http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Duke University Duke University biomedical engineers have grown three-dimensional human heart muscle that acts just like natural tissue. This advancement could be important in treating heart attack patients or in serving as a platform for testing new heart disease medicines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-patch-hearts.html Medical research Mon, 06 May 2013 12:26:50 EST news287062001 (Medical Xpress)—About 57 percent of deaths among American teenagers and young adults are attributable to personal decisions and could be prevented, according to new risk research from Duke University. The researchers propose ideas for specific family decision making and communication to avoid fatalities from risky situations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-young-adult-deaths-parents-children.html Health Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:38:12 EST news284971086 Researchers have identified genetic risk factors that may accelerate a teen's progression to becoming a lifelong heavy smoker. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-genetics-smokers.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:00:01 EST news283614819 Researchers think that for cancer to develop, damaged cells have to undergo certain transitions that cause them to spread, or metastasize. Junior Tristan Bepler, a biology and computer science major, is testing this hypothesis, studying two types of cell transitions scientists have linked to the spread of cancer. He works in the lab of Mariano Garcia-Blanco, professor of molecular genetics and microbiology, and looks at the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition, or MET, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EMT. Mesenchymal cells are more motile, while epithelial cells tend to be fixed in rows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-tracking-cell-transitions-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:35:57 EST news281781335 Learning, memory and habits are encoded in the strength of connections between neurons in the brain, the synapses. These connections aren't meant to be fixed, they're changeable, or plastic. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-good-habits-bad-neuroscientist-roots.html Autism spectrum disorders Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:03:52 EST news280242206 Researchers have given rats the ability to "touch" infrared light, normally invisible to them, by fitting them with an infrared detector wired to microscopic electrodes implanted in the part of the mammalian brain that processes tactile information. The achievement represents the first time a brain-machine interface has augmented a sense in adult animals, said Duke University neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis, who led the research team. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-neuroprosthesis-rats-ability-infrared.html Neuroscience Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:40:01 EST news279891120 (Medical Xpress)—We all know about the dangers of negative stereotyping. But what about positive stereotyping? Is it really bad to assume that women are more in touch with their emotions or that immigrants work harder than the majority population? Research led by Aaron Kay, a professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, reveals that positive stereotypes may actually be worse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-dangers-positive-stereotypes.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:21:40 EST news278925691 For many of us, having our genomes in hand today isn't likely to make any profound difference in our lives, at least not when it comes to our health. But for children and their families affected by rare and mysterious genetic diseases, early indications are that it's a completely different story, thanks to the efforts of two teams of geneticists at Duke Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-rarest-diseases-genomes-yield.html Genetics Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:53:40 EST news277462401 (Medical Xpress)—More than three years after she coined the phrase "death panel," Sarah Palin's remark continues to inflame the debate over health care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-death-panel-myth-hard-effectiveness.html Health Wed, 09 Jan 2013 07:10:04 EST news276935718 A monkey would probably never agree that it is better to give than to receive, but they do apparently get some reward from giving to another monkey. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-decision-group-effort-brain.html Neuroscience Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:00:30 EST news275488984 (Medical Xpress)—Many antibiotics can lose their ability to kill bacteria – Duke University bioengineers believe they can explain one of the reasons why. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-mechanism-antibiotic-tolerance.html Medical research Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:27:45 EST news269850459 The persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 has been shown to cause lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, according to an international research team. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-adolescent-pot-mental-deficits.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:00:02 EST news265288632 If past experience makes you think there's going to be one more cashew at the bottom of the bowl, you're likely to search through those mixed nuts a little longer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-tumors-handguns-food.html Neuroscience Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:55:32 EST news263562911 Stroboscopic training, performing a physical activity while using eyewear that simulates a strobe-like experience, has been found to increase visual short-term memory retention, and the effects last for 24 hours. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-strobe-eyewear-visual-memory.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:10:31 EST news262282217 Although many areas of the human brain are devoted to social tasks like detecting another person nearby, a new study has found that one small region carries information only for decisions during social interactions. Specifically, the area is active when we encounter a worthy opponent and decide whether to deceive them. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-brain-center-social-choices.html Neuroscience Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:00:10 EST news260712291