Some brain cells 'change channels' to fine-tune the message
...tions within the cerebellum, the brain region that controls fine motor skills. Although the cells' channel-changing ability has been recognized for a few years, the key players controlling it hadn't been identified. Now, by studying mice, the Hopkins team has identified two proteins, called PICK1 and NSF for...Targeting mutant B-Raf protein reduces melanoma development
...o the nucleus, which contains genetic material and controls many of the cell's activities. B-Raf is one member of the chain that relays signals playing an important role in cell signaling. The protein is usually only active when needed to relay signals. In contrast, mutant B-Raf is active all the time, which ...Alcohol relapse adversely affects 10-year liver transplant survival
...nts who underwent liver transplants for ALD and 17 controls who were followed up for a mean period of 39.5 months. This group was enlarged for the present study to 54 patients in total, including those analyzed in the previous study. Before transplantation was undertaken, a 6-month period of abstinence from a...Obtaining patient consent for clinical audit is unworkable without extra resources
...J today. The 1998 Data Protection Act strengthened controls on the use of personal data, but the Health and Social Care Act 2001 allows patient identifiable information to be made available in certain circumstances, including medical audit and research. Researchers studied the feasibility of obtaining signed ...Genes for alcohol consumption identified
...ng habits. The research focused on a key gene that controls chemical signalling in the brain. Different versions of this gene may affect the balance and effect of signalling molecules and in turn help to shape individual drinking habits. Scientists do not know precisely why particular genetic variants may inf...Mayo Clinic discovers 'new pathway' against pancreatic cancer
...stigators describe discovering a key molecule that controls the growth, spread and survival of pancreatic cancer cells. This is a critical first step toward developing new and better treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer. "This is a very exciting -- and surprising -- finding," says Daniel Billadeau,...Multi-center study shows direct link between residential radon exposure and lung cancer
...The investigators' review of 3,662 cases and 4,966 controls from these combined studies represents the largest analytic radon epidemiologic study ever performed in North America. "The findings from the previously performed Iowa Residential Radon Lung Cancer Study indicate the risk estimates from this pooled...Neurobehavioral function during coma, stroke rehabilitation effective for elderly
... of 13 patients with moderate to severe TBI and 13 controls to identify pictures of angry faces randomly distributed among neutral faces. Patients with TBI showed significantly impaired responses while attempting to detect facial cues. Individuals with TBI were also much slower and less accurate in recognizin...Lip piercing can lead to receding gums
...mong subjects with lip piercing (41.4%) than among controls (6.9%). The average recession depth was more than double in subjects with piercing compared with controls. Length of time of wear was the only significantly associated demographic variable. These results indicate that lip piercing is strongly associa...Study suggests smoking while pregnant may increase chromosomal abnormalities in fetal cells
...utine amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis from 25 controls and 25 women who smoke (10 or more cigarettes/d for 10 or more years). The women were asked to fill out a smoking questionnaire concerning their smoking habits. The researchers found that when comparing genetic data between smokers and nonsmokers (c...UCSD-Utah team develops mouse model to test therapies for macular degeneration
...ble for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls the ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail. The UCSD-Utah scientists said that the AMD and STGD forms of macular degeneration are characterized by high levels of debris called lipofuscin that accumula...Sunflower seed oil can protect low birth weight babies from infection
...und 7.0 infections per 100 days in hospital, while controls had around 10.8 infections per 100 days. Overall, infants treated with sunflower seed oil were 41% less likely to develop infections than controls. The effect was even greater when treatment was started within 24 hours of birth in these babies, bloo...Potential treatment for Fragile X Syndrome demonstrated in fruit fly model
... at all. This gene encodes the FMRP protein, which controls the availability of select proteins involved in neuron-to-neuron communication. Senior author Thomas A. Jongens, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics at Penn, and colleagues from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Drexel University College of M...Brain tumor with dismal prognosis in infants can be cured in older children
...rebellum is the lower, back part of the brain that controls balance. The St. Jude team showed that, while children with ATRT under three years of age have a dismal prognosis, children older than 3 can be cured by upfront treatment with radiation followed by chemotherapy using so-called alkylating agents (cy...Lack of specific collagen type leads to osteoarthritis
... researchers found that mice lacking the gene that controls the production of type VI collagen developed osteoarthritis at a rate more than five times greater than mice with a functioning gene. Collagen is a ubiquitous protein found throughout the body in connective tissue, muscle, cartilage and bone. To date...Hypothyroidism associated with reduced breast cancer risk
... the growth of cells, Cristofanilli says. Estrogen controls growth of female reproductive tissues, such as is found in the breasts, and thyroid hormