Labslink Research News

Study: Stroke victims recover much better after temporary stent procedure

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:46:39 PDT

A new way of opening blocked arteries in the brain using a removable stent system in people suffering strokes brought remarkably positive results in how those patients recovered from the strokes, according to a study presented this morning at the American Stroke Association’s annual conference in New Orleans......> Full story

Parasites or not? Transposable elements in fruit flies

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:43:05 PDT

Nearly all organisms contain pieces of DNA that do not really belong to them. These “transposable elements”, so called because they are capable of moving around within and between genomes, generally represent a drain on the host’s resources and in certain cases may lead directly to disease, e.g. when they insert themselves.......> Full story

Regular use of vitamin and mineral supplements could reduce the risk of colon cancer

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:41:13 PDT

Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (CJPP) found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens.......> Full story

Whole exome sequencing identifies cause of metabolic disease

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:39:59 PDT

Sequencing a patient’s entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine – yet. But geneticists are getting close. A case report, published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics, shows how researchers can combine a simple blood test with an “executive summary” scan of the genome to diagnose a type of severe metabolic disease.........> Full story

Why 2 new studies represent important breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:38:22 PDT

Two different research groups have independently made the same important discoveries on how Alzheimer’s disease spreads in the brain, according to a February 2 New York Times story. The groups’ findings have the potential to give us a much more sophisticated understanding of what goes wrong in Alzheimer’s disease and, more importantly, what can be done to prevent or repair damage in the brain........> Full story

Diabetes rates vary widely in developing countries, 1 in 10 cases untreated

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:05:50 PDT

Rates of diabetes vary widely across developing countries worldwide, according to a new analysis led by Dr. Longjian Liu of Drexel University’s School of Public Health........> Full story

Rearranging the cell's skeleton

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:03:18 PDT

Cell biologists at Johns Hopkins have identified key steps in how certain molecules alter a cell’s skeletal shape and drive the cell’s movement.......> Full story

Elevated glucose associated with undetected heart damage

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:01:58 PDT

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) injures the heart, even in patients without a history of heart disease or diabetes. Researchers found that elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker for chronic hyperglycemia and diabetes, were associated with minute levels of the protein troponin T (cTnT), a blood marker for heart damage. The high-sensitivity test they used detected levels.......> Full story

Studying butterfly flight to help build bug-size flying robots

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:34 PDT

To improve the next generation of insect-size flying machines, Johns Hopkins engineers have been aiming high-speed video cameras at some of the prettiest bugs on the planet. By figuring out how butterflies flutter among flowers with amazing grace and agility, the researchers hope to help small airborne robots mimic these maneuvers.......> Full story

A zap of cold plasma reduces harmful bacteria on raw chicken in Drexel study

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:58:52 PDT

A new study by food safety researchers at Drexel University demonstrates that plasma can be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry. The proof-of-concept study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Food Protection........> Full story

First-of-its-kind head patch monitors brain blood flow and oxygen

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:23:25 PDT

A research team led by investigators at Mayo Clinic in Florida has found that a small device worn on a patient's brow can be useful in monitoring stroke patients in the hospital. The device measures blood oxygen, similar to a pulse oximeter, which is clipped onto a finger........> Full story

A step closer to understanding, averting drug resistance

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:21:48 PDT

The multidrug transporter EmrE functions as an asymmetric antiparallel dimer (molecule with two subunits). Drug (blue) transport from the inside to the outside of the cell membrane is accomplished by exchange between inward (left) and outward (right) facing........> Full story

Singapore scientists lead in 3D mapping of human genome to help understand human diseases

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:18:31 PDT

Genome Institute of Singapore’s (GIS) Associate Director of Genomic Technologies, Dr Yijun RUAN, led a continuing study on the human genome spatial/structural configuration, revealing how genes interact/communicate and influence each other.......> Full story

Dyslexia-linked genetic variant decreases midline crossing of auditory pathways

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:17:16 PDT

Finnish scientists have found that a rare dyslexia-linked genetic variant of the ROBO1 gene decreases normal crossing of auditory pathways in the human brain. The weaker the expression of the gene is, the more abnormal is the midline cross........> Full story

Road runoff spurring spotted salamander evolution

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:15:55 PDT

Spotted salamanders exposed to contaminated roadside ponds are adapting to their toxic environments, according to a Yale paper in Scientific Reports. This study provides the first documented evidence that a vertebrate has adapted to the negative effects of roads apparently by evolving rapidly.......> Full story

onsuming fish during pregnancy improves offspring's cognitive development and prosocial conduct

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:39:54 PDT

Can pregnant women improve their progeny’s intelligence by eating fish? A study recently submitted to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and coordinated by the University of Granada professor Cristina Campoy Folgoso revealed that infants born to mothers who consumed more fish during pregnancy score.........> Full story

