Labslink Research News

New X-ray method shows how frog embryos could help thwart disease

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:30:35 PDT

An international team of scientists using a new X-ray method recorded the internal structure and cell movement inside a living frog embryo in greater detail than ever before.......> Full story

Biomaterial shows promise for Type 1 diabetes treatment

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:18:17 PDT

Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans........> Full story

Study finds nearly 5 million asthmatics worldwide could benefit from antifungal therapy

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:38:23 PDT

An estimated 4,837,000 asthmatics with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) could benefit substantially from antifungal treatment, say researchers from the University of Toronto and Manchester University........> Full story

And the beat goes on...: The reliable heartbeat of hibernators

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:42:38 PDT

In the present study Sylvain Giroud and colleagues were able to demonstrate that a specific omega-6 fatty acid, Linoleic acid (LA), regulates cardiac function and ensures a regular heartbeat during hibernation. The scientists found that hibernators show higher levels of LA in their heart tissue compared to animals in a non-hibernating state. The scientists determined the cardiac fatty acid composition of hibernating and non-hibernating........> Full story

Certain bladder-cancer patients may be at high risk of disease recurrence despite bladder removal

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:38:38 PDT

Patients with advanced bladder cancers that are surgically removed might need additional therapy to prevent recurrence in certain situations, a new UT Southwestern Medical Center study suggests.......> Full story

Injectable nano-network controls blood sugar in diabetics for days at a time

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:58:59 PDT

In a promising development for diabetes treatment, researchers have developed a network of nanoscale particles that can be injected into the body and release insulin when blood-sugar levels rise, maintaining normal blood sugar levels for more than a week in animal-based laboratory tests. The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Children’s Hospital Boston........> Full story

U of M researchers discover link between heart, blood, and skeletal muscle

Thu, 02 May 2013 16:11:33 PDT

New research out of the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota shows that by turning on just a single gene, Mesp1, different cell types including the heart, blood and muscle can be created from stem cells. The study was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell........> Full story

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers find potential novel treatment for influenza

Wed, 01 May 2013 16:32:47 PDT

An experimental drug has shown promise in treating influenza, preventing lung injury and death from the virus in preclinical studies, according to University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers publishing in the journal Nature on May 1. The scientists found that a drug called Eritoran can protect mice from death.......> Full story

Microgels' behavior under scrutiny

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:26:28 PDT

Being a physicist offers many perks. For one, it allows an understanding of the substances ubiquitous in everyday industrial products such as emulsions, gels, granular pastes or foams. These are known for their intermediate behaviour between fluid and solid. Paint, for example, can be picked up on a paintbrush without flowing and spread under the stress of the brush stroke like a fluid. Baudouin Geraud and colleagues.........> Full story

Discovery helps explain how children develop rare, fatal disease

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:23:28 PDT

One of 100,000 children is born with Menkes disease, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to properly absorb copper from food and leads to neurodegeneration, seizures, impaired movement, stunted growth and, often, death before age 3. Now, a team of biochemistry researchers at the University of Missouri has published conclusive scientific evidence that the gene ATP7A is essential for the dietary absorption of the nutrient copper. Their work with laboratory mice also provides a greater understanding of how this gene impacts Menkes disease as scientists search for a treatment........> Full story

Costs to treat heart failure expected to more than double by 2030

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:17:14 PDT

If we don’t improve or reduce the incidence of heart failure by preventing and treating the underlying conditions, there will be a large monetary and health burden on the country,” said Paul A. Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and director of the Chronic Heart Failure Quality Enhancement Research Initiative at the VA Health Care System in Palo Alto, Calif.......> Full story

Scientists find ethnicity linked to antibodies

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:13:24 PDT

Cracking the DNA code for a complex region of the human genome has helped 14 North American scientists, including five at Simon Fraser University, chart new territory in immunity research........> Full story

Researchers: Gene regenerates heart tissue, critical finding for heart failure prevention

