http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers at the Monell Center and collaborators have identified a protein that is critical to the ability of mammals to smell. Mice engineered to be lacking the Ggamma13 protein in their olfactory receptors were functionally anosmic – unable to smell. The findings may lend insight into the underlying causes of certain smell disorders in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-critical-link-mammalian-odor.html Neuroscience Mon, 06 May 2013 15:09:41 EST news287071771 Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be detected and monitored more effectively in the future with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Typically assessed by endoscopic and histologic evaluations, investigators demonstrated the ability of PET/CT to identify lesions along the complete intestinal wall that could be missed with traditional imaging techniques. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-inflammatory-bowel-disease-petct.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 May 2013 15:52:19 EST news286642326 Stem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their experiments, reported today in Scientific Reports, also show that the process doesn't require other kinds of cells or agents to artificially support cell growth and doesn't activate cancer genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-recipe-large-stem-cells-requires.html Medical research Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:00:02 EST news285354156 In a mouse model of early Parkinson's disease (PD), animals displayed movement deficits, loss of tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH)-positive fibers in the striatum, and astro-gliosis and micro-gliosis in the substantia nigra (SN), without the loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons. These findings, which may cast light on the molecular processes involved in the initial stages of PD, are available in the current issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-early-parkinson-disease-pathology.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:45:44 EST news284031930 A lifelong diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can inhibit growth of breast cancer tumours by 30 per cent, according to new research from the University of Guelph. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-omega-3s-inhibit-breast-cancer-tumor.html Cancer Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:09:38 EST news280663690 Researchers employed an extensive analysis of genomic information to identify a new, high-risk cohort of ovarian cancer patients, characterize their tumors, find a potential treatment and test it in mouse models of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-deep-genomic-analysis-micro-rna.html Cancer Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:37:36 EST news279819376 A new study has found that tamoxifen, a well-known breast cancer drug, can counteract some pathologic features in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). At present, no treatment is known to produce long-term improvement of the symptoms in boys with DMD, a debilitating muscular disorder that is characterized by progressive muscle wasting, respiratory and cardiac impairments, paralysis, and premature death. This study will be published in the February 2013 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-tamoxifen-ameliorates-symptoms-duchenne-muscular.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:02 EST news277383672 It is well known that people with Down syndrome (DS) suffer from marked muscle weakness. Even the simple tasks of independent living, such as getting out of a chair or climbing a flight of stairs, can become major obstacles. This can reduce the quality of life for those with DS and lead to a loss of independence. Now, a new study sheds light on some of the suspected causes of muscle weakness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-insights-role-muscle-weakness-syndrome.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:40:05 EST news274972312 (Medical Xpress)—A new study in mice has shown that genetically engineered bacteria can protect against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes a host of conditions including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genetically-bacteria-crohn-colitis.html Medical research Fri, 02 Nov 2012 05:30:02 EST news271050191 Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have shown for the first time in an animal model that vitamin C actively protects against osteoporosis, a disease affecting large numbers of elderly women and men in which bones become brittle and can fracture. The findings are published in the October 8 online edition of PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-vitamin-bone-loss-animal.html Health Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:51:46 EST news269016694 Imagine eating all of the sugar and fat that you want without gaining a pound. Thanks to new research published in The FASEB Journal, the day may come when this is not too far from reality. That's because researchers from the United States and Europe have found that blocking one of three opioid receptors in your body could turn your penchant for sweets and fried treats into a weight loss strategy that actually works. By blocking the delta opioid receptor, or DOR, mice reduced their body weight despite being fed a diet high in fat and sugar. The scientists believe that the deletion of the DOR gene in mice stimulated the expression of other genes in brown adipose tissue that promoted thermogenesis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-opioid-receptors-drug-obesity.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:50:33 EST news262950619 New vaccines promote weight loss. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-overweight-vaccine.html Overweight and Obesity Sun, 08 Jul 2012 20:00:01 EST news260951547 Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many common plastic household items, can cause numerous genes in the uterus to respond differently to estrogen in adulthood, according to a study using a mouse model. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-bpa-exposure-pregnant-mice-gene.html Health Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:00:08 EST news259925034 Exposure to low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation had immediate and long-lasting, trans-generational effects on the brain and social behaviors in mice, according to a recent study accepted for publication in the journal Endocrinology, a publication of The Endocrine Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-bpa-exposure-effects.html Health Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:07 EST news258913862 In recent years, a growing body of evidence has linked inflammation to the development of insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, the hormone insulin is less effective in promoting glucose uptake from the bloodstream into other tissues. Obesity is a major factor that contributes to insulin resistance, which can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have shown that proinflammatory molecules found in fat tissue decreases sensitivity of tissues to insulin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-obesity-induced-insulin-sensitivity.html Overweight and Obesity Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:05:49 EST news257774686 Dietary restriction has already been shown to extend the lives of laboratory animals, but recent research suggests the beneficial effects of eating less may extend to improved recovery from surgery and better resistance to disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-calories-surgery.html Health Tue, 08 May 2012 08:29:47 EST news255684579 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified for the first time the A2b adenosine receptor (A2bAR) as a possible new therapeutic target against atherosclerosis resulting from a diet high in fat and cholesterol. The findings, which appear on-line in Circulation, may have significant public health implications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-agent-responsible-early-stages-atherosclerosis.html Cardiology Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:51:32 EST news242916684 In a new study, scientists report that they substantially curbed weight gain, improved metabolism, and improved the efficacy of insulin in mice by engineering them to express a specific human enzyme in their fat tissue. Although the obesity prevention came at the significant cost of widespread inflammation, the research offers new clues about the connections among obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and inflammation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-enzyme-boosts-metabolism-weight-gain.html Medical research Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:30:41 EST news240496234 (PhysOrg.com) -- If you find yourself more of a follower than a social leader, it may something to do with the wiring in your brain. According to a new study in Science, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Science have discovered a location in the brain that is active in alpha mice but not in their subordinate cage mates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-social-hierarchy-prewired-brain.html Neuroscience Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:02:23 EST news236599317 Adult stem cells from mice converted to antigen-specific T cells -- the immune cells that fight cancer tumor cells -- show promise in cancer immunotherapy and may lead to a simpler, more efficient way to use the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-stem-cells-potential-source-cancer-fighting.html Medical research Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:01:30 EST news235738695