What are the benefits of Tamiflu, and why is it so controversial?

Nature: Governments around the world have between them spent billions of dollars stockpiling the drug oseltamivir, marketed as Tamiflu, in preparation for unusually severe influenza outbreaks. But scientists have debated — frequently acrimoniously — whether the drug is actually of much use in treating flu. Now, a team of researchers supported by the company that makes Tamiflu has reviewed existing clinical trials of the drug and concluded that it does reduce the duration of the illness and the need for hospitalization¹. So the row is starting again.

Evaluation of a Minimally Invasive Cell Sampling Device for Diagnosing Barrett's Esophagus

Plos: Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the cells lining the esophagus (the tube that transports food from the mouth to the stomach) change and begin to resemble the cells lining the intestines. Although some people with Barrett's esophagus complain of burning indigestion or acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus, many people have no symptoms or do not seek medical advice, so the condition often remains undiagnosed.

Who's going to win? The answer could change by the hour

Cell: The outcome of that big sporting event you just can't wait to watch may depend on how the timing of the match aligns (or doesn't) with the internal biological clocks of the athletes on the teams, according to a study reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 29. Athletes and coaches would do well to make note and adjust their schedules accordingly, the researchers say.

Researchers discover brain circuit that controls compulsive overeating and sugar addiction

Cell: Compulsive overeating and sugar addiction are major threats to human health, but potential treatments face the risk of impairing normal feeding behaviors that are crucial for survival. A study published January 29th in the journal Cell reveals a reward-related neural circuit that specifically controls compulsive sugar consumption in mice without preventing feeding necessary for survival, providing a novel target for the safe and effective treatment of compulsive overeating in humans.

How a Single, Genetic Change Causes Retinal Tumors in Young Children

Chidren's Hospital Los Angeles. US: Retinoblastoma is a childhood retinal tumor usually affecting children one to two years of age.  Although rare, it is the most common malignant tumor of the eye in children. Left untreated, retinoblastoma can be fatal or result in blindness. It has also played a special role in understanding cancer, because retinoblastomas have been found to develop in response to the mutation of a single gene – the RB1 gene—demonstrating that some cells are only a step away from developing into a life-threatening malignancy.

New deep-brain imaging reveals separate functions for nearly identical neurons

University North carolina. US: Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have used new deep-brain imaging techniques to link the activity of individual, genetically similar neurons to particular behaviors of mice. Specifically, for the first time ever scientists watched as one neuron was activated when a mouse searched for food while a nearly identical neuron next to it remained inactive; instead, the second neuron only became activated when the mouse began eating.

Activated immune cells indicate a favorable prognosis in colorectal cancer

GCRC. Germany: When cytotoxic T cells (“killer cells”) are activated, they produce a protein called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) that helps mediate immune responses. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and Dresden University Hospitals have now linked rising levels of TNF alpha in tumor tissue to increasing numbers of activated killer cells that specifically recognize the tumor and are capable of fighting it. High levels of TNF alpha in a tumor prove to be an independent prognostic indicator for a favorable course of the disease.

A third of over-70s report 'frequent sexual activity'

NHS. UK: “A third of pensioners have sex at least twice a month,” the Daily Mail reports. A new UK study reinforces the point that sex doesn’t automatically stop once a person gets their free bus pass. The study looked at sexual activity and sexual health among more than 6,000 men and women aged 50 to 90. It showed that a sizeable minority of older people – including those over the age of 80 – continue to have active sex lives, although sex became less frequent as people got older.

Thousands of UK women could benefit from 'three-person' IVF

NHS. UK: "Thousands of women could benefit from 'three-parent' baby technique," The Independent reports. A modelling study estimated the technique, which is currently illegal, could be used for thousands of women with genes linked to serious mitochondrial DNA diseases. The news is especially topical as it was announced today that parliament is set to vote in February about whether to make the technique legal.

Sugary soft drinks linked to earlier periods in girls

NHS. UK: “Sugary drinks may cause menstruation to start earlier, study suggests,” reports The Guardian, reporting on a US study looking at the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in teenage girls. This study included over 5,000 girls. It first assessed them when they were aged 9-14 years, asking them whether they had started their periods and assessing their consumption of SSBs. The girls were followed up annually.

Gift vouchers can help pregnant smokers quit

NHS. UK: "Offering shopping vouchers worth a total of £400 to pregnant smokers makes them more likely to quit the habit, say researchers," BBC News reports. The study, conducted in Glasgow, involved 612 pregnant women referred to pregnancy stop smoking services. The women were randomised to receive standard stop smoking care alone (control), or standard care in addition to up to £400 in vouchers if they successfully quit the habit.

A third of children in England are overweight/obese

King's College. UK: A third of children in England are overweight/obese, finds a 20-year King's College London study of electronic health records, published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. But the rapid rise in prevalence may be starting to level off—at least in younger children—the findings indicate, although there are no grounds for complacency, warn the researchers.

Two and a half thousand women could benefit from mitochondrial donation in the UK

Newcastle University. UK: Almost 2,500 women of child-bearing age in the UK are at risk of transmitting mitochondrial disease to their children, according to the most recent estimates published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research offers the most recent evidence yet of how many families could potentially be helped by new IVF techniques to prevent mitochondrial disease, which would be permitted by new regulations on which a vote in parliament is imminent.

New project looks to end lupus 'trial and error'

Leeds University. UK: The University of Leeds is to be a key partner in a new £5.1 m project aimed at eliminating the ‘trial and error’ approach to the treatment of lupus. Systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as SLE or lupus) is a condition which affects around 16,000 people in the UK – 90 percent of these are women and it is particularly common amongst people of African, Indo-Asian and Chinese origin.  The disease often starts between the ages of 20 to 30, although children may be affected severely as well.

Virtual gallery showcases the silicon chips behind a revolution in healthcare

Imperial College. UK: A silicon chip that can form a bridge to connect severed nerves together in people with spinal injuries and a chip that could help patients with locked in syndrome to communicate with the outside world are some of the prototypes that will be showcased in the Instagram campaign, which starts tomorrow (30 January).

Smoking in pregnancy alters baby’s DNA

Edinburgh University. UK: Smoking while pregnant causes chemical changes to the DNA of the unborn baby that may predispose them to lifelong health conditions, research shows. Changes in the chemical structure of the foetus’ DNA can be detected from as early as 12 weeks into pregnancy, according to the research.
The findings add significant weight to existing knowledge of the dangers of smoking while pregnant and show that risks may be greater than previously thought.

Can Lean Management improve hospitals?

Monash University. Australia: Waiting times in hospital emergency departments could be cut with the introduction of Lean Management and Six Sigma (LSS) techniques according to new research.

Facebook shapes women’s body image – just not as you’d expect

UNSW. Australia: If you’re one of the world’s 1.3 billion regular Facebook users, you’ll know the feeling of being consumed by your news feed. If you don’t use Facebook, you need only get on a busy train or bus to see countless people browsing Facebook on their phones, inspecting photos of their “friends” enjoying themselves. Young women in their teens and early 20s spend around two hours on Facebook every day.

