 News From The Lab
5 January 2012
Stem cell injections produce robust anti-aging effects
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists say that mice injected with stem cell-like progenitor cells seemed to have "sipped from the fountain of youth..."
28 December 2011
MS is a metabolic disorder, claims new study
A controversial new study that frames multiple sclerosis as a metabolic disorder rather than an autoimmune disease neatly addresses many puzzling aspects of the illness, including why it strikes women more than men and why cases are on the rise worldwide...
16 December 2011
Smart bandage grows new blood vessels
Researchers have developed a bandage that actively stimulates and directs blood vessel growth in a coordinated pattern on the surface of a wound...
31 October 2011
Bacterial "disabler" treatment side-steps antibiotic resistance
It's not an antibiotic, but it accomplishes the same thing as an antibiotic. A compound that disables bacteria instead of killing them has proven successful in tests against resistant bacteria and is currently being examined for commercial use in agricultural pathogen control and human medicine...
28 October 2011
Language transforming medicine... for the worse
Senior medicos have launched a stinging attack on the use of business buzzwords in medicine, arguing that turning patients into clients is destroying medical humanism and demeaning both patients and health professionals...
18 October 2011
Oral bacteria linked to colon cancer
The discovery of a strikingly large number of Fusobacterium cells in colorectal tumor samples has prompted researchers to consider that the bacteria normally found in dental plaque may play a role in causing colon cancer...
13 October 2011
Schizophrenia created in a petri dish
Neurobiologists are using genetic engineering to reprogram skin cells - of patients with schizophrenia and other neurological disorders - and grow them into brain cells, creating mental diseases-in-a-dish for experimentation and industrial-scale personalized psychiatric drug discovery...
14 September 2011
Pain detector accuracy surprises medicos
The need for a better way to objectively measure pain instead of relying on patient self-reporting has long been an elusive goal in medicine. Now, however, advances in neuro-imaging techniques have re-invigorated the debate over whether it might be possible to measure pain objectively...
8 September 2011
Researchers warn of clinical mousetrap
Two new studies that compare the immune systems of humans and mice and gene expression in humans and mice directly challenge the fundamental idea that rodents provide a reliable and safe human analog for clinical research...
29 August 2011
New procedure "rebuilds" teeth without filling
UK researchers say dentists will soon have access to a new pain-free non-invasive way of tackling dental decay that reverses the damage of acid attack and rebuilds teeth as new - all without drilling or filling...
22 August 2011
Broadly effective antibodies against HIV isolated
Researchers working with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative have reported the isolation of 17 novel antibodies capable of neutralizing a broad spectrum of variants of HIV...
15 August 2011
Intestinal protein linked to ADHD
Researchers are increasingly linking gut function to a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. Now, a new study suggests that a biochemical pathway long associated with diarrhea may provide a new therapeutic target for treating ADHD...
29 July 2011
Are cancers newly evolved species?
A group of molecular biologists propose that carcinogenesis - the generation of cancer - is just another form of speciation, the evolution of new species...
5 July 2011
Medicos want Champix banned
Researchers have called for the smoking cessation drug Champix (marketed as Chantix in the US) to be withdrawn from the market after alarming findings linking the drug to heart attack and stroke...
15 June 2011
Medical implants made hacker-proof
The FCC has recently moved implantable wireless medical devices to a new frequency band that makes communication with them possible across much greater distances. Researchers, worried that malicious hacking of the devices could deliver lethal doses of medication or electricity to users, have proposed a clever jamming system to make the devices hack-proof...
24 May 2011
Viagra touted as MS treatment
Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, may soon get a clinical trial for treating multiple sclerosis in humans thanks to an animal model study that demonstrated a practically complete recovery in 50 percent of the animals after eight days of treatment...
20 May 2011
Dairy intake, heart attack risk not statistically linked
Dairy products may be high in saturated fats but high levels of dairy intake do not statistically increase the risk of heart attack, suggest the results of a new study that hypothesizes that other nutrients in dairy products are protective against heart disease...
10 May 2011
Doctors at Guantánamo Bay get cryptic ethical advice
Medical involvement with torture is prohibited by law and the fundamental tenets of the medical professional, and yet sometimes it is the right thing for doctors to do, argue two bioethicists in a controversial new paper...
19 April 2009
Urologists nix surgery in favor of mechanical penile lengtheners
In a rebuff to surgical penile augmentation, a meta-review of studies into penile lengthening recommends that men use non-invasive mechanical penile extenders before contemplating surgery...
