http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council University of Cambridge researchers have discovered how an antibiotic-resistant superbug exploits oxygen-limited conditions in the lungs of patients with severe respiratory disease to thrive. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-scientists-potential-superbug.html Medical research Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:20:01 EST news278677034 Scientists at the Babraham Institute have gained a new understanding of when and how the DNA in developing egg and sperm cells is 'reset', in preparation for making a new embryo. It is well known that small chemical groups can be added to DNA to alter gene activity, these modifications to the DNA are acquired during development in the womb and throughout adult life and can arise from changes in environment. Most of these modifications are removed in immature egg and sperm cells to 'reset' the DNA and to erase any 'environmental memory', but some remain. Decoding this reprogramming has major implications for our understanding of development and how these modifications can be inherited from one generation to another. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-insight-dna-reprogramming-egg-sperm.html Genetics Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:00:12 EST news274016479 Scientists at the Babraham Institute have gained a new understanding of how the growth of the placenta is regulated before birth, which has important implications for a healthy pregnancy. The research, published today (10 June) in the journal Nature Cell Biology shows that the controlled release of a specific molecule, called miR-675, slows down growth of the placenta before birth. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-insight-placental-growth-healthy-pregnancy.html Medical research Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:00:21 EST news258548684 New research has shown that vitamin D3 supplements could provide more benefit than the close relative vitamin D2. The findings published in the June edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition could potentially lead to changes in the food industry when it comes to fortification. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-health-benefits-vitamin-d.html Health Thu, 31 May 2012 10:53:39 EST news257680410 Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have gained important new insights into how our sense of hearing works. Their findings promise new avenues for scientists to understand what goes wrong when people experience deafness. Their findings are published in Royal Society Open Biology, a new open access journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-scientists-pieces-puzzle.html Medical research Tue, 08 May 2012 19:20:01 EST news255712087 Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have found that vitamin D reduces the effects of ageing in mouse eyes and improves the vision of older mice significantly. The researchers hope that this might mean that vitamin D supplements could provide a simple and effective way to combat age-related eye diseases, such as macular degeneration (AMD), in people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-vitamin-d-combat-effects-aging.html Health Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:37:09 EST news246019016 Researchers have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life. This finding could lead to new ways of identifying people who are at a higher risk of developing these diseases and might open up targets for treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-poor-maternal-diet-diabetes-.html Medical research Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:21:58 EST news245049707 Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered a new mechanism controlling ageing in white blood cells. The research, published in the September issue of the Journal of Immunology, opens up the possibility of temporarily reversing the effects of ageing on immunity and could, in the future, allow for the short-term boosting of the immune systems of older people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-possibility-temporarily-reversing-aging-immune.html Medical research Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:22:25 EST news232705333 Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have taken a step towards producing better vaccines against Bluetongue – an important disease of livestock - after successfully assembling the virus outside a cell. This research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could provide scientists with the tools to develop vaccines with useful new properties. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-scientists-vaccines-bluetongue.html Medical research Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:32:20 EST news231431519 Researchers have discovered that a protein found in the walls of blood vessels plays a key role in maintaining healthy blood pressure; a discovery that could one day lead to new treatments for people with high blood pressure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-discovery-blood-pressure.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:00:10 EST news229614999 A breakthrough in understanding a biological process that causes many common cancers including lung and breast cancer opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for the development of improved cancer drugs. The results are featured on the front cover of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology published today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-octopus-cancer-breakthrough.html Cancer Fri, 13 May 2011 06:25:38 EST news224486698