Babies' brains could unravel the mystery of stuttering

University of Sydney (Australia) researchers are launching a world-first study to see if it's possible to detect whether a baby will go on to stutter in later life - well before they start to talk.

From pole to pole: New research into treating bipolar disorder

Melbourne University. Australia: Psychiatrist Prof Allan Young discusses bipolar disorder, and examines leading edge research into finding new treatments for this condition. Presented by Sila Genc.

Analysis of Key Breast Cancer Genes Reveals Distinct Profiles for African-American, European-American Women

Roswellpark. US: Researchers have uncovered new information that may begin to explain why many African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive, often deadly forms of breast cancer, which strengthens the evidence that increased dietary folate intake may prove to be an effective strategy for reducing risk for the disease in African-American women.

New Breast Cancer Risk Prediction Model More Accurate Than Current Model

Mayo Clinic. US: A new breast cancer risk prediction model combining histologic features of biopsied breast tissue from women with benign breast disease and individual patient demographic information more accurately classified breast cancer risk than the current screening standard. Results of a Mayo Clinic study comparing the new model to the current standard, the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT), are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Cancer Fear and Discomforting Thoughts Impact Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake

AACR. US: Men and women who worry about cancer are more likely to want to get screened for colon cancer, but feeling uncomfortable at the thought of cancer makes them less likely to actually go for the test, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Phase 1 Clinical Trial of CUDC-101 “Throws Kitchen Sink” at Head and Neck Cancer

University of Colorado. US: Head and neck cancer is among the few solid tumors whose incidence is increasing in the U.S. and outcomes have been slow to improve. Results of a phase 1 trial of the drug CUCD-101 with radiation and chemotherapy were reported by the University of Colorado Cancer Center and 6 other U.S. cancer centers in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. CUDC-101, currently being developed by Curis, Inc., works by inhibiting two growth factors and an enzyme that effects DNA expression – EGFR, Her2 and HDAC – all of which are overexpressed in many cancers, including the target of this trial: the common type of especially aggressive head and neck cancer that is not caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV-) but rather by tobacco or alcohol.

Grant bolsters pancreatic cancer drug discovery

Vanderbilt. US: The Lustgarten Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million Research Investigator Grant to Stephen Fesik, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Chemistry, for research designed to discover new drugs for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This is Fesik’s second three-year award from the Lustgarten Foundation in support of his research targeting K-Ras, a protein mutated in 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, as well as other forms of cancer.Fesik is among 13 scientists nominated by their peers for significant achievements in the field of pancreatic cancer research who will receive a total of $19.5 million in research funding from the foundation.

Large study catalogs genetic culprits in head and neck cancers

Dana-Farber. US: Scientists have published the first comprehensive catalog of genetic mutations and other abnormal changes found in 279 cancers of the head and neck, and have identified several broken molecular pathways that might be targeted by existing and future cancer drugs.

Low-frequency deep brain stimulation improves difficult-to-treat Parkinson's symptoms

University of Chicago. US: 60Hz stimulation more effective than standard treatment at improving swallowing and gait issues. Parkinson's disease patients treated with low-frequency deep brain stimulation show significant improvements in swallowing dysfunction and freezing of gait over typical high-frequency treatment. The study, published in Neurology on Jan 27, provides a new route for treating Parkinson's patients with these difficult-to-treat and sometimes life-threatening symptoms.

Spiky hedgehog particles for safer paints, fewer VOC emissions

Michigan University. US: A new process that can sprout microscopic spikes on nearly any type of particle may lead to more environmentally friendly paints and a variety of other innovations.
Made by a team of University of Michigan engineers, the "hedgehog particles" are named for their bushy appearance under the microscope. Their development is detailed in a study published in the Jan. 29 issue of Nature.

FDA expands approved use of Imbruvica for rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Imbruvica (ibrutinib) for patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), a rare form of cancer that begins in the body’s immune system. The drug received a breakthrough therapy designation for this use.

Study identifies biological mechanisms for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression

UCLA. US: Common psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression share genetic risk factors related to immune function and DNA regulation, according to new findings by a large collaborative research project from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium involving UCLA, King’s College London, Cardiff University, Harvard and MIT.

Forecasting the Flu Better

UCSD; US: Three UC San Diego researchers say they can predict the spread of flu a week into the future with as much accuracy as Google Flu Trends can display levels of infection right now.

Researchers Produce First Comprehensive Genomic Map of Head and Neck Cancers

UCSD. US: A team that includes scores of researchers from across the country representing dozens of universities and medical institutions has produced the most comprehensive integrative analysis yet of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), a particularly malignant and deadly type of tumor that accounts for roughly 3 percent of all cancers in the United States.

NIH-funded study uncovers range of molecular alterations in head and neck cancers, new potential drug targets

NIH. US: Investigators with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have discovered genomic differences — with potentially important clinical implications — in head and neck cancers caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States, and the number of HPV-related head and neck cancers has been growing. Almost every sexually active person will acquire HPV at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NIH launches tool to advance Down syndrome research

NIH. US: The National Institutes of Health has launched a subsite of DS-Connect: The Down Syndrome Registry for researchers, clinicians, and other professionals with a scientific interest in Down syndrome to access de-identified data from the registry. This Web portal will help approved professionals to plan clinical studies, recruit participants for clinical trials, and generate new research ideas using information gathered from the registry participants.

Smoking Associated with Elevated Risk of Developing a Second Smoking-Related Cancer

ASCO. US: An analysis of five large, prospective cohort studies indicates that lung (stage I), bladder, kidney and head and neck cancer survivors who smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day prior to their cancer diagnoses have an up to five-fold higher risk of developing a second smoking-associated cancer compared to survivors of the same cancers who never smoked.

Shared symptoms of Chikungunya virus, rheumatoid arthritis may cloud diagnosis

Washington University. US: A mosquito-borne virus that has spread to the Caribbean and Central and South America and has caused isolated infections in Florida often causes joint pain and swelling similar to that seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Earlier menopause linked to everyday chemical exposures

Washington University. US: Women whose bodies have high levels of chemicals found in plastics, personal-care products, common household items and the environment experience menopause two to four years earlier than women with lower levels of these chemicals, according to a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Urgent Care Versus the ER? Johns Hopkins Pediatrican Offers Tips on Making the Right Choice

Johns Hopkins. University. US: It’s Friday afternoon and your 20-month-old son is running a fever. He is cranky, refuses to eat, periodically pulls on his ears, and isn’t his usual playful self.

Your reaction is:

a.    No big deal. You call your pediatrician’s office and ask for an appointment the following week.

b.    Dreading a fever-induced seizure — it happened to the child of a friend’s friend — you rush to the nearest emergency room.

c.    Head to an urgent care center, such as Patient First.

