned you, 'Don't make a face like that or it will stay that way?" Well, text neck is the equivalent of making that face. Keep your head forward and your chin out repeatedly while you read text messages or tablet screens and they will stay that way.

Robo-Rat: Robotic Brain Successfully Implanted In Mobility Impaired Rat

T Goodman — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:00:59 -0700

How far away are we from being able to restore damaged areas of the brain that cause paralysis or other motor disorders? Closer, now that researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have implanted a robot in the brain of a rat that successfully restored the his mobility.

Afinitor® Stops Tumor Growth & Lengthens Lives For Breast Cancer Patients

T Goodman — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Afinitor®, the Novartis trademark for the cancer fighter, everolimus, is used for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), inoperable cases of certain pancreatic cancers, and to aid successful acceptance of transplants. Now, the results of a Phase III study of Afinitor administered to women with advanced breast cancer have been announced, and the words used to describe the drug are "game changer."

Study Links B12 Deficiency With Low Cognition In Older Persons

T Goodman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:45:59 -0700

Few of us will eat liver, and there are some good health reasons, as well as taste and texture concerns, why. But there are other natural sources of vitamin B12 that may not be so objectionable, and if you can get fish, meat, milk, eggs and poultry into your food regimen, you may just want to do that.

Coffee May Wig You Out Or Save You From Depression

T Goodman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Coffee seems to be the new miracle drug. A minimum of 4 cups of coffee has been shown to be effective in reducing risk of diabetes, skin cancers, and strokes (in women), among the other powers it possesses. Now, the Harvard School of Public Health has explored the effects of the magic 4+ cups on depression among women... men have not been studied yet.

Heads Or Tails? Ritualistic Behaviors May Help You Succeed

T Goodman — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Not everyone who engages in repetitive behavior suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It may depend, says Professor David Eilam of Tel Aviv University (TAU), on whether it's a heads or tails activity.

Scientists Witness Brain Chilling Yawns

T Goodman — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:00:59 -0700

There is nothing more discouraging in human discourse than someone yawning in your face while you're speaking to him. "Oh, excuse me," he might say, "I guess I'm just very tired." (Yeah, sure!)

But now, scientists have evidence that your listener may not be bored at all; but just chilling... his brain.

Osteoporosis Drug Found To Improve Arthritis Too!

T Goodman — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:00:59 -0700

Arthritis is a joint disease that results in a progressive loss of cartilage, just as osteoporosis results in progressive loss of bone. Though osteoporosis drugs are intended to regenerate bone growth, to date, arthritis drugs can only reduce inflammation and, thereby, reduce pain. But observation of patients taking a certain osteoporosis drug, by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), led to the recent finding that this drug not only restored bone but cartilage as well.

Gamers Build AIDS Molecule That Eluded Scientists For 10 Years

T Goodman — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:00:59 -0700

In what is believed to be the first instance of electronic gamers reaching a scientific discovery before trained research scientists, University of Washington (UW) gamers did indeed produce a model of an enzyme in AIDS and other viruses that scientists have been trying to model for more than 10 years. This was not just an academic exercise to test the new UW Fold-it game; discovery of the AIDS molecule in question opens the door to a whole new line of retroviral drugs.