12 April 2011
Gene therapy painkiller gets body to produce its own pain relief drugs
Scientists running a human trial of the first ever gene therapy treatment for pain relief say that the virus-based vector which triggers the expression of a naturally occurring opioid appears to provide substantial pain relief...
7 April 2011
Retina built using stem cells
The processes involved in the formation of complex tissues and organs involving multiple cell types are still mostly a mystery to scientists, but Japanese researchers have made a major breakthrough with the creation of retinal optic tissue using embryonic mouse stem cells...
23 March 2011
New Chinese virus has "alarmingly high" mortality rate
Scientists say a previously unknown and dangerous virus carried by tics has been responsible for seasonal outbreaks of the disease in six of China's most populated provinces...
2 March 2011
Bacteria in gut can control organs
The bacteria that live in the human gut may be doing quite a bit more than simply helping us digest food. Researchers have observed that bacteria in the digestive tract also appear to be exerting some level of control over the metabolic functions of organs such as the liver...
24 February 2011
Cell phones do affect brain, but consequences unknown
Researchers have found that cell phone use is associated with increased brain glucose metabolism (an indicator of brain activity) in the region closest to the antenna, but they say that the finding is of unknown clinical significance...
31 January 2011
Gender slant on hygiene hypothesis could explain skewed disease rates
The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that increased hygiene and sanitation is linked to higher rates of asthma, allergies and autoimmune disorders; now, one researcher says the differences in boys' and girls' play-styles could explain why women are at greater risk of a whole raft of illnesses...
18 January 2011
High altitude, higher suicide risk
An analysis of two decades of mortality data from across the United States has revealed a striking correlation between living at higher altitudes and suicide risk...
13 January 2011
Discredited MMR researcher planned business empire
Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced researcher who claimed a link between MMR vaccine and autism, planned a secret multi-national business offering alternative vaccines and therapeutic service based on his now-discredited claims...
4 January 2011
Hair color revealed in DNA
The same European researchers who devised a forensic test to tell a person's age from a sample of their blood have now created a test to reveal a person's hair color from their blood or saliva...
16 December 2010
Stroke, brain injury treated with turmeric
A synthetic derivative of the spice turmeric has been found to dramatically improve the behavioral and molecular deficits seen in animal models of ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury...
9 December 2010
Scientists create offspring from same-sex parents
Using stem cell technology, reproductive scientists have produced male and female mice from two fathers. The milestone opens the provocative possibility of same-sex couples having their own genetic children...
11 November 2010
Paracetamol use linked to asthma and male infertility
New evidence has emerged that the use of paracetamol and other painkillers during pregnancy may be part of the reason for the increase in male reproductive disorders in recent decades, while another study has strengthened the link between maternal paracetamol use and infant asthma...
19 October 2010
Uh-oh, placebo
In clinical trials for new drugs, the contents of the placebo are disclosed in only about 10 percent of cases, leading one researcher to question the lack of standards in placebo formulation and the appropriateness of drug companies providing their own placebos for trials...
14 September 2010
Infant diet predicts adult love-life
For male infants, rapid weight gain in the first six months of life predicts a future where they will be taller, more muscled, stronger, have more sex partners and higher levels of testosterone than the average male...
2 September 2010
Intriguing evidence of charitable behavior in bacteria
Scientists have observed that in certain populations of bacteria, antibiotic resistant strains will release chemicals to assist weaker bacteria to survive, a finding that provides important insights into bacterial complexity and antibiotic resistance...
16 August 2010
Body dysmorphia not improved by cosmetic surgery
A new study has found that while many who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder seek cosmetic procedures, only 2 percent of procedures actually reduced the severity of the psychiatric disorder. Physicians, however, continue to provide requested surgeries to people suffering from the condition despite the poor outcomes...
14 July 2010
Stroke me, baby! Touching body-parts can prevent stroke damage, suggests study
The most common type of stroke can be completely prevented in rats by stimulating a single whisker, say University of California researchers who suggest that stimulation of the fingers, lips or face could all have a similar effect in humans...
22 June 2010
Synthetic antibodies successfully tested in mice
Researchers have created the first “plastic antibodies” to be successfully employed in live organisms - stopping the spread of bee venom through the bloodstream of mice. The revolutionary technique can be used to fight a range of lethal toxins and pathogens...
10 May 2010
HIV non-progressors have super-charged T cells
A new study shows that individuals with the HLA B57 gene produce larger numbers of T cells that are cross-reactive, meaning they can attack HIV mutations that arise to escape activated killer T cells...
4 May 2010
Centrifuge made from a salad spinner for developing countries
Two Rice University undergraduates have turned a simple salad spinner into a rudimentary centrifuge that medical clinics in developing countries can use to separate blood without electricity...
21 April 2010
Cold weather and prostate cancer: are pollutants the connection?
Cold, dry weather has been linked to an increased incidence of prostate cancer and researchers believe that the way in which weather patterns interact with persistent organic pollutants may be the underlying factor...
24 March 2010
Facial aging more than skin deep
Conventional facelifts to ward off the signs of aging are only fixing half the problem, according to researchers who say that facial bone structure - particularly the jaw bone - will be the next target for cosmetic surgeons...
22 March 2010
Researchers say results from nanoparticle cancer treatment are "game changing"
Researchers have published the first proof that a targeted nanoparticle - injected directly into a patient's bloodstream - can enter into tumors, deliver double-stranded small interfering RNAs, and turn off an important cancer gene using a mechanism known as RNA interference...
18 March 2010
Geometry influences stem cell differentiation
Scientists have successfully used geometrically patterned surfaces to influence the development of stem cells into either fat cells or bone cells. The new approach is a radical departure from that of many stem-cell biologists, who focus instead on uncovering the role of proteins in controlling the ultimate fate of stem cells...
9 March 2010
Popular SSRI meds and cataracts linked, say researchers
A Canadian study has linked the diagnosis of cataracts with the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, as well as between cataracts and specific drugs within that class...
22 February 2010
IVF-linked chromosomal modifications prompt warning
Geneticists are recommending more rigorous health monitoring of IVF babies in later life as new research reveals links between assisted reproduction technologies and obesity and diabetes...
25 January 2010
Stillbirth linked directly to mother's oral bacteria
Confirming long-held suspicions, a Case Western Reserve University researcher has for the first time established a direct link between a mother's gum disease and the death of her fetus...
9 December 2009
Stem cells engineered to kill HIV
UCLA researchers have shown for the first time that human stem cells can be engineered into a genetic vaccine that can target and kill HIV-infected cells - a technique that could potentially be used against a number of other viral diseases...
27 November 2009
"Plasma pharmacology" wipes-out MSRA, helps wounds heal
So-called bacterial superbugs could face annihilation as newly developed low-temperature plasma devices are shown to offer safe, quick and unfailing bactericidal cocktails while also supporting human cell regeneration...
27 October 2009
Mole rat's cancer-proofing gene revealed
Despite a three decade lifespan that should provide ample time for cells to grow cancerous, naked mole rats have never been known to suffer cancerous tumors of any kind - and now University of Rochester scientists think they know why...
5 October 2009
Booze a lifesaver
Research into the survival of trauma patients suggests that alcohol consumption may have a protective effect against death by changing the body's chemical response to injury...
30 September 2009
Young adults can outgrow bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder (manic-depression) has traditionally been thought of as a lifelong disorder, but researchers have found evidence that nearly half of those diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 25 may outgrow the disorder by the time they reach 30...
29 September 2009
More evidence linking testicular cancer to chemicals in breast milk
High levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals have been found in breast milk in a country with one of the world's highest rates of male reproductive problems...
22 September 2009
Stem cell researchers barking up the wrong tree, says prof
Stem cell behaviors naturally emerge as a consequence of basic engineering principles of feedback control, argues a biologist who believes that understanding the precise nature of stem cells requires an intimate knowledge of the systems relationships and dynamics at work, rather than the molecular signatures and simple gene regulatory circuits so far detailed by researchers...
17 September 2009
Study links penis size to general health
An Australian study into penis size and body image found that men with a larger-than-average penis had higher self esteem and better general health...
8 September 2009
Compelling new evidence for prostate cancer virus
A type of virus known to cause leukemia and sarcomas in animals has been found for the first time in malignant human prostate cancer cells. The finding could have important implications for the development of a vaccine to block infection by the virus and thus prevent the development of prostate cancer...
1 September 2009
PSA test blamed for massive overdiagnosis of prostate cancer
Prostate-antigen screening (PSA) has resulted in over 1 million additional men being diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer – but most of these were likely overdiagnosed and should not have been treated, researchers say...
26 August 2009
Obesity linked to brain shrinkage, scans show
Neurologists have compared the brains of people who were obese, overweight, and of normal weight and found that the obese subjects had 8 percent less brain tissue than people of normal weight, while overweight people had 4 percent less...
13 August 2009
Herbals ineffective in treating menopausal symptoms
Commonly used botanicals black cohosh and red clover have been found to not have any significant effect on hot flashes or cognitive function in menopausal women...
3 August 2009
Dream therapy set for a revival
European researchers say that similarities in brain activity during lucid dreaming and psychosis indicate that previously discredited dream therapy could play a useful role in treating psychiatric conditions...
21 July 2009
Genetics linked to placebo response
Placebos - sugar pills designed to represent "no treatment" in a clinical treatment study - work nearly as well as the actual medication for some people. Why this should be so remains a mystery, but researchers at UCLA believe they have found a possible explanation: genetics...
9 July 2009
Anti-fungal shows dramatic anti-aging effects
Rapamycin, an anti-fungal compound first discovered in the soil of Easter Island, has been found to extend the expected lifespan of middle-aged mice by 28 - 38 percent...
22 June 2009
Combination approach could eradicate HIV from body
Medications that target viral replication of HIV throughout the body, in combination with drugs that prevent infected memory T-cells from dividing, could eliminate the reservoirs of HIV that stubbornly persist within the body, eventually leaving it disease-free...
17 June 2009
Mad fish disease could threaten humans
Experts are questioning the safety of eating farmed fish that are fed byproducts rendered from cows...
11 June 2009
Influenza during pregnancy linked to schizophrenia
When mothers contract influenza during their pregnancy, it may increase the risk for schizophrenia in their offspring...
19 May 2009
Cancer drug Rituxan linked to brain virus
Rituximab (marketed as Rituxan), a drug that is used to treat cancer as well as arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis, has been linked to a virus known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML) that eats away the brain's white matter...
13 May 2009
Superbugs thriving in wastewater treatment plants
In the first study of its kind, Michigan researchers have established that wastewater treatment plants are providing a perfect environment for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs that eventually end up in neighboring streams and lakes...
12 May 2009
Men and women equal? Not when it comes to the immune system
Women have a more powerful immune system than men thanks to the production of estrogen that amplifies the body's innate inflammatory response against bacterial pathogens...
5 May 2009
Laissez faire use of DDT concerns experts
DDT's use to combat malaria was endorsed in 2006 by the World Health Organization and the organochlorine pesticide is now sprayed inside buildings and homes throughout the developing world. But the human health impacts of DDT exposure at such high levels are unknown, say epidemiologists...
4 May 2009
Mechanism behind caffeine withdrawal revealed
Scientists have been studying brain electrical activity and blood flow to examine what was taking place physiologically during acute caffeine abstinence, including the likely mechanism underlying the common "caffeine withdrawal headache"...
15 April 2009
Vaccine developed for E. coli diarrheal diseases
A researcher from Michigan State University has developed a working vaccine for a strain of E. coli that kills up to 3 million children each year in the developing world...
30 March 2009
Magnets used to clean up bloodstream
Sepsis, a potentially lethal disease caused by a systemic microbial infection that spreads via the bloodstream, is responsible for more than 200,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. Existing treatments can be ineffective but researchers have come up with a novel first line of defense - the use of magnetism to quickly remove pathogens from the blood...
16 March 2009
New antibiotics solve resistance problem
Researchers are developing a new generation of antibiotic compounds that work by disrupting bacterial communication, thus avoiding the problem of bacterial resistance. So far, the new compounds have been shown to work against two of the main food contaminant microbes that together cause 110,000 illnesses and 50 deaths in the US each year...
11 March 2009
Salt: nature's antidepressant
Most people consume far too much salt and an American researcher thinks we might crave it because it puts us in a better mood...
2 March 2009
Vege-based drugs inhibit melanoma
Tests on mice suggest that compounds extracted from green vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage could be used as potent weapons against melanoma. The Penn State College of Medicine cancer researchers behind the discovery say that when combined with selenium, the compounds target tumors more safely and effectively than conventional therapy...
18 February 2009
Scientists cast doubt on role of free radicals in aging
For nearly half a century, the prevailing dogma as to why we get old has been tied to what is called oxidative stress, where free radicals and ions build up and damage cells. But new research is calling the entire oxidative stress theory into question. In fact, the latest experimental results show that some organisms actually live longer when their ability to clean themselves of this toxic molecule buildup is partially disabled...
13 February 2009
More evidence for herpes conferring anti-bacterial effect
A new study by scientists at the Trudeau Institute has confirmed intriguing findings from earlier research that showed that mice infected with certain forms of the herpes virus are resistant to infection with bacterial pathogens...
11 February 2009
Birth defects linked to obesity during pregnancy
Women who are obese during pregnancy are putting their child at risk of birth defects such as spina bifida, heart defects, cleft palate, brain defects and gastrointestinal defects, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association...
3 February 2009
New evidence linking marijuana use to brain abnormalities in adolescents
Young people who are heavy users of marijuana are more likely than non-users to have disrupted development in the areas of the brain that are involved in memory, attention, decision-making, language and executive functioning skills...
22 January 2009
Estimate of tobacco-linked cancer deaths doubled
The association between tobacco smoke and cancer deaths - excluding lung cancer - in men has been vastly underestimated, according to a new study. The new analysis links smoking to more than 70 percent of cancer deaths - an effective doubling of the previous estimate of 34 percent...
14 January 2009
Meta-review slams herbal remedies for menopausal women
Reviewing a variety of herbal treatments taken by women for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, researchers have identified a pervasive lack of clinical evidence to support the use of such remedies...
15 December 2008
Study reveals profound effects of anesthetics on infants
Numbing drugs and anesthetics used on infants or pregnant women have profound and long-term negative effects - even after minimal exposure...
11 November 2008
MP3 headphones a potential heart stopper
Researchers have found that while MP3 players are safe to use around pacemakers and defibrillators, the headphones that are used with these personal stereos can make medical devices malfunction if they are brought into close proximity...
27 October 2008
Immune system overdrive responsible for cold symptoms
The first study to examine the entire human genome's response to the most common cold virus has confirmed, at the genomic level, that an overblown immune system response to the virus, and not the virus itself, causes the symptoms that we associate with the common cold...
13 October 2008
Molecular biologists begin deciphering stem cell differentiation
In important new work, molecular biologists have begun to map the enormously complex process by which DNA is repackaged during differentiation - when embryonic stem cells, jacks of all cellular trades, lose their anything-goes attitude and become masters of specialized functions...
29 September 2008
Anti-obesity drugs may be effective against HIV, flu
Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, say University of Rochester researchers...
1 September 2008
Safety of Ayurvedic medicines questioned
An analysis of traditional Indian medicines purchased via the Internet found that 20 percent of the products contained levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic that exceeded acceptable standards...
8 August 2008
Testosterone Key In Disease Transmission
It's been known for some time that testosterone makes males more susceptible to disease, but new research indicates that high levels of testosterone in an individual can also spur the transmission of disease throughout a population...
4 August 2008
Drug Testing And Approvals Process Fatally Flawed, Says New Study
More drug catastrophes like the Vioxx disaster are inevitable, says a health expert who contends that the current system of FDA administered testing and approval in the United States is increasingly inadequate...
16 July 2008
Novel Antibody Tackles HIV's Achilles Heel
Abzymes (antibodies with enzymatic activity) that are derived from HIV non-progressors can attack the Achilles heel of the HIV virus in a very precise way, say Texan researchers, essentially neutralizing all of the diverse HIV forms in existence...
14 July 2008
Magnolia Compound Targets Cancer Switch
Emory University School of Medicine researchers say that a natural compound from magnolia blocks a pathway for cancer growth that was previously considered "undruggable"...
8 July 2008
Web Crawler Identifies Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Web-based electronic information sources such as discussion forums and news outlets can play an important role in early disease outbreak detection and support situational awareness by providing current, highly local information, say the developers of the new HealthMap project...
30 June 2008
Cancer Eradicating Treatment Goes To Human Trial
Scientists are about to embark on a human trial to test whether a new cancer treatment that involves the transfusion of specific white blood cells will be as effective at eradicating cancer in humans as it has proven to be in mice...
20 June 2008
Take Two Rads And Call Me In The Morning
Radiation in high enough doses is lethal and chronic exposure is linked to the development of cancer, but one maverick professor believes that short-term controlled exposure to low doses of radiation may significantly improve our health...
15 May 2008
Hunger's Longevity Effect Due To Altered Hormonal System
Comparing the effects of caloric restriction and exercise on longevity, new experiments have shown that while exercise does not extend lifespan, caloric restriction does by subtly changing the metabolic system...
1 May 2008
Electromagnetic Fields Disrupt Newborns' Heart Rates
The electromagnetic fields produced by hospital incubators can interfere with newborn babies’ heart rates, potentially creating problems for infants born prematurely who may spend extended periods in incubators...
22 April 2008
Stem Cell Decimation Behind "Chemo Brain"
Chemotherapy agents are recognized to have a negative impact on brain function in cancer patients but the precise mechanisms that underlie this cognitive dysfunction are only now being identified...
10 April 2008
"Paradoxical Pharmacology" Yields Radical New Asthma Treatment
One of the tenets of the Hippocratic Oath – first do no harm – has been ignored in the development of a new asthma treatment that initially worsens symptoms before eventually improving overall health...
31 March 2008
Mystery Fevers Cured With Surgery
Persistent childhood fevers that don’t respond to antibiotics seem to be cured by removal of the tonsils, even though the children’s tonsils appear completely normal and don’t show any sign of infection...