Research Catalogs Symptoms and Treatment of Behcet’s disease

Johns Hopkins University. US: In a bid to improve awareness and care of Behcet’s disease, a relatively rare disorder that inflames blood vessels throughout the body and damages organs, especially the eyes, a team of researchers led by a Johns Hopkins ophthalmologist has analyzed and published detailed information about 132 patients diagnosed and treated over 25 years in Saudi Arabia, where the disorder is not at all rare.

Study Shows Menopause Does Not Increase or Create Difficulty Sleeping

Pennsylvania University. US: Women in their late thirties and forties who have trouble sleeping are more than three times more likely to suffer sleep problems during menopause than women who have an easier time getting shut-eye, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Only 25 percent of women who had reported no earlier sleep problems developed moderate or severe insomnia or other sleep disturbances during a 16-year period around menopause.

Immune cells are an ally, not enemy, in battle against Alzheimer’s

Yale University. US: Beta-amyloid is a sticky protein that aggregates and forms small plaques in the brains of the elderly and is thought to be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Because specialized immune cells always surround these plaques, many have theorized that these cells are responsible for inflammation and damage to surrounding brain cells.

Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Could Protect Liver from Sepsis-Induced Damage, Says Pitt Team

University of Pittsburgh. US: Drugs that are on the market to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) could have another use—they might be able to protect the liver from damage caused by sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response to infection, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. They recently published their findings in Science Signaling.

Sexual offending treatment programmes in prisons and hospitals are ineffective

BMJ. UK: Sexual offending treatment programmes do not rehabilitate criminals before they are released from prison, warns an expert in The BMJ. The UK has experienced a number of high profile sexual offending cases that has led to more disclosures and probably more prosecutions.

Financial incentives help pregnant women to quit smoking

BMJ. UK: Pregnant women are more likely to quit smoking if financial rewards are offered as part of a treatment plan, finds new research published in The BMJ. Smoking in pregnancy is a leading preventable cause of maternal and neonatal illness and death in developed countries. In the UK alone, around 5000 foetuses and babies die from mothers smoking during pregnancy each year. Current interventions are not particularly effective.

Both weight loss and weight gain linked with increased fracture risk

BMJ. UK: Both weight gain and weight loss in older (postmenopausal) women are associated with increased incidence of fracture, but at different anatomical sites, finds a study published in The BMJ this week.
The findings also challenge the traditional view that weight gain protects against fractures.

Survival of very premature infants is improving in France: First results of the EPIPAGE 2 study

INSERM France: Since 2011, nearly 7,000 premature infants have been enrolled in the EPIPAGE 2 study. This study is aimed at assessing the survival of infants born between 22 and 34 weeks’ gestation, and their subsequent outcomes. Compared with data from the EPIPAGE 1 cohort in 1997, the proportion of infants born in 2011 from the 25th week of gestation, who survived without severe neonatal disease, showed a definite increase. 

Elucidating the origin of multiresistant tuberculosis strains

CNRS. France: A study has focused on the evolutionary history of the mycobacterium that causes tuberculosis, and more specifically on the Beijing lineage associated with the spread of multidrug resistant forms of the disease in Eurasia. While confirming the East-Asian origin of this lineage, the results also indicate that this bacterial population has experienced notable variations coinciding with key events in human history.

New method for identifying most aggressive childhood cancers

Lund University. Sweden: A research group at Lund University in Sweden has found a new way to identify the most malignant tumours in children. The method involves studying genetic ‘micro-variation’, rather than the presence of individual mutations.

Research finds caffeine increases soft drink consumption

Deakin University Australia: Researchers from Deakin University's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN) have found that caffeine increases the consumption of soft drinks. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers measured the influence caffeine had on the consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks. They found that people drinking caffeinated drinks consumed much more than those who drank the non-caffeinated equivalents.

New Machine-Perfusion Organ Preservation System Keeps Livers Healthier for Transplant

Pittsburgh University. US: A new preservation system that pumps cooled, oxygen-rich fluid into donor livers not only keeps the organs in excellent condition for as long as nine hours before transplantation, but also leads to dramatically better liver function and increases survival of recipients, according to a series of animal studies by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The system could be tested with transplant patients at UPMC later this year.

New Blood for Tuberculosis Treatment

Harvard University. US: Antiangiogenesis drugs could normalize blood vessels within TB lung lesions, increasing drug delivery and reducing resistance. The same antiangiogenesis drugs that have improved treatment of some cancers could also help surmount persistent difficulties in treating tuberculosis.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors

• Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels. Tumors need blood vessels to grow and spread.
• Angiogenesis inhibitors are designed to prevent the formation of new blood vessels, thereby stopping or slowing the growth or spread of tumors.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.
• Angiogenesis inhibitors may have side effects that are different from those of other cancer treatments. In addition, they may only stop or slow the growth of a cancer, not completely eradicate it.

Female lung cancer deaths may outstrip breast cancer in 2015

NHS. UK: The Mail Online states: “Lung cancer death rates among European women set to overtake breast cancer for first time this year,” adding that “researchers blame high levels of smoking, especially in Britain and Poland”.
The study used historical information on deaths from cancer (1970 to 2009) for the EU, to predict the number of deaths in 2015. It also did this for some individual countries, including the UK.

Media dementia scare over hay fever and sleep drugs

NHS. UK: "Hay fever tablets raise risk of Alzheimer's," is the main front page news in the Daily Mirror. The Guardian mentions popular brand names such as Nytol, Benadryl, Ditropan and Piriton among the pills studied.
But before you clear out your bathroom medicine cabinet, you might want to consider the facts behind the (somewhat misleading) headlines.

3D copy of patient's heart

King’s College London. UK: A 3D printed model of a patient’s heart has been used by surgeons to help plan how to fix the heart. Researchers at King’s College London have pioneered a ground-breaking technique whereby a 3D printer working from scans on the patient, creates a physical replica of a patient’s organ.

DNA study helps solve mutations mystery

Edinburgh University. UK: Scientists have shed light on how naturally occurring mutations can be introduced into our DNA.The study, which focuses on how DNA replicates every time a cell divides, helps to make clear previously unexplained patterns in how our DNA changes over time.

Schoolgirl comment points to antibiotics as new cancer treatments

Manchester University. UK: A way to eradicate cancer stem cells, using the side-effects of commonly used antibiotics, has been discovered by a University of Manchester researcher following a conversation with his young daughter.
Professor Michael P. Lisanti, Director of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Unit, led the research was inspired to look at the effects of antibiotics on the mitochondria of cancer stem cells by a conversation with his daughter Camilla about his work at the University’s Institute of Cancer Sciences. Camilla is currently a student at the Moor Allerton Preparatory School.

Brain and spatial attention: Can the left hemisphere compensate for a lesion in the right hemisphere?

INSERM France: Dr Paolo Bartolomeo, Inserm Research Director and head of the PICNIC LAB[1] team at the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute (ICM, an Institute supervised by Inserm, CNRS and UPMC) and his collaborators have published the results of their research on “unilateral spatial neglect,” also known by the term “hemineglect,” in the journal Brain. People with this disorder act as if they did not know about the left side of their world.

