http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-stem-cell-based-strategy-boosts-immune-mice.html Immunology Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:03 EST news287923006 How well people are protected by the smallpox vaccine depends on more than the quality of the vaccination: individual genes can alter their response, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings, gathered using sophisticated genomic screening, appear in today's online issue of the journal Genes and Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-smallpox-vaccine-shield-genes.html Genetics Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:01 EST news285437070 Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have determined the precise anatomical coordinates of a brain "hot spot," measuring only about one-fifth of an inch across, that is preferentially activated when people view the ordinary numerals we learn early on in elementary school, like "6" or "38." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-brain-area-numeral-recognition.html Neuroscience Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:28:32 EST news285352105 A recent study conducted by a group of German scientists revealed the presence of a previously unknown cell in the urethra of mice. These chemosensory cholinergic brush cells are in close contact to sensory neurons that express cholinergic receptors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-uncovers-cells-urethra-hazardous-substances.html Medical research Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:00:01 EST news282499052 (Medical Xpress)—Eating your greens may be even more important that previously thought, with the discovery that an immune cell population essential for intestinal health could be controlled by leafy greens in your diet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-gene-discovery-reveals-importance-greens.html Immunology Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:25:10 EST news281604297 Scientists at Queen's University Belfast are hoping to develop a novel approach that could save the sight of millions of diabetes sufferers using adult stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-queen-aims-stem-cells-sight.html Medical research Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:32:12 EST news280031491 A study out today in the journal Cell Stem Cell shows that human brain cells created by reprogramming skin cells are highly effective in treating myelin disorders, a family of diseases that includes multiple sclerosis and rare childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cells-forged-human-skin-multiple.html Medical research Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:00:04 EST news279447246 Scientists have identified the gene essential for survival of antibody-producing cells, a finding that could lead to better treatments for diseases where these cells are out of control, such as myeloma and chronic immune disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-immune-cell-survival-gene-key.html Immunology Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:00:23 EST news279115369 Researchers have identified a previously unknown critical role for a recently identified immune cell population in the progression of atopic dermatitis. The team found an accumulation of innate lymphoid cells in the active lesions of patients with atopic dermatitis, and in mice, they showed that ILCs contribute to disease progression. These studies suggest innate lymphoid cells may be a new therapeutic target in treating the development and severity of atopic dermatitis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-eczema-immune-cells-therapeutic.html Immunology Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:00:02 EST news278766291 Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have found, for the first time that young humans (infants, children and adolescents) are capable of generating new heart muscle cells. These findings refute the long-held belief that the human heart grows after birth exclusively by enlargement of existing cells, and raise the possibility that scientists could stimulate production of new cells to repair injured hearts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-human-hearts-cells-birth.html Medical research Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:00:32 EST news277038017 Every bite of food or drink of water is an invitation for potentially harmful bacteria and viruses to set up shop in the body. In order to protect against such invaders, the mucous membrane that lines the intestine contains clusters of specialized microfold cells (M cells), which can absorb foreign proteins and particles from the digestive tract and deliver them to the immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-identification-developmental-master-scientists-explore.html Immunology Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:44:28 EST news274697062 (Medical Xpress)—Neurobiologists at the Research institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna have discovered one of the key genes required to make a brain. Mutations in this gene, called TUBB5, cause neurodevelopmental disease in children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-key-gene-brain.html Genetics Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:17:37 EST news274691841 A study published this month by researchers at the University of Toronto and Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital has shown that cells derived from the umbilical cord, "Human Umbilical Cord PeriVascular Cells" (HUCPVCs), are more effective in restoring heart function after an acute myocardial infarction (in common parlance, a heart attack) in a pre-clinical model than a similar cell population derived from bone marrow. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-umbilical-cord-cells-outperform-bone.html Medical research Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:29:11 EST news272204941 Leukaemia arises as a result of genetic or epigenetic alterations in blood cells, leading to an aberrant accumulation of undifferentiated blasts. Understanding the molecular pathogenesis and aetiology of infant leukaemia induced by the MLL-AF4 fusion gene was the subject of the Leukaemogenesis project. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-infant-leukaemia.html Cancer Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:32:21 EST news269505136 Swedish researchers at Uppsala University have, together with Brazilian collaborators, discovered a new group of nerve cells that regulate processes of learning and memory. These cells act as gatekeepers and carry a receptor for nicotine, which can explain our ability to remember and sort information. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-discovery-gatekeeper-nerve-cells-effect.html Neuroscience Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:56:48 EST news268836998 New research shows that a special population of stem cells found in cord blood has the innate ability to migrate to the intestine and contribute to the cell population there, suggesting the cells' potential to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-cell-therapy-bowel-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:53:24 EST news267288796 Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-reveal-chemo-resistant-cancer-stem-cell.html Cancer Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:43:28 EST news266499802 Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have identified a new stem cell population that may be responsible for giving birth to the neurons responsible for higher thinking. The finding also paves the way for scientists to produce these neurons in culture—a first step in developing better treatments for cognitive disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, which result from disrupted connections among these brain cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-neuroscientists-brain-stem-cells-responsible.html Neuroscience Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:00:17 EST news263735184 The finding involves the cancer gene RhoC, which has previously been shown to promote metastasis of many types of cancer. RhoC levels increase as breast cancer progresses and high levels of RhoC are associated with worse patient survival. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-driver-breast-cancer-stem-cell.html Cancer Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:04:45 EST news262353878 An EU research project has shed light on the tumor-growth role of a key-signalling pathway in mammary gland stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-exploring-stem-cells-tumor-growth.html Cancer Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:16:34 EST news261652586 Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers have identified a new population of intestinal stem cells that may hold clues to the origin of colorectal cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-newly-stem-cells-clues-colon.html Cancer Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:00:13 EST news252239853 Mice bred to age too quickly seemed to have sipped from the fountain of youth after scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine injected them with stem cell-like progenitor cells derived from the muscle of young, healthy animals. Instead of becoming infirm and dying early as untreated mice did, animals that got the stem/progenitor cells improved their health and lived two to three times longer than expected, according to findings published in the Jan. 3 edition of Nature Communications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-shot-young-stem-cells-rapidly.html Medical research Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:22:17 EST news244812128 There's more than one way to mop up after a flu infection. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report in Nature Immunology that a previously unrecognized population of lung immune cells orchestrate the body's repair response following flu infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-rebooting-immune-cells-lung-tissues.html Medical research Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:57:44 EST news236876253 (Medical Xpress) -- A molecule normally implicated in restraining immune responses is also capable of stimulating defences against virus infection, according to new research, by promoting the survival of a population of immune cells known as natural killer cells. The finding has important implications for the design of vaccine strategies and immune therapies to combat viral pathogens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-role-suppressive-cytokine-antiviral-immune.html Medical research Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:41:31 EST news235291215 New research suggests that blood stem cells can be involved in the generation of leukemia, even when the leukemia is caused by the abnormal proliferation of mature cells. The study, published by Cell Press in the August 16th issue of the journal Cancer Cell, may guide future strategies aimed at identifying therapeutic targets for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-stem-cells-central-pathogenesis-mature.html Cancer Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:20:37 EST news232633216 A successful interdisciplinary project is underway between two research groups, in which senior researcher Rebecka Hellsten and Professor Anders Bjartell at the Faculty of Medicine's division for Urological Cancer Research, Skane University Hospital in Malmo, and Professor Olov Sterner and Assistant Professor Martin Johansson at the Lund University division of Organic Chemistry recently published their latest research findings in the scientific online journal PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-treatment-option-advanced-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:25:40 EST news232359923 Key cells in the brain region known as the hippocampus are formed in the base of the brain late in fetal life and undertake a long journey before reaching their final destination in the center of the brain shortly after birth, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-early-journey-modulating-cells-brain.html Medical research Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:50:03 EST news231061779 Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found clues to the functioning of an important damage response protein in cells. The protein, p53, can cause cells to stop dividing or even to commit suicide when they show signs of DNA damage, and it is responsible for much of the tissue destruction that follows exposure to ionizing radiation or DNA-damaging drugs such as the ones commonly used for cancer therapy. The new finding shows that a short segment on p53 is needed to fine-tune the protein's activity in blood-forming stem cells and their progeny after they incur DNA damage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-genome-guardian-dimmer-p53-life.html Genetics Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:36:18 EST news228674160 In a new study to be published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers compared the ability of cells derived from different types of human stem cell to reverse disease in a rat model of Parkinson disease and identified a stem cell population that they believe could be clinically relevant. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-stem-cells-reverse-disease-parkinson.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 16 May 2011 12:30:28 EST news224767815 Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered new clues about how the intestine maintains friendly relations with the 100 trillion symbiotic bacteria that normally live in the digestive tract. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-scientists-unmask-mysterious-cells-key.html Medical research Mon, 09 May 2011 15:00:16 EST news224161243