http://medicalxpress.com/research-news/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news on medicine research, health research, medicine, health and medical science. By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-reveals-mechanism-estrogen-suppression-liver.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:01 EST news288540951 Aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to a new study published in the June issue the journal Radiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-mri-based-vascular-disease-brain.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 15:35:43 EST news288542100 Since the discovery of Prontosil in 1932, sulfonamide antibiotics have been used to combat a wide spectrum of bacterial infections, from acne to chlamydia and pneumonia. However, their side effects can include serious neurological problems like nausea, headache, dizziness, hallucinations and even psychosis. In a recent Science publication, EPFL researchers have shown for the first time how sulfonamides can interfere with a patient's nervous system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-antibiotics-sulfonamide-nervous-side-effects.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:09 EST news288536311 Scientists at the National Institutes of Health report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as the sensation of itch. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-molecule-triggers-sensation.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:01 EST news288536360 Spanish researchers have discovered that the daily clearance of neutrophils from the body stimulates the release of hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, according to a report published today in the journal Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discarded-immune-cells-relocation-stem.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 12:07:44 EST news288529649 A discovery made in fish could aid research into motor neuron disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-hormone-motor-neuron-growth-fish.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:39 EST news288529229 Bochum's medics have succeeded in treating cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood. Following a cardiac arrest with severe brain damage, a 2.5 year old boy had been in a persistent vegetative state – with minimal chances of survival. Just two months after treatment with the cord blood containing stem cells, the symptoms improved significantly; over the following months, the child learned to speak simple sentences and to move. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-successful-treatment-pediatric-cerebral-palsy.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 11:51:31 EST news288528685 Professor Michael Jennings, Deputy Director of the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University, was part of an international team that discovered the previously unknown pathway of how the bacterium colonizes people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discovery-deadly-meningococcal-disease.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 09:41:47 EST news288520878 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists from the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have determined the 3-D structure of the chemically active part of an enzyme involved in stuttering. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-reveals-site-enzyme-linked-stuttering.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:01 EST news288516535 (Medical Xpress)—According to the World Health Organization, approximately 70 million couples experience infertility worldwide. Current data suggests that nearly one third of infertility disorders are due to poor sperm quality. For couples undergoing in vitro fertilization, certain sperm characteristics, such as motility and stamina, are crucial when sorting and selecting sperm. However, selecting the fittest sperm can be a challenge. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-sperm-sorting-aid-couples-vitro-fertilization.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 08:20:02 EST news288514616 Every day, their baby stopped breathing, his collapsed bronchus blocking the crucial flow of air to his lungs. April and Bryan Gionfriddo watched helplessly, just praying that somehow the dire predictions weren't true. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-baby-life-groundbreaking-d-device.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:01 EST news288460706 The human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria – "good" microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye. However, in several chronic human diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), HIV/AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, the immune system attacks these normally beneficial bacteria, resulting in chronic inflammation and contributing to disease progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune-peacefully-co-exists-good-bacteria.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 13:03:21 EST news288446557 Swiss scientists reveal the mechanism responsible for aging hidden deep within mitochondria—and dramatically slow it down in worms by administering antibiotics to the young. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-aging-processonly-antibiotics.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 13:00:11 EST news288446394 On May 22, JoVE will publish details of a technique to measure the health of human genetic material in relation to a patient's age. The method is demonstrated by the laboratory of Dr. Gil Atzmon at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Atzmon hopes that the dissemination of this technique will lead to the development of a "genetic thermometer" to assess a patient's health in relation to other individuals of the same age. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-healthy-age.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 09:50:48 EST news288435037 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health have a new theory as to why a woman's fertility declines after her mid-30s. They also suggest an approach that might help slow the process, enhancing and prolonging fertility. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-molecular-explanation-age-related-fertility-decline.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 08:10:03 EST news288427276 Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new drug target, developed a new drug and identified a new way to design drugs—all of which could be a winning combination in the battle against viruses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-medical-ways-drugs-viral-infection.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 07:50:01 EST news288427071 New research at The University of Nottingham aimed at preventing harmful blood clots associated with heart disease and stroke has recently received a major funding boost from the British Heart Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-x-factor-tackle-cardiovascular-disease.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 07:24:46 EST news288426264 Italian lawmakers on Wednesday gave their final approval to a law that allows limited use of a controversial type of stem cell therapy which has been condemned by many scientists but has given hope to families of terminally-ill children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-italy-law-controversial-stem-cell.html Medical research Wed, 22 May 2013 07:10:02 EST news288423865 Trends in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and smoking explain a significant proportion of the decline of intestinal-type noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma (NCGA) incidence in US men between 1978 and 2008, and are estimated to continue to contribute to further declines between 2008 and 2040. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-pylori-trends-gastric-cancer-men.html Medical research Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:03 EST news288374296 Widely available in pharmacies and health stores, phosphatidylserine is a natural food supplement produced from beef, oysters, and soy. Proven to improve cognition and slow memory loss, it's a popular treatment for older people experiencing memory impairment. Now a team headed by Prof. Gil Ast and Dr. Ron Bochner of Tel Aviv University's Department of Human Molecular Genetics have discovered that the same supplement improves the functioning of genes involved in degenerative brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease and Familial Dysautonomia (FD). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-common-food-supplement-degenerative-brain.html Medical research Tue, 21 May 2013 12:20:01 EST news288356860 Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-family-pair-orphan-receptors-brain.html Medical research Tue, 21 May 2013 11:49:55 EST news288355780 Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-insight-dazzling-impact-insulin-cells.html Medical research Tue, 21 May 2013 11:25:38 EST news288354330 Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine will study gender differences in how the heart uses and stores fat—its main energy source—and how changes in fat metabolism play a role in heart disease, under a new $2 million, 4-year grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-men-women-hearts-fuel-differently.html Medical research Tue, 21 May 2013 08:30:02 EST news288341701 Nearly 20 percent of kidneys that are recovered from deceased donors in the U.S. are refused for transplant due to factors ranging from scarring in small blood vessels of the kidney's filtering units to the organ going too long without blood or oxygen. But, what if instead of being discarded, these organs could be "recycled" to help solve the critical shortage of donor organs? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-source-kidneys-transplant.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 16:20:04 EST news288284721 Discovering that mouse hair has a circadian clock - a 24-hour cycle of growth followed by restorative repair - researchers suspect that hair loss in humans from toxic cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy might be minimized if these treatments are given late in the day. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discovery-circadian-clock-mice-hair.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 15:53:42 EST news288284014 Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-salamanders-solution-regeneration.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:10 EST news288270588 New research from the University of Southampton has shown that blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation, similar to that used by bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-people-potential.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 12:21:27 EST news288271271 A novel vaccine study from South Dakota State University (SDSU) will headline the groundbreaking research that will be unveiled at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference (NBC). The meeting takes place Monday, May 20 - Wednesday, May 22 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-germ-fighting-vaccine-great-delivery.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:03 EST news288269073 Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost as a consequence of diabetic foot ulcer that does not heal. To date, medical solutions that can change this situation are very limited. In his doctoral thesis Yue Shen from the Industrial Doctoral School and the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Umeå University presented a novel medicine for chronic wound treatment that may completely change the lives of millions of patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discovery-medicine-treatment-chronic-wounds.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 07:20:03 EST news288252654 When tumours metastasise, they can block lymphatic vessels, as researchers from ETH Zurich have discovered using a new method. The lymphatic fluid subsequently has to find a new path through the tissue. Such "detours" could well be the reason why metastasis misdiagnoses can occur in hospitals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-lymphatic-fluid-detour.html Medical research Mon, 20 May 2013 07:18:59 EST news288253128