Neuroscience researchers believe in quitting smoking gradually

University of Copenhagen. Denmark: Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have studied the immediate reaction in the brain after quitting smoking. At just 12 hours after kicking the habit, the oxygen uptake and blood flow in the brain decrease significantly compared to never-smokers. This could explain why it is so difficult to say goodbye to nicotine once and for all. The findings have been published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism.

Summer triggers for male eating disorders

UWS. Australia: Sun, sand and swimming may sound relaxing but for an increasing number of men summer is a stressful time as they grapple with concerns about body image. These concerns may seem benign but they can lead to 'eating-disordered behaviour' and, in some cases, eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and muscle dysmorhphia.

When talking about cancer screening, survival rates mislead

UNSW. Australia: Cancer screening is beneficial when it’s able to prevent people dying from cancer. And it should clearly be adopted where there’s evidence showing this. But using cancer survival rates to promote screening, as is often done, is misleading.

Diet and nutrition essential for mental health

Melbourne University. Australia: Evidence is rapidly growing showing vital relationships between both diet quality and potential nutritional deficiencies and mental health, a new international collaboration led by the University of Melbourne and Deakin University has revealed. Published in The Lancet Psychiatry today, leading academics state that as with a range of medical conditions, psychiatry and public health should now recognise and embrace diet and nutrition as key determinants of mental health.

Mainz researchers develop new theoretical framework for future studies of resilience

Mainz University. Germany: New approach focuses on the appraisal of stressful or threatening situations by the brain. Researchers at the Research Center Translational Neurosciences of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany have advanced a generalized concept as the basis for future studies of mental resilience. Their new approach is based on a mechanistic theory which takes as its starting point the appraisals made by the brain in response to exposure to stressful or threatening situations. Previously social, psychological, and genetic factors were in the foreground of resilience research. The Mainz-based team has published its conclusions in the renowned journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Stress, traumatic events, and difficult life situations play a significant role in the development of many mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, addiction. However, not everyone exposed to such circumstances develops a psychological disorder as a result. Every person has a greater or lesser mental stabilizing capacity and this inherent potential is called 'resilience' by psychologists. Resilience helps to effectively master challenges, stress, and difficult situations, thus maintaining mental health. The fact that some individuals either develop only short -term problems or do not become ill at all on experiencing major psychological or physical pressures suggests that there are certain protective mechanisms – in other words, defensive, self-healing processes – which can prevent the development of stress-related illnesses.

The core concern of the Mainz team of researchers is to identify these mechanisms. By means of a thorough review and analysis of the results of previous studies of and investigations into the subject of resilience, they were able to identify a common principle that can be used as a general basis for future studies of resilience. In order to achieve this, the researchers combined various parameters and research concepts – from psychological and social approaches to the results of genetic and even neurobiological investigations. "To date, research into resilience has tended to take into account a very extensive range of social, psychological, and even genetic factors that positively influence mental flexibility, such as social support, certain personality traits, and typical behavior patterns," explained Professor Raffael Kalisch, one of the authors of the current publication and the director of the Neuroimaging Center, a central research platform of the Mainz University Medical Center and the Research Center on Translational Neurosciences. "We wondered whether there might be a common denominator behind all of these individual approaches and so we systematically examined various examples. As a result, in our new hypothesis we focus less on the already well-known social, psychological, or genetic factors and much more on cognitive processes happening in the brain. We thus consider that the appropriate way forward is to determine how the brain assesses each situation or stimulus. It is quite possibly the positive evaluation of potentially aversive stimuli that is the central mechanism which ultimately determines an individual's level of resilience. The many already identified factors only impact on resilience indirectly by influencing the way the brain assesses a certain situation." Assuming this theory is correct and it is the mental processes of evaluation that are of central relevance, this would mean that it is not necessarily the threatening situations or stimuli that decide whether stress develops but rather the manner in which the individual appraises the situation. A person who tends to more positively evaluate such factors would be protected against stress-related illnesses over the long term because the frequency and degree of stress reactions in that person would be reduced. The Mainz-based researchers call their new mechanistic hypothesis 'Positive Appraisal Style Theory of Resilience' (PASTOR).

The aim of future research activities will thus be to investigate the neurobiological processes that occur in the brain and that lead it to see a specific situation or potential threat in a more positive light. "We want to understand which mental processes enable people to protect themselves against the harmful effects of stress and unpleasant events, and how these protective mechanisms can be specifically promoted and reinforced," added Kalisch.

One example of an actual research project inspired by the PASTOR theory is the recently initiated Mainz Resilience Project (MARP). Being recruited for the study are young, healthy participants who are in the specific and frequently difficult phase of life that involves the transition from adolescence and school and family life to adulthood and work life. The researchers will be monitoring the study subjects over a period of several years in order to document their mental health and the stress factors to which they are exposed over time. The researchers hope that this will enable them to identify key protective mechanisms in the brain as well as the mental characteristics that contribute to psychological resilience. The long-term goal is the development of effective preventative measures that would not only alleviate the distress suffered by individuals but also reduce the related financial and social outlay.

Mainz represents an ideal environment for investigations in this field. The German Resilience Center Mainz (“Deutsches Resilienz-Zentrum Mainz” (DRZ)), in which neuroscientists, physicians, psychologists, and social scientists combine forces, has been recently established in order to specifically investigate the phenomenon of resilience. With its three core objectives "Understand, Prevent, Change," the DRZ will be taking an innovative approach to dealing with a subject that is of global relevance. It closes an important gap in the German research landscape and is the first center of its kind in Europe.

Chronic insomniacs may face increased risk of hypertension

American heart Association: Insomniacs who take longer than 14 minutes to fall asleep face a greater risk of hypertension, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. The study, conducted at West China Hospital, is the first to test whether insomnia with physiological hyperarousal, defined as a longer time to fall asleep, is linked to hypertension.

Vitamin D as Colon Cancer Foe

Connecticut University. US: A recent study in the British medical journal Gut analyzes the association of higher vitamin D levels with a reduced risk of colon cancer. The research suggests a growing understanding of vitamin D’s effect on immunity and the body’s production of infection fighting T lymphocytes, or T cells, that can attack tumor cells.

Protein-based Therapy Shows Promise against Resistant Leukemia

Children's Hospital Los Angeles. US: Resistance of leukemia cells to contemporary chemotherapy is one of the most formidable obstacles to treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer.  Now researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) have designed and developed a new protein-based therapy they believe will prove highly effective against drug-resistant leukemia cells.  It may also amplify the potency of standard treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

MRIs link impaired brain activity to inability to regulate emotions in autism

University North Carolina. US: Tantrums, irritability, self-injury, depression, anxiety. These symptoms are associated with autism, but they’re not considered core symptoms of the disorder. Researchers from the UNC School of Medicine are challenging this assertion. They have used functional MRI to show that – when it comes to the ability to regulate emotions – brain activity in autistic people is significantly different than brain activity in people without autism.