12 March 2008
Epigenetic Changes Found In Schizophrenics
For the first time, scientists have discovered epigenetic changes (chemical changes to a gene that do not alter the DNA sequence) in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder...
6 March 2008
Rethink On Cause Of Type 2 Diabetes
Growing evidence shows that surgery on the small bowel may effectively cure Type 2 diabetes - an approach that may change the way the disease is treated...
5 March 2008
Expensive Placebo Works Better Than Cheap One
A 10-cent pill doesn't kill pain as well as a $2.50 pill, even when they are identical placebos, finds a new study...
29 February 2008
"Safer" Cigarettes Back On The Agenda
Scientists have fingered hydrogen peroxide as the cancer causative in cigarette smoke, a finding they hope may lead to "safer" cigarettes...
27 February 2008
Radical Nano-Vaccines Show Promise
A novel technique using an oil-based emulsion placed in the nose has produced a strong immune response against smallpox and HIV...
7 February 2008
Ink Delivers DNA
Tattooing has been found to be much more effective than intramuscular injection for the delivery of DNA vaccines...
24 January 2008
Liver Recipient Takes On Donor's Immune System
An Australian teenager who received a liver transplant has astonished medical experts by taking on her donor's immune system...
21 January 2008
New Delivery Method For Gene Therapy
Japanese researchers say they have pioneered a new method of introducing foreign DNA into cells that is simple, cheap and does not use cytotoxic reagents...
16 November 2007
Viral-Vector Vaccines Vexed
Hopes for radical new vaccines using so-called viral vector technology have received a setback, with researchers reporting that the method may actually do more harm than good...
31 October 2007
Massive Longevity Boost From Lithium
Nematode worms treated with lithium showed an astonishing 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the question of whether humans taking the bipolar drug are also taking an anti-aging medication...
24 October 2007
Cancer Triggered By Viral Selection?
Scientists are mulling whether viruses may contribute to cancer by causing excessive death to normal cells while promoting the growth of surviving cells with cancerous traits...
17 October 2007
Blood Could Be Integral Part Of Brain's Processing Power
Scientists believe that blood may actually help us think, in addition to its well-known role as the conveyor of fuel and oxygen to brain cells...
11 September 2007
Motion Important For Viable Stem Cells
New research suggests that embryonic stem cells may develop much more viably when shaken...
4 September 2007
Fat And Vitamin C – A Cancerous Combo
In the presence of fat, vitamin C may actually increase, rather than reduce, certain cancer causing chemicals...
22 August 2007
Health Officials Get Wee-lly Smart About Drug Usage
Public health officials plan to get more accurate estimates on illegal drug use by analyzing drug residues and metabolites in sewage treatment plants...
8 August 2007
Bacterial Accumulation Doesn't Appear To Impact Longevity
Investigating the aging process in flies, researchers have established that while older flies accumulate very large populations of bacteria, the infestations don't seem to hasten death...
17 July 2007
Medicos Mull Advantageous Drug-Food Interactions
Exploiting novel interactions between food and drugs could dramatically lower the rising cost of anticancer drugs and other medications, say two oncologists...
22 May 2007
Oxygen Resuscitation In ER Damages Brain Function
Surprisingly, no one has ever scanned hospital patients' brains to examine how they respond to pure-oxygen resuscitation, but now that someone has, hospitals may want to review its use in many cases...
24 May 2007
Three (No Longer) Blind Mice
Gene therapy has been successfully used to restore sight in mice with a form of hereditary blindness; possibly leading to new treatments for common blinding diseases...
11 April 2007
"Construction" Protein Found
Scientists have discovered a protein required for two neighboring cells to fuse and become one super-cell, a function critical for building muscles...
4 April 2007
Modified Rabies Virus Could Tackle HIV
Arming a weakened rabies virus with HIV-related proteins appears to prevent development of HIV-like diseases in animals...
9 March 2007
The Dummies Guide To Mind Reading
Researchers have recently been able to forecast a subject's intentions. If our minds turn out to be this deterministic at much more complex levels, then the thought police could soon be on their way...
2 March 2007
The Slacker's Guide To Serendipitous Research
Scientists may not like to admit it, but serendipity has played a big role in many modern wonder drugs and gee-whiz inventions. So, if you're a young researcher looking to become a zillionaire, what's the best way of getting serendipity working for you? As a helpful guide, we've listed five choice tips which should put you on the road to riches...
27 February 2007
Bacterial Swimming Style Goes Against The Flow
Yale scientists have shown that E.coli bacteria have a propensity to swim upstream, possibly explaining why catheters are associated with such high rates of infection...