Short-term memory is based on synchronized brain oscillations

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:38:41 PDT

It has long been known that brain regions in the frontal part of the brain are involved in short-term memory, while processing of visual information occurs primarily at the back of the brain. However, to successfully remember visual information over a short period of time, these distant regions need to coordinate and integrate information.......> Full story

Moonlighting enzyme works double shift 24/7

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:37:25 PDT

A team of researchers led by Michigan State University has discovered an overachieving plant enzyme that works both the day and night shifts........> Full story

Scripps Research team proves plausibility of new pathway to life's chemical building blocks

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:36:05 PDT

For decades, chemists considered a chemical pathway known as the formose reaction the only route for producing sugars essential for life to begin, but more recent research has called into question the plausibility of such thinking.......> Full story

Rate of follow-up surgeries after partial mastectomy varies greatly

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:34:47 PDT

A new study reveals substantial differences - by both surgeon and institution - in the rates of follow-up surgeries for women who underwent a partial mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer........> Full story

In lab, Pannexin1 restores tight binding of cells that is lost in cancer

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:11:30 PDT

First there is the tumor and then there’s the horrible question of whether the cancerous cells will spread. Scientists increasingly believe that the structural properties of the tumor itself, such as how tightly the tumor cells are packed together, play a decisive role in the progression of the disease. In a new study, researchers show that the protein Pannexin1, known to have tumor-suppressive properties, plays an important role in keeping the cells within a tissue closely packed together, an effect that may be lost with cancer.......> Full story

Cutting off the oxygen supply to serious diseases

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:10:06 PDT

A new family of proteins which regulate the human body’s ‘hypoxic response’ to low levels of oxygen has been discovered by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary, University of London and The University of Nottingham.......> Full story

Dealing with stress: New research highlights the survival skills of disease-causing E. coli

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:08:49 PDT

Escherichia coli bacteria thrive in the lower intestine of humans and other animals, including birds. Most are vital constituents of the healthy gut flora, but certain forms of E. coli cause a range of diseases in both humans and poultry........> Full story

Meet the beetles: Social networks provide clues to natural selection

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:07:33 PDT

Think of them as a group of guys, hanging out together, but not spending much time with the ladies, nor getting much "action." Except these "guys" are forked fungus beetles......> Full story

Ferroelectric switching discovered for first time in soft biological tissue

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:06:23 PDT

The heart’s inner workings are mysterious, perhaps even more so with a new finding. Engineers at the University of Washington have discovered an electrical property in arteries not seen before in mammalian tissues.......> Full story

Research on vitamins could lead to the design of novel drugs to combat malaria

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:16:30 PDT

New research by scientists at the University of Southampton could lead to the design of more effective drugs to combat malaria. The research will enable scientists to learn more about the nature of the enzymes required for vitamin biosynthesis by the malaria causing pathogen Plasmodium........> Full story

Rap music powers rhythmic action of medical sensor

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:13:20 PDT

The driving bass rhythm of rap music can be harnessed to power a new type of miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body.......> Full story

MSU researchers show how new viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:12:01 PDT

In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations.......> Full story

Scientists reveal how cholera bacterium gains a foothold in the gut

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:10:11 PDT

The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is able to colonise the intestine usually after consumption of contaminated water or food. Once infection is established, the bacterium secretes a toxin that causes watery diarrhoea and ultimately death if not treated rapidly........> Full story

BWH researchers develop new drug release mechanism utilizing 3-D superhydrophobic materials

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:07:59 PDT

According to a recent study, there is a new mechanism of drug release using 3D superhydrophobic materials that utilizes air as a removable barrier to control the rate at which drug is released........> Full story

New Queen's University research sheds light on gene destruction linked to aggressive prostate cancer

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:32:48 PDT

Researchers at Queen’s University have identified a possible cause for the loss of a tumour suppressor gene (known as PTEN) that can lead to the development of more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.......> Full story

Berkeley Lab researchers discover critical rotational motion in cells

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:31:28 PDT

In a study that holds major implications for breast cancer research as well as basic cell biology, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a rotational motion that plays a critical role in the ability of breast cells to form the spherical structures in the mammary gland known as acini........> Full story

URMC finds leukemia cells are 'bad to the bone'

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:30:16 PDT

University of Rochester Medical Center researchers have discovered new links between leukemia cells and cells involved in bone formation, offering a fresh perspective on how the blood cancer progresses and raising the possibility that therapies for bone disorders could help in the treatment of leukemia........> Full story

Scripps research scientists illuminate cancer cells' survival strategy

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:29:12 PDT

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has discovered key elements of a strategy commonly used by tumor cells to survive when they spread to distant organs. The finding could lead to drugs that could inhibit this metastasis in patients with tumors........> Full story