Researchers pinpoint two genes that trigger severest form of ovarian cancer

University Nothr Carolina. US: UNC geneticists create the first mouse model of ovarian clear cell carcinoma; show how a known drug can suppress tumor growth. In the battle against ovarian cancer, UNC School of Medicine researchers have created the first mouse model of the worst form of the disease and found a potential route to better treatments and much-needed diagnostic screens.

Vitamin E protects against liver damage in parenterally fed premature pigs

Baylor. US: Adding vitamin E (α-tocopherol) to lipid emulsions used to feed premature pigs intravenously (parenteral nutrition) prevents liver damage, said researchers at the USDA/ARS Children Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. Many of the more than 500,000 infants born prematurely in the United States each year rely on intravenous nutrition support.

An Engineering Approach from Virginia Tech Helps Breast Cancer Researchers at Georgetown

Georgetown University. US: Biologists working with engineers and physicists have found a molecule they say helps determine if breast cancer cells that are resistant to antiestrogen therapy will live or die. Their study, published online earlier this month in Cancer Research, represents a major finding from a unique collaboration between Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Virginia Tech that was designed to study the living cell as an information processing system.

Inherited gene variation helps explain drug toxicity in patients of East Asian ancestry

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (US) scientists have linked inherited variations in a second gene to reduced tolerance of a key cancer drug; findings will aid efforts to improve chemotherapy safety and effectiveness.

FDA approves first generic esomeprazole

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules) to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in adults and children ages 1 and older. Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor that reduces the amount of acid in the stomach.
Ivax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, has gained approval to market esomeprazole in 20 and 40 milligram capsules.

UCLA, Yale professors propose new regulations for off-label uses of drugs and devices

UCLA. US: Off-label use of drugs and medical devices — using approved remedies in unapproved ways — has long been a part of medicine. The practice provides public health benefits but also presents some risks.
For the most part, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows physicians to prescribe drugs and devices off-label in the same way they are prescribed for their approved uses. The FDA couldn’t require approval for each off-label use because the burden for approval would be so high that few off-label uses would be approved, which would deprive patients of effective treatments for which the drugs weren’t originally intended.

Oxytocin shows promise for improving social skills in autistic mice

UCLA. US: People with autism spectrum disorders have difficulty with social behavior and communication, which can make it challenging to form friendships, engage in routine conversations or pick up on the social cues that are second nature to most people. Similarly, mice with symptoms of autism show little interest in interacting or socializing with other mice. A drug called risperidone has been shown to treat some symptoms of autism — including repetitive behaviors — in both humans and mice, but so far no medication has been found to help improve the ability to socialize.

Brain Region Vulnerable to Aging is Larger in Those with Longevity Gene Variant

UCSF. US: People who carry a variant of a gene that is associated with longevity also have larger volumes in a front part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making, according to researchers at UC San Francisco.
The finding bolsters their previous discovery that middle-aged and older people who carry a single copy of the KLOTHO allele, called KL-VS, performed better on a wide range of cognitive tests. When they modeled KL-VS in mice, they found this strengthened the connections between neurons and enhanced learning and memory.

Drug combo suppresses growth of late-stage prostate cancer tumors

Purdue University. US: Low doses of metformin, a widely used diabetes medication, and a gene inhibitor known as BI2536 can successfully halt the growth of late-stage prostate cancer tumors, a Purdue University study finds. Prostate cancer causes the second-highest number of cancer-related deaths in men in the U.S., and methods of treating advanced prostate cancer are limited.

3D Enzyme Model Provides New Tool for Anti-Inflammatory Drug Development

UCSD. US: Researchers develop first computer models of phospholipase A2 enzymes extracting their substrates out of the cell membrane, an early step in inflammation

Managing Chronic Pain: Opioids Are Often Not the Answer

NIH. US: The term “silent epidemic” sometimes gets overused in medicine. But, for prescription opioid drugs, the term fits disturbingly well. In 2012, more than 259 million prescriptions were written in the United States for Vicodin, OxyContin, and other opioid painkillers. That equals one bottle of pain pills for every U.S. adult. And here’s an even more distressing statistic: in 2011, overdoses of prescription painkillers, most unintentional, claimed the lives about 17,000 Americans—46 people a day [1].

Evidence-based care eliminates racial disparity in colon cancer survival rates, study finds

Stanford University. US: A new study finds that equitable delivery of evidence-based care eliminates the racial disparity in colon-cancer survival rates. For the past two decades, the National Cancer Institute has documented a persistent racial disparity in colon cancer survival rates in the United States.

Study of Former NFL Players Reveals Specifics of Concussive Brain Damage

Johns Hopkins. US: A team of Johns Hopkins specialists, using a battery of imaging and cognitive tests, has gathered evidence of accumulated brain damage that could be linked to specific memory deficits in former National Football League (NFL) players experienced decades after they stopped playing the game.

Prostate Cancer Androgen Receptor Activates a Different Gene Set When Bound to Antiandrogens

Ohio State university. US: The androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells can activate different sets of genes depending on whether it binds with an androgen hormone or an antiandrogen drug, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

Possible Therapeutic Target for Common, But Mysterious Brain Blood Vessel Disorder

Pennsylvania University. US: Tens of millions of people around the world have abnormal, leak-prone sproutings of blood vessels in the brain called cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). These abnormal growths can lead to seizures, strokes, hemorrhages, and other serious conditions, yet their precise molecular cause has never been determined.

Unique option for aortic aneurysm repair offers less invasive approach

University of Michigan. US: Designed for hard-to-treat thoracic aortic aneurysms, device shows promise as alternative to open surgery. A novel, minimally invasive approach appears safe for treating life-threatening aneurysms that occur in the farthest part of the aorta, making it easier for cardiothoracic surgeons to repair the aorta and easier for patients to recover.

Blood transfusions during heart surgery increase risk of pneumonia

University of Michigan. US: Higher volume of transfused blood further increases pneumonia risk. Patients who receive red blood cell transfusions during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia, according to an abstract released today at the 51st Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

New brain pathway offers hope for treating hypoglycemia

University of Michigan. US: Diabetes researchers reveal role of brain hormone in sensing, responding to low blood sugar levels. For those with diabetes, managing blood sugar is a balancing act -- if blood sugar is too high it raises the risk for nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and heart trouble, and if too low it can lead to a seizure or unconsciousness.

Alternative DNA repair mechanism could provide better treatment for neuroblastoma in kids

University of Michigan. US: Targeting DNA repair pathways could provide new treatment options for children with high-risk cancer. Researchers at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital have identified a promising new target for developing new therapies for kids with high-risk neuroblastoma, according to a new study published in Molecular Cancer Research.

People with autism have 'unique' brain patterns

NHS. UK: "The brains of people diagnosed with autism are 'uniquely synchronised'," the Mail Online reports. Researchers used brain scans to study the brain activity of people with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and found distinct and differing patterns of connectivity in adults with high-functioning ASD compared with adults who do not have the condition.

Brown fat may protect against diabetes and obesity

NHS. UK: "Fat can protect you against obesity and diabetes," the Mail Online reports. However, the small study it reports on was looking at brown fat, which is only found in small amounts in adults. In humans, brown fat is mostly found in newborns, who are more prone to heat loss and are unable to shiver to help keep themselves warm. Brown fat compensates by burning calories to create heat. As we grow older, we have less need for brown fat and it is mostly replaced by white fat ("bad fat").

Ethnic minorities and deprived communities hardest hit by air pollution

Imperial College. UK: A new study has found big differences in air pollution across communities in England, with deprived and ethnic minority areas the worst affected. Air pollution levels are linked to many forms of ill health, including higher risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially for more vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.

Safety switches curb bioterror risk

Edinburgh University. UK: The potential threat of bioterrorism using man-made biological organisms could be curbed, thanks to a new method. Synthetic biologists - who can design and modify the DNA of living organisms to give them novel, useful functions - have devised a way of containing their products to help ensure that they work only as intended.

Mother’s stress hormone levels may affect foetal growth and long term health of child

University of Cambridge. UK: Increased levels of stress hormones can lead pregnant mice to overeat, but affect growth of the foetus and, potentially, the long term health of the offspring, according to a study published today.

Immune System Promotes Digestive Health by Fostering Community of “Good” Gut Bacteria

Utah University. US: As many as 1.4 million Americans suffer from uncomfortable abdominal cramping and diarrhea that come with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These conditions, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are associated with an imbalance among the thousands of species of “good” bacteria that inhabit the gut.

An Engineering Approach from Virginia Tech Helps Breast Cancer Researchers

Georgetown University. US: Biologists working with engineers and physicists have found a molecule they say helps determine if breast cancer cells that are resistant to antiestrogen therapy will live or die.

Cochlear Implant Users Can Hear, Feel the Beat in Music

Georgetown University. US: People who use cochlear implants for profound hearing loss do respond to certain aspects of music, contrary to common beliefs and limited scientific research, says a research team headed by an investigator at Georgetown University Medical Center. The scientists say exposure to the beat in music, such as drums, can improve the emotional and social quality-of-life of cochlear implant users and may even help improve their understanding and use of spoken language.

Many women lack basic understanding of their breast cancer, new study finds

Dana Farber. US: A new study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found a surprising lack of knowledge among breast cancer patients about the basic characteristics of their disease – how advanced it is (stage), whether it is fueled by estrogen, whether it can be treated with trastuzumab (also called Herceptin,) and the grade assigned by pathologists.

Huggable communication medium, Hugvie, brings about a notable decrease in stress

Osaka University. Japan: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Osaka University, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency have shown, by measuring hormonal changes in the body, that hugging a pillow-type communication medium, "Hugvie," while conversing with another person, reduced stress.

FDA permits marketing of first system of mobile medical apps for continuous glucose monitoring

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first set of mobile medical apps that allow people with diabetes to automatically and securely share data from a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with other people in real-time using an Apple mobile device such as an iPhone.

FDA approves a second vaccine to prevent serogroup B meningococcal disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Bexsero, a vaccine to prevent invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in individuals 10 through 25 years of age. Bexsero is the second vaccine approved by the FDA in the past three months to prevent this disease.

FDA approves Natpara to control low blood calcium levels in patients with hypoparathyroidism

FDA. US: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Natpara (parathyroid hormone) to control hypocalcemia (low blood calcium levels) in patients with hypoparathyroidism, a rare disease that affects approximately 60,000 people in the United States.

Five intriguing facts about viruses that cause measles, Ebola and other scourges

UCLA. US: Viruses are incredibly simple, arguably the most simple living organisms on the planet. They have no brains, no metabolism, and they can’t reproduce on their own.  Yet they are able to wreak incredible havoc on our bodies and to outwit the scientifically advanced weapons that humans have invented to fight their spread.

New Report Identifies Transparency as a Means to Improve Patient Safety

UCSF. US: Open communication and a free flow of information represent the “magic pill” needed to improve many of the issues in health care related to safety, according to a new report released by the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute. Shining a Light: Safer Health Care Through Transparency defines transparency as “the free, uninhibited flow of information that is open to the scrutiny of others,” and calls for sweeping action within and across organizations, between clinicians and patients, and in public reporting.

Diaper compound may expand power of microscopes

NIH. US: Pour, mix, set, add water and voila: highly detailed images of the inside of cells. A study, partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, showed that a modified form of the superabsorbent chemical used in disposable diapers can expand brain structures to four and a half times their original size. The process called expansion microscopy will allow scientists to take super-resolution pictures of healthy and diseased tissue throughout the body using common microscopes.

Researchers Discover Five Genetic Variants Influencing The Size Of Human Brain Structures

Georgia University. US: Five genetic variants that influence the size of structures within the human brain have been discovered by an international team that included a Georgia State University researcher. Their findings were reported this week in the journal Nature.

Stress during pregnancy related to infant gut microbiota

Radboud University. Netherlands: Stress during pregnancy is often linked to physical and psychological problems in the child. But why is this? Could the infant’s gut microbiota be an underlying mechanism? An initial study of the correlation in humans has shown that babies born to mothers who experience stress have a poorer mix of intestinal microbiota.

Statin use may be widening health inequalities in England

NHS. UK: “Mass prescription of statins ‘will widen social inequalities’," The Independent reports. The headline is based on a new study looking at deaths from coronary heart disease in England from the years 2000 to 2007. The good news is that overall deaths from heart disease were estimated to be down by a third (34.2%) during the time period. The bad news, at least for those concerned about health inequalities, is that the use of statins (a cholesterol-lowering drug), benefitted the richest 20% more than the poorest 20% of society.

Angry Twitter communities linked to heart deaths

NHS. UK: "Angry tweeting 'could increase your risk of heart disease','' is the poorly reported headline in The Daily Telegraph. The study it reports on found there is a link between angry tweets and levels of heart disease deaths. Researchers were interested in investigating how various forms of negative psychological stress are linked to heart disease. They looked at how angry tweets, at a community level, may be a reflection of this stress.

New heart attack test shows promise for women

NHS. UK: "Doctors could spot twice as many heart attacks in women by using a newer, more sensitive blood test," BBC News reports. In women, for reasons that are unclear, a heart attack often doesn't trigger the symptom most people associate with the condition: severe chest pain, memorably described as like having an elephant sitting on your chest. This can lead to delays in diagnosis, which may impact on clinical outcomes. A more sensitive blood test has been developed that can help determine if a person with the symptoms of a heart attack has actually had one.

Claims that men worsen labour pains are unproven

NHS. UK: "It’s official: men really shouldn’t be at the birth,” is the bizarre headline in The Times, as it reports on a pain study on women who were not even pregnant, let alone giving birth.
Researchers wanted to explore whether a woman’s “attachment style” (whether they sought or avoided emotional intimacy) had any influence on whether it was beneficial to have their partners present while having painful medical procedures.