21 February 2007
Rogue Stem Cell Study Yields Anti-Cancer Protein
Rogue stem cells are at the heart of some, if not all, cancers, say European researchers, who have discovered a protein that they believe could disable cancerous cells...
19 February 2007
Vomiting Virgos Provide A Cautionary Tale For Clinicians
An analysis of health conditions and star signs has demonstrated the risks inherent when researchers find patterns in clinical data where in fact none exist...
1 January 2007
Antiquarian Herbal Book Yields Potential New Drugs
Mayo Clinic doctors are impressed with the anti-bacterial properties of a plant extract that they identified from a 17th century Dutch herbal textbook...
15 December 2006
Monkeying Around With Human Health
We're told that animal trials are crucial for the development of new drugs and medical treatments, but a recent study asks fundamental questions about the effectiveness and usefulness of animal research in regard to human health...
8 December 2006
Viagra Touted As Anti-Cancer Drug
While it won't cure cancer, researchers say the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra can turbocharge the body's cancer-attacking T-cells...
23 November 2006
Scientists Explore Manipulation Of Cancer Evolution
Oncologists are working with evolutionary biologists and ecologists to explore the possibility of radical new cancer treatments that manipulate the evolution of cancerous tumors...
20 November 2006
Success With Limb Regeneration
Researchers have been able to regenerate a wing in a chick embryo - a species not known to be able to regrow limbs - suggesting that the potential for regeneration exists in all vertebrates, including humans...
10 November 2006
The Ten Scariest Medical Mishaps
Doctors and medical specialists are miracle workers, right? And when we go to hospital, we'll leave healthier than when we arrived, right? Well, not always, as accidents do happen and modern medicine isn't exempt from Murphy's Law. So, what are the most terrifyingly medical blunders that could happen to you?
7 November 2006
Pimp My Retrovirus
Research into HIV gene therapy may be about to pay dividends, with positive results from a Phase I trial that used a modified version of the virus to deliver a gene that prevents HIV from reproducing...
2 November 2006
Clays Exhibit Novel Antibacterial Properties
Beauty treatments that use clay aren't new, but clay-based medicinal treatments are, especially when they go beyond the capabilities of existing antibiotics...
1 November 2006
Doctors Identify Potential Cause Of SIDS
US medicos say they have the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome has a concrete biological basis...
13 October 2006
 Too Cool For The 21st Century
Cryonics is what you might better know as a sci-fi plot device; think suspended animation or stasis. But rather than journeying to a distant planet, cryonic aficionados will stay on Earth in the hope that they can be revived in the future and cured of whatever ails them in this life. Or even better, that future medical science might have found a way to give them immortality...
10 October 2006
Farty Gas Triggers Suspended Animation State
Hydrogen sulfide gas, known for its rotten egg smell, has a surprising effect on the metabolic system, inducing a state of suspended animation while maintaining normal blood pressure...
1 September 2006
Church And State Mixed In The Test Tube
Embryonic stem cell research has hit the doldrums, stalled in the eye of a perfect storm of controversy. And taking advantage of the momentarily calm weather, politicians everywhere appear to be hoisting-up policies based around their own personal belief systems. Worryingly, it appears these decisions are being driven by an undercurrent of religious conservatism rather than reasoned ethical concerns...
28 August 2006
This Cancer Cell Will Self-Destruct In 5 Seconds
A synthetic compound that can initiate suicide in cancer cells could become the future of anti-cancer therapies...
11 August 2006
Noises Off At The Patent Law Medicine Show
Patent law amendments supposedly now provide for developing nations facing health emergencies by allowing them to legally manufacture and/or import cheaper generic drugs. But either due to bureaucratic red tape or the ever-present threat of a lawsuit, these provisions have proven difficult to access. Now, two health policy experts are crying foul...
25 July 2006
Building Muscle From Fatty Stem Cells
Researchers have extracted adult stem cells from fatty tissue and turned them into smooth muscle cells, used to power hollow organs like blood vessels, the intestines and the bladder...
2 June 2006
Bloodsucking Medical Marvels
Contrary to Hollywood film depictions, you can find leeches in places other than the steamy tropical swamplands of the Amazon. In fact, you can find them anywhere from freezing polar waters to the otherwise unforgiving climate of the desert. And it turns out that the quacks of bygone days only had it half-right about the medicinal properties of leeches, as they were unaware that it's not the bloodletting that's important; but rather the chemicals that the leech releases into the surrounding tissue that apparently work medical wonders...
22 May 2006
Drug Discoverers Opt For The Life Aquatic
Scientists are exploring newly discovered deep-sea reefs between Florida and the Bahamas in the hope of discovering marine organisms with the potential to treat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's...