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:29:55 PDT

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a specific gene that regulates the heart’s ability to regenerate after injuries........> Full story

Forage longer for berries, study on age-related memory decline suggests

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:34:17 PDT

Like birds which stop foraging too early on a berry-laden bush, a new study suggests older people struggle to recall items because they flit too often between ‘patches’ in their memories........> Full story

How does acupuncture work? The science behind the therapy explored

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:32:35 PDT

Even as medical acupuncture is increasingly being validated as an effective treatment for a broad range of medical conditions, what has been missing is an understanding of the basic science and mechanisms of action of this age-old method of healing. A special issue of Medical Acupuncture, a peer-reviewed journal published.........> Full story

Researchers devise X-ray approach to track surgical devices, minimize radiation exposure

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:30:28 PDT

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) have developed a new tool to help surgeons use X-rays to track devices used in “minimally invasive” surgical procedures while also limiting the patient’s exposure to radiation from the X-rays........> Full story

Molecular hub links obesity, heart disease to high blood pressure

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:23:07 PDT

Obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure (hypertension) are all related, but understanding the molecular pathways that underlie cause and effect is complicated........> Full story

Co-Q10 deficiency may relate to concern with statin drugs, higher risk of diabetes

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:31:05 PDT

A laboratory study has shown for the first time that coenzyme Q10 offsets cellular changes that may be linked to a side-effect of some statin drugs - an increased risk of adult-onset diabetes. Statins are some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, able to reduce LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels, and the risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events. However, their role in raising the risk of diabetes has only been observed and studied in recent years........> Full story

IU study: Higher mercury levels in humans associated with increased risk for diabetes

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:43:07 PDT

A new study found that higher levels of mercury exposure in young adults increased their risks for type 2 diabetes later in life by 65 percent. The study, led by Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington epidemiologist Ka He, is the first to establish the link between mercury and diabetes in humans.........> Full story

Liver transplantation for patients with genetic liver conditions has high survival rate

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:21:45 PDT

Patients faced with the diagnosis of a life-threatening liver disease have to consider the seriousness of having a liver transplant, which can be a definitive cure for many acquired and genetic liver diseases. Among the main considerations are the anxiety of waiting for a donor organ, the risks associated with the transplant operation.........> Full story

Scientists identify first potentially effective therapy for human prion disease

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:06:16 PDT

Human diseases caused by misfolded proteins known as prions are some of most rare yet terrifying on the planet—incurable with disturbing symptoms that include dementia, personality shifts, hallucinations and coordination problems. The most well-known of these is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which can be described as the naturally occurring human equivalent of mad cow disease........> Full story

Mayo Clinic: New multiple myeloma treatment guidelines personalize therapy for patients

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:20:00 PDT

Researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have developed new guidelines to treat recently diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are not participating in clinical trials. The guidelines give physicians practical, easy to follow recommendations for providing initial therapy, stem cell transplant and maintenance therapy. The guidelines are published in the current issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings and represent a consensus opinion of hematologists at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center sites in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona.......> Full story

Texas physician breaks ground in robotic cervical surgery

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:04:32 PDT

Performing surgery on a pregnant patient is a delicate matter. Risks to both mother and baby must be carefully weighed in every decision a surgeon makes. Recently, at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, a surgeon performed a groundbreaking robotic laparoscopic procedure on a 35-year-old pregnant patient whose cervix was too short to sustain a pregnancy.......> Full story

Obesity leads to decreased physical activity over time

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:06:25 PDT

Physical activity and its relation to obesity has been studied for decades by researchers; however, almost no one has studied the reverse – obesity’s effect on physical activity.......> Full story

A step forward in the treatment of chronic urticaria

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:26:12 PDT

An international study involving dermatologists from the Hospital del Mar and Spanish subjects has concluded that a drug normally used to treat severe bronchial asthma caused by allergies (Omalizumab) rapidly eliminates the symptoms of spontaneous chronic urticaria, a development that it is expected will significantly improve the quality of life of chronic urticaria sufferers.......> Full story