New study finds UK failing adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Newcastle University. UK: Adults in the UK with Duchenne muscular dystrophy are being failed on critical medical checks that could lengthen their lives, according to research published by Newcastle University.

A study across seven EU countries found that despite investing in specialist care for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the NHS is failing to meet internationally agreed standards on life-extending care for many adults with the condition, including vital annual heart and lung checks.

Well-being programmes in schools might be doing children more harm than good

Sheffield University. UK: Apocryphal depictions of an unprecedented crisis in young people’s mental ill-health and their general vulnerability have been accompanied by increasingly alarmist claims that only schools can address this social “ticking time bomb”.

New systems genetics study identifies possible target for epilepsy treatment

Imperial College. UK: A single gene that coordinates a network of about 400 genes involved in epilepsy could be a target for new treatments, according to research. Epilepsy is a common and serious disease that affects around 50 million people worldwide. The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population. It is known that epilepsy has a strong genetic component, but the risk is related to multiple factors that are 'spread' over hundreds of genes. 

Percutaneous ethanol injection for the treatment of early liver cancer

Cochrane: Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. In the majority of people, liver cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease and is mostly accompanied by liver cirrhosis. In high-income countries, about 30% of people present with the more favourable early liver cancer. For these people, percutaneous ablation techniques (destruction of the cancer cells by heat, cold, or chemical substances such as ethanol), surgical resection (removal of part of the liver), and liver transplantation (which is limited by organ donor shortage) are currently considered potentially curative treatments.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Primary Liver Cancer)

UCSF. US: Primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, is a cancer that begins in the liver.. Each year in the United States, approximately 15,000 men and 6,000 women are diagnosed with primary liver cancer.

Artificial limb rehabilitation for older people with a leg amputated at or above the knee because of blood circulation problems

Cochrane: Problems with inadequate circulation in the legs (dysvascularity), particularly in people over the age of 60 years, can be so severe that they need a leg amputated. This may be as high as at or above the knee. Accompanying medical conditions (co-morbidities) such as diabetes, cardiovascular or heart disease can affect a person's rehabilitation. When an above or through knee artificial limb (prosthesis) is fitted, it is hard to regain mobility and function and some people choose to use a wheelchair.

Workplace interventions for reducing sitting time at work

Cochrane: Physical inactivity at work has increased in recent years throughout the world increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It is unclear whether interventions that aim to reduce sitting, such as desks at which you can work while standing up (sit-stand desks), are effective at reducing the amount of time spent sitting.

Macrolides for diffuse panbronchiolitis

Cochrane: Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB), characterised by progressive airflow limitation and recurrent respiratory tract infection (RTI), is a chronic airways disease that mainly affects people in east Asia. The prevalence of DPB in Japan is about 11 cases per 100,000 people; the prevalence outside Japan is still unknown.

First rank symptoms for schizophrenia

Cochrane: It is important for patients with psychosis to be correctly diagnosed as soon as possible. The earlier schizophrenia is diagnosed the better the treatment outcome. However, other diseases sometimes have similar psychotic symptoms as schizophrenia, for example bipolar disorders.

Quantum Leap in Diagnosis of Disease

Bonn University. Germany: A state-of-the-art diagnosis system is now being introduced at the University of Bonn's Radiological Clinic: the first of its kind worldwide, it is a new type of high-field nuclear magnetic resonance tomography spectrometer which opens up completely new possibilities both for clinical application to patients, for clinical research and pure research. Philips have placed the multi-million euro spectrometer at the University's disposal; the Radiological Clinic beat rival applicants from the US, Japan and Europe.

Naps are important for infants' long-term memory

Ruhr University. Germany: Sleep facilitates memory consolidation – not just in adults, but also in infants in their first year of life. This has been demonstrated by a team of researchers headed by Dr Sabine Seehagen at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, for the first time using an experimental design that assesses declarative memories, i.e. memories for facts and events. The researchers conclude: sleeping after learning appears to be important for infants’ long-term memory. The researchers report their findings in the journal "PNAS".

New Bacterial Language Discovered

Goethe University. Germany: Bacteria communicate by means of chemical signals and can develop common characteristics through this "agreement" and also develop their potential pathogenic effects in this way. Scientists working with Dr. Helge B. Bode, an Merck-endowed professor for molecular biotechnology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, and Dr. Ralf Heermann from the department of microbiology at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, have now described a hitherto unknown communication pathway that appears to be widely distributed. They report on this in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Zombie bacteria in tuberculosis

Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne. Switzerland: “Living-dead” bacteria exist in limbo: biologically active but not proliferating. Buried in this zombie state, disease-causing bacteria could come back from the dead to re-infect patients. Researchers at EPFL have produced the first evidence of this strange phenomenon in tuberculosis, suggesting new avenues for treatment.

Hidden infection shortens life

Lund University. Sweden: Recent research shows that mild infections without symptoms of illness can still lead to serious consequences by reducing the lifespan of the infected individuals. The study at Lund University in Sweden has been carried out on malaria-infected migratory birds. The infection is thought to speed up the ageing process by shortening the telomeres (i.e., the chromosomes ends) at a faster rate and thereby accelerating senescence.

The time has come to eliminate the complications of obesity

Hanyang University. Korea: Though the rate of obesity has been rising in the modern societies, the development of its cure in the pharmaceutical level used to be slow in progress. “Contrary to what most people believe, fat itself is not a problem. If anything, it is a very efficient way to store energy. What we have to focus on are the social and health problems pertained to obesity.

the perfect baby on demand

University of applied sciences Utrecht. Netherlands: By 2045, it will be possible to order the perfect baby, one without protruding ears, allergies or any other deviations from the norm. A woman’s uterus will no longer be necessary because babies will be grown in a special machine.

Care home purchases interactive wall for people with dementia

AUAS. Netherlands: On 22 December, former Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) students of illi Engineering presented their new interactive wall for people with dementia. They now have their first customer: from tomorrow, the wall will be placed in the communal area of Naarderheem care home for a year.

Researchers identify new genes for brain structure

Radboud University. Netherlands: An international study, which included researchers from Nijmegen, has identified several new genes that influence the size of our brain. The Nijmegen researchers are part of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour in Nijmegen, in which the Radboud University, the Radboud university medical center, and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics participate.

Nanoparticles for clean drinking water

The University of Twente (Netherlands) improves the effectiveness of a catalyst for nitrate removal. One way of removing harmful nitrate from drinking water is to catalyse its conversion to nitrogen. This process suffers from the drawback that it often produces ammonia. By using palladium nanoparticles as a catalyst, and by carefully controlling their size, this drawback can be eliminated.

Older persons differ in their emotions relating to mealtimes

Wageningen University. Netherlands: Older persons can be divided into four groups based on their emotional experience of mealtimes. That is the conclusion of scientists from Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research on the basis of research carried out by members of the senior test panel SenTo. The study, which was published in Appetite in September, offers product developers and marketers tools for better adapting their products to meet the differing needs and wants of the growing population of older persons.

Positive expectations improve outcome after brain injury

Maastricht University. Netherlands: People who are recovering from a stroke or other acquired brain injury (ABI) achieve a higher quality of life when they have a lot of confidence in their own ability to deal with the new situation (self-efficacy). The expression of negative emotions (emotion-focused coping) also has a predictive value: patients who do this often have a lower quality of life in the longer term. 

Breathing test to predict asthma in young children

Maastricht University. Netherlands: Researchers at Maastricht UMC+ have developed a new breathing test that can predict the onset of asthma in young children. To date, no reliable diagnostic test could provide an accurate prediction of this lung disease in infants with chronic respiratory symptoms. It was discovered that two-thirds of these children did not develop asthma by the age of six and were often prescribed unnecessary medication. The new breathing test should prevent this.

Research study for new therapies for arthritis

Utrecht University (Netherlands) will lead a research study for new therapies for arthritis, which should be able to fight the condition in an early phase. The Dutch Arthritis Foundation has granted the university a subsidy to prepare the treatment for initial testing in patients. The study is a cooperative effort by Utrecht University, the University of Newcastle and Radboud University.

Arthritis

NIH. US: The word "arthritis" makes many people think of painful, stiff joints. But, there are many kinds of arthritis, each with different symptoms and treatments. Most types of arthritis are chronic. That means they can go on for a long period of time.
Arthritis can attack joints in almost any part of the body. Some types of arthritis cause changes you can see and feel—swelling, warmth, and redness in your joints. In some kinds of arthritis, the pain and swelling last only a short time, but are very uncomfortable. Other types of arthritis might be less painful, but still slowly cause damage to your joints.

New revolutionary culturing technique for liver and pancreas

Utrecht University. Netherlands: Researchers from Utrecht University, the Hubrecht Institute and the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht successfully developed a culturing system for human liver stem cells as well as stem cells from pancreatic cancer. They describe the development of these culturing systems in two articles in this week’s edition of Cell magazine.

New method opens opportunities for large-scale studies of cancer development

Groningen University. Netherlands: Reusing large volumes of biological data makes it possible to analyse big data on DNA mutations. Cancer is caused by mutations in DNA. In order to study these mutations is important to analyse the DNA of large numbers of cancer patients. Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) have now developed a new method for doing this and were able to analyse data from more than 16,000 cancer patients. Their research is therefore one of the world’s largest oncological studies to date.

Children already capable of self-control at an early age

Leiden University. Netherlands: Children learn how to control and slow down their own behaviour at an early age. This important skill initially requires a lot of brain activity, but becomes more and more efficient as they grow older and become adolescents, concludes PhD candidate Margot Schel.

Media consumption and parenting need not clash

University of Amsterdam. Netherlands.: Why are so many young people glued to their smartphones? Does gaming have a negative impact on adolescent development? Are the effects of sex in the media necessarily all bad? Many parents wonder whether they should protect children against their own media consumption habits, and if so, how to go about it.

Genetics research demystifies Cushing's disease

TIT. Japan: Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology have identified genetic mutations responsible for Cushing's disease, a potentially fatal glandular condition.

Gene networks related to cognitive function in schizophrenia identified

Osaka University. Japan: A group of researchers led by HASHIMOTO Ryota (Associate Professor) and OHI Kazutaka (Researcher), United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, conducted genetic analysis on cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and executive function, functions which are impaired in patients with schizophrenia. This group founded that glutamate through NMDA receptors and immune function network via major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are associated with cognitive functions in the disorder.

State-of-the-art integrated imaging system allows scientists to map brain cells responsible for memory

Kyoto University. Japan: Scientists from Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) in Japan have developed an advanced imaging system to identify cells responsible for storing memory within a tiny worm. Their study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, not only offers a new way to identify molecular substrates of memory but may also one day lead to understanding how memory loss occurs in humans.

Mechanism of Disease Progression in Conjunctival Lymphoma is Clarified- Contributing to the Development of a Curative Drug-

Hokudai University. Japan: Conjunctiva is the tissue that covers the surface of the eye, and is the first line of defense against pathogens from the outside. This defense mechanism is an immune mechanism controlled by the conjunctival lymphoid, which activates lymphocyte type B-cells, T-cells, and dendritic cells, when a pathogen is detected. The most frequent tissue type of malignant lymphoma on conjunctiva is extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, which is observed in 7% of cases of non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma⁴⁾.

The Antiarrhythmic Agent Verapamil Improves the Therapeutic Effect of the Anticancer Drug Paclitaxel by Inhibiting the Transporter in Tumor Blood Vessels

Hokudai University. Japan: The antiarrhythmic agent verapamil was found to inhibit the drug resistance in tumor blood vessel cells. (Tumor Endothelial Cells: TECs). Verapamil improves the anti-cancer effect of Paclitaxel by inhibiting the transporter in TECs. Combination therapy with verapamil and the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel enhanced the inhibitory effects on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. The possibility of expanded applications of existing drugs for cancer therapy which target tumor blood vessels was demonstrated.

Research Team investigates a possible approach to treating vascular injury by utilizing laser power

Dankook University’s BLI-Korea Research Center (Director, Pil Sang Jung) is expected to gain momentum in finding a treatment for vascular diseases after it discovered a potential treatment that combines low-powered light and stem cells.

Bone Regeneration Enhanced by Use of Mussel Adhesive Proteins

Postech University. Korea: Mussels stick to rocks because its protein has strong adhesive properties. This protein has been used as a binder for bodily wounds and surgery. An engineered mussel glue protein, a promising functional binder for the acceleration of bone substitute-assisted bone regeneration, has been developed by the joint research team of POSTECH and Korea University Anam Hospital, which can be used in teeth implants.

Anti-aging products: Positive Effect of Human Growth Factors and Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Chung-Ang University. Korea: Wrinkles are what make the skin look older. Currently there is a number of anti-aging products that are being researched and released and a growing interest on various anti-aging components.

Research Team Discover Topical Epidermal Growth Factor as New Treatment for Hair Loss

Chung-Ang University. Korea: Various factors including stress or lifestyle, temporary spike in testosterone account for the gradual increase in hair loss patients. But the approved treatment options available at the moments are limited to using testosterone suppressants such as Finasteride and Dutasteride, improving the blood circulation by applying Minoxidil to the affected area and undergoing surgical hair implant procedure.

Upper gastrointestinal subepithelial tumors: Benign or malignant, that is the question

Hanyang University. Korea: Professor Hang Lak Lee of the College of Medicine is a doctor and researcher whose research interests mainly lie in colorectal and gastric cancer. He has recently discovered a way to examine whether upper gastrointestinal subepithelial tumors (SETs) are benign or malignant on preoperational level, which saves patients from physical, emotional, and financial burdens imposed by surgical procedures.