11 May 2006
Key HIV/SARS Mechanism Revealed
UK scientists have revealed how HIV and SARS use "ribosomal frameshifting" to force a misreading of the genetic code during protein synthesis...
3 May 2006
Cannibalism The New Weapon In Cancer Fight
Scientists have a created a virus that forces deadly brain cancer cells to consume themselves. Better still, in addition to working on brain tumors, the virus works on other cancers as well...
6 April 2006
Photosensitive Algae Could Restore Vision
Scientists have used gene transfer technology to insert photosensitive proteins into the retinal cells of blind mice, restoring some visual ability...
4 April 2006
Wonky Waves Allow Cancer Cells To Spread
An understanding of how cancers metastasize could be closer, thanks to research into a biological communication mechanism known as cellular waves...
29 March 2006
Rats Showing Some Backbone After Stem Cell Treatment
Building on previous successful spinal repair stem cell research, University of Toronto researchers have managed to repair damaged spinal cord tissue, this time in rats...
28 February 2006
Getting Eye On Cannabinoids
The growth of excess blood vessels in the eye that can lead to blindness in diabetics could be prevented by a marijuana derived compound...
27 February 2006
Healing’s Golden Touch Explained
For 75 years, gold and platinum have been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, but how these metals performed their healing has been unknown until now...
16 February 2006
Disco Rats Last Longer On Ecstasy
Italian researchers, experimenting with rats, have found that loud music can prolong the effects of the recreational drug ecstasy for up to five days...
6 January 2006
Dogs Sniff Out Cancer
A new study has found that dogs have an astonishing capability to detect lung and breast cancer simply by sniffing the breath of the patient...
16 December 2005
Stem Cells May Prove Hard To Tame
Recent experiments have uncovered some fascinating insights into the way stem cells make every effort to form an embryo, defying researchers’ attempts to get them to form specific tissues...
22 November 2005
Chinese Research Lost In Translation
Important Chinese genetic research frequently fails to reach the international scientific community. It appears that it is often only the studies with spectacular results that tend to get disseminated...
18 November 2005
Anti-Aging Finding Turned On Its Head
Previous research showed that the addition of an extra SIR2 gene could extend the lifespan of some organisms. But a new study has found that deleting it altogether can produce even greater life extensions...
16 November 2005
Sperm Precursor Cells Could Be Source Of Embryonic Stem Cells
Experimenting with sperm precursor cells, scientists believe they are close to coaxing such cells to behave like embryonic stem cells...
11 November 2005
Face Transplants - Here's Looking At You
It seems that reality is about to imitate film fantasy, as a group of surgeons ready themselves to make history with the world’s first face transplantation. In doing so they’ll test the boundaries of medicine and bioethics, and there is also the small matter of finding a willing participant to join them on their pioneering quest...
20 September 2005
More Success With Stem Cells For Spinal Injuries
The potential of novel stem cell treatments is being realized with the announcement that adult neural stem cells have been used to successfully regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue...
9 September 2005
Stem Cell Stumbling Blocks
Despite the negativity and suspicion that stem cell research has attracted in the mainstream media, it has made remarkable headway in a relatively short period. But there are still major problems for scientists in their pursuit of new treatments and cures for a range of ailments. The obstacles to overcome are not trivial. Two of the most pressing problems are stem cell over-proliferation and stem cell navigation...
26 August 2005
Placebo Effect Produces Real Painkillers
The first direct evidence that the brain produces painkilling chemicals in response to a sham pain treatment may lead to new treatments, based around psychological therapy, for people with chronic pain...
22 August 2005
Umbilical Cord Blood May Overcome Stem Cell Stumbling Block
Embryonic stem cells hold great promise for disease treatment but ethical and technological bottlenecks are restricting their collection. Now, researchers believe they can create embryonic-like stem cells from umbilical cord blood...
2 August 2005
Gene Silencing Offers New Strategy For Treating Disease
A technique that can control gene expression at DNA level may pave the way for new treatments for many serious diseases...
13 July 2005
Parkinson's Drug Sparks Gambling Fever
A drug treatment used to help control the excessive shaking that Parkinson's disease triggers has caused some patients to develop pathological gambling behavior...
20 August 2004
Lactic Acid Not The Culprit In Muscle Fatigue
The belief among physiologists and athletes that a build up of lactic acid is a major cause of muscle fatigue has been overturned by researchers...
4 June 2004
Tongue-Vision Allows The Blind To Lap-Up The Sights
The brain receives a great deal of information from the tongue and researchers are investigating how to capitalize on this high-bandwidth sensory organ to turn it into a virtual eye...
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