UC Davis research advances efforts to prevent dangerous blood clots

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:24:19 PDT

New research from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, published in the Journal of Surgical Research, may help clinicians determine which patients are at highest risk for post-surgical blood clots in the legs or lungs........> Full story

Teen mentors inspire healthier choices in younger children

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:20:05 PDT

An obesity intervention taught by teen mentors in Appalachian elementary schools resulted in weight loss, lower blood pressure and healthy lifestyle changes among the younger students learning the curriculum, according to a new study.......> Full story

Food memories can help with weight loss

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:20:27 PDT

Research led by a psychologist at the University of Liverpool has found that using memories of recent meals reduces the amount of food eaten later on. It also found that being distracted when eating leads to increased consumption........> Full story

Researchers find molecular switch turning on self-renewal of liver damage

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:17:54 PDT

Our new data challenge the predominant 'stem cell-mania' as the results reveal important molecular mechanisms that enable ordinary liver cells to divide and repair tissue damage. This may point to ways of using ordinary liver cells for therapeutic purposes, as these cells may be easier to use than stem cells," says Head of Clinic and Professor Bo Porse who has lead the investigation........> Full story

New hypothesis: Why bacteria are becoming increasingly more resistant to antibiotics

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:08:41 PDT

A University of Granada researcher has formulated a new hypothesis concerning an enigma that the scientific community has still not been able to solve and which could revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry: Why are bacteria becoming increasingly more resistant to antibiotics? His work has revealed that the use of antibiotics can even cause non-resistant bacteria to become resistant because they take up the DNA of others that are already resistant........> Full story

Pregnancy permanently changes foot size

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:55:42 PDT

A University of Iowa study confirms what many women have long suspected—that pregnancy permanently changes the size and shape of their feet........> Full story

Mechanisms regulating inflammation associated with type 2 diabetes, cancer identified

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:54:07 PDT

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has identified epigenetic mechanisms that connect a variety of diseases associated with inflammation. Utilizing molecular analyses of gene expression in macrophages, which are cells largely responsible for inflammation........> Full story

Brown unveils novel wireless brain sensor

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:22:12 PDT

A team of neuroengineers based at Brown University has developed a fully implantable and rechargeable wireless brain sensor capable of relaying real-time broadband signals from up to 100 neurons in freely moving subjects. Several copies of the novel low-power device, described in the Journal of Neural Engineering, have been performing well in animal models for more than year, a first in the brain-computer interface field. Brain-computer interfaces could help people with severe paralysis control devices with their thoughts........> Full story

New model could lead to improved treatment for early stage Alzheimer's

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:18:21 PDT

Researchers at the University of Florida and The Johns Hopkins University have developed a line of genetically altered mice that model the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. This model may help scientists identify new therapies to provide relief to patients who are beginning to experience symptoms.......> Full story

Too much vitamin D during pregnancy can cause food allergies

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:26:45 PDT

Vitamin D has always had a good reputation: it strengthens bones, protects against infections particularly during the cold winter months and aids the nervous and muscular systems. Especially in the prevention and treatment of rickets, it has been given to babies and infants around the world for around 50 years. However, recent scientific.......> Full story

Surgery and radiation improve survival for metastatic gastric cancer patients, Moffitt study shows

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:25:02 PDT

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center studied patients with metastatic gastric cancer and found that those who have both surgery and radiation have better survival than those who receive one or no form of treatment........> Full story

Bridging the gap: Hope that all meningitis strains will be vaccinated for

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:21:35 PDT

Scientists at the University of Southampton have taken a significant and important step in keeping people safe from the most common form of meningitis in the UK........> Full story

Blood vessels 'sniff' gut microbes to regulate blood pressure

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:17:03 PDT

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and Yale University have discovered that a specialized receptor, normally found in the nose, is also in blood vessels throughout the body, sensing small molecules created by microbes that line mammalian intestines, and responding to these molecules by increasing blood pressure........> Full story

Linking insulin to learning

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:13:04 PDT

Recent work by Harvard researchers demonstrates how the signaling pathway of insulin and insulinlike peptides plays a critical role in helping to regulate learning and memory........> Full story

Libertarian paternalism and school lunches: Guiding healthier behavior while preserving choices

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:11:37 PDT

The term ‘libertarian paternalism’ is a peculiar phrase because it invokes feelings about two seemingly contradictory philosophies. Yet, as a principle of the behavioral sciences, this phrase actually implies gentle guidance, without force........> Full story

Nottingham technology in heart development breakthrough

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:43:51 PDT

Technology developed at The University of Nottingham has been used in a breakthrough study aimed at developing the first comprehensive model of a fully functioning fetal heart.......> Full story

Researchers uncover new findings on genetic risks of Behçet's disease

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:43:48 PDT

Researchers don’t know the exact cause of Behçet's disease, a chronic condition that leads to oral and genital sores and serious complications such as blindness, but new research brings better understanding to what makes some people more susceptible to being affected.........> Full story

Environment schemes for kids influence parents' behavior

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:26:31 PDT

Scientists from Imperial College London surveyed the families of 160 schoolchildren in the Seychelles, some of whom took part in educational activities about the island's valuable wetland resources........> Full story

Gene associated with high anxiety can have protective effect on the battlefield

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:26:24 PDT

The onset of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is unpredictable. Because it depends on the unforeseeable occurrence of traumatic events, it is difficult to identify preventative or causative factors. Scientists typically turn to patients who have already developed PTSD to study the disorder, but that means they can't draw comparisons to their psychological state prior to experiencing trauma......> Full story

Effective treatment for late infantile batten disease developed by MU, BioMarin researchers

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:33:39 PDT

Batten disease is a rare, fatal genetic disorder that affects children. Currently, no effective treatment exists for the disease, which ultimately kills all who are affected. Dachshunds also suffer from Batten disease, and now researchers from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine, in collaboration with BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.........> Full story

Few pregnant women treated for sexually transmitted infections

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:45:28 PDT

Many pregnant women with sexually transmitted infections aren’t getting the treatment they need when they visit emergency rooms, according to a new Michigan State University study that highlights a wholly preventable risk to unborn children and raises questions about current medical guidelines.......> Full story

Exposure to pesticides in food, air and water increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:21:38 PDT

A study conducted at the University of Granada has revealed that there is a direct relationship between exposure to pesticides (Persistent Organic Pollutants, CPOs) in food, air and water and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in adults, regardless of age, gender and body mass index. These substances tend to concentrate in body fat, and they might be one of the reasons why obese people are more likely to develop diabetes, since the more fat the higher the COP concentrations in the body.......> Full story

Some omega-3 oils better than others for protection against liver disease

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:18:20 PDT

Research at Oregon State University has found that one particular omega-3 fatty acid has a powerful effect in preventing liver inflammation and fibrosis – common problems that are steadily rising along with the number of Americans who are overweight........> full story

Aging cells lose their grip on DNA rogues

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:00:03 PDT

Even in our DNA there is no refuge from rogues that prey on the elderly. Parasitic strands of genetic material called transposable elements — transposons — lurk in our chromosomes, poised to wreak genomic havoc. Cells have evolved ways to defend themselves, but in a new study, Brown University researchers describe how cells lose this ability as they age, possibly resulting in a decline in their function and health.......> Full story

Epigenetic control of cardiogenesis

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:18:57 PDT

RNA molecules more than 300 nucleotides long and not exhibiting any protein-coding read frames are denoted as long non-coding RNA. They are known to interact with histone-modifying protein complexes that control the activation state of genes (activatable, active, or repressed), as well as influencing the level of their activity. This occurs, for example, through the transfer of methyl groups to histones, the DNA-packaging proteins. Modifications to the histones such as these can be copied during cell division and thus promulgate the activation state of genes from cell to cell across several stages of differentiation........> Full story