Researchers show how viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:27:42 PDT

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have demonstrated how a new virus evolves, shedding light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Science........> Full story

Avastin, Sutent increase breast cancer stem cells, U-M study shows

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:35:21 PDT

Cancer treatments designed to block the growth of blood vessels were found to increase the number of cancer stem cells in breast tumors in mice, suggesting a possible explanation for why these drugs don't lead to longer survival, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center........> Full story

Attack or retreat? Circuit links hunger and pursuit in sea slug brain

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:33:58 PDT

If you were a blind, cannibalistic sea slug, living among others just like you, nearly every encounter with another creature would require a simple cost/benefit calculation: Should I eat that, do nothing or flee?......> Full story

Aiding cancer therapy by mathematically modeling tumor-immune interactions

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:32:42 PDT

Cancer is one of the five leading causes of death. And yet, despite decades of research, there is no standardized first-line treatment for most cancers. In addition, disappointing results from predominant second-line treatments like chemotherapy have established the need for alternative methods.......> Full story

Chemists synthesize artificial cell membrane

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:31:35 PDT

Chemists have taken an important step in making artificial life forms from scratch. Using a novel chemical reaction, they have created self-assembling cell membranes, the structural envelopes that contain and support the reactions required for life.........> Full story

Protein in the brain could be a key target in controlling Alzheimer's

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:30:26 PDT

A protein recently discovered in the brain could play a key role in regulating the creation of amyloid beta, the major component of plaques implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers at Temple University’s School of Medicine........> Full story

Study: Off-campus college party hosts drink more than attendees

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:55:39 PDT

On any given weekend, at least 10 percent of students at a single college could be hosting a party, and on average, party hosts who live off campus are drinking more and engaging in more alcohol-related problem behaviors than are the students attending their bashes, research suggests.........> Full story

Adipose stem cell heart attack trial data published in JACC

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:53:53 PDT

Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CYTX) announced today the publication of previously reported six-month outcomes from APOLLO, the Company's European clinical trial evaluating adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack or AMI)........> Full story

Lifestyle counseling reduces time to reach treatment goals for people with diabetes

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:52:21 PDT

Lifestyle counseling, practiced as part of routine care for people with diabetes, helps people more quickly lower blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels and keep them under control, according to a large, long-term study published in the February........> Full story

MIT neuroscientists explore how longstanding conflict influences empathy for others

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:50:10 PDT

MIT postdoc Emile Bruneau has long been drawn to conflict — not as a participant, but an observer. In 1994, while doing volunteer work in South Africa, he witnessed firsthand the turmoil surrounding the fall of apartheid; during a 2001 trip to visit friends in Sri Lanka, he found himself in the midst of the violent conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military........> Full story

Babies are born with 'intuitive physics' knowledge, says MU researcher

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:48:36 PDT

While it may appear that infants are helpless creatures that only blink, eat, cry and sleep, one University of Missouri researcher says that studies indicate infant brains come equipped with knowledge of “intuitive physics.”........> Full story

CWRU study finds the love of a dog or cat helps women cope with HIV/AIDS

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:11:11 PDT

A spoonful of medicine goes down a lot easier if there is a dog or cat around. Having pets is helpful for women living with HIV/AIDS and managing their chronic illness, according to a new study from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University........> Full story

Patterns of chromosome abnormality: The key to cancer?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:09:57 PDT

A healthy genome is characterized by 23 pairs of chromosomes, and even a small change in this structure — such as an extra copy of a single chromosome — can lead to severe physical impairment. So it's no surprise that when it comes to cancer, chromosomal structure is frequently a contributing factor, says Prof. Ron Shamir of the Blavatnik School of Comput.......> Full story

Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:08:51 PDT

For the 26 million Americans with diabetes, drawing blood is the most prevalent way to check glucose levels. It is invasive and at least minimally painful. Researchers at Brown University are working on a new sensor that can check blood sugar levels by measuring glucose concentrations in saliva instead........> Full story

Researchers develop gene therapy that could correct a common form of blindness

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:06:52 PDT

A new gene therapy method developed by University of Florida researchers has the potential to treat a common form of blindness that strikes both youngsters and adults. The technique works by replacing a malfunctioning gene in the eye with a normal working copy that supplies a protein necessary for light-sensitive cells in the eye to function. The findings are published today (Monday, Jan. 23) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online........> Full story

Van Andel research institute study provides new details of fundamental cellular process

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:05:14 PDT

A recent Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) study published in the journal Science investigating the molecular structure and function of an essential plant hormone could profoundly change our understanding of a key cell process, and might ultimately lead to the development of new drugs for a variety of diseases.......> Full story