http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Severe chronic pain associated with conditions such as bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis often require the use of opioid medication, with the risk of dependency and serious adverse reactions. An alternative treatment strategy increases the levels of a naturally occurring painkiller in and around the nerves that deliver pain signals to the bladder. This new therapeutic approach is described in an article in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-treatment-approach-bladder-pain-herpes.html Genetics Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:03:51 EST news282485022 A collaboration between scientists in Munich, Germany and Bloomington, USA may have overcome one of the major challenges drug makers have struggled with for years: Delivering powerful nuclear hormones to specific tissues, while keeping them away from others. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-diabetes-turbo-charged-gut-hormones.html Medical research Tue, 13 Nov 2012 11:27:54 EST news272028400 A new video protocol in Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) details an assay to identify brain tumor initiating stem cells from primary brain tumors. Through flow cytometry, scientists separate stem cells from the rest of the tumor, allowing quick and efficient analysis of target cells. This approach has been effectively used to identify similar stem cells in leukemia patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-isolate-stem-cells-brain-tumors.html Medical research Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:22:40 EST news267798153 Both innate and adaptive immune responses play an important role in controlling influenza virus infection, according to a study, published in the Open Access journal PLoS Computational Biology, by researchers from Oakland University, Michigan, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-innate-immune-responses-critical-influenza.html Medical research Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:32:23 EST news260123465 Like a police officer calling for backup while also keeping a strong hold on a suspected criminal, immune cells in the brain take a two-tier approach to fighting off a threat, new research from the University of Michigan Health System finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-immune-threats-brain.html Medical research Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:50:06 EST news255019353 In the first clinical trial of a vaginal ring combining two antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) are collaborating with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to evaluate whether the ring is safe for use in women. If the ring does prove to be safe, it could be considered for further testing, and eventually be evaluated for its effectiveness as a microbicide for protecting women against HIV infection through vaginal sex. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-combination-arv-vaginal-hiv-phase.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:27:36 EST news240578848 There are numerous specialized growth factors that are responsible for cells of different tissues of our body to divide and differentiate when needed. These hormone-like factors bind to matching receptors on the surface of their target cells and thus give order for the cell to divide. However, a single genetic alteration can be sufficient for the whole system to get out of control. If, for example, the gene for such a growth factor or for the matching receptor is hyperactive, then the cell permanently receives signals to divide – and this can result in cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-leukemia-stem-cells.html Cancer Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:41:28 EST news233314861 Much like cities organize contingency plans and supplies for emergencies, chronic infectious diseases like HIV form reservoirs that ensure their survival in adverse conditions. But these reservoirs—small populations of viruses or bacteria of a specific type that persist despite attack by the immune system or drug treatment—are not always well understood. Now, however, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) believe they have begun to decode how a reservoir of infection can persist in HIV-positive populations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-hiv-havens-clues-reservoirs.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:19:14 EST news232805931 After eight years of work, researchers have unearthed what has been a well-kept secret of our immune system's success. The findings published online on June 9th in Immunity offer an explanation for how specialized immune cells are able to kill infected or cancerous cells without killing themselves in the process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-killer-immune-cells.html Medical research Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:02:57 EST news226846959 Fat-rich food makes you fat. Behind this simple equation lie complex signalling pathways, through which the neurotransmitters in the brain control the body's energy balance. Scientists at the Cologne-based Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research and the Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Ageing-associated Diseases (CECAD) at the University of Cologne have clarified an important step in this complex control circuit. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-insulin-action-brain-obesity.html Neuroscience Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:05:05 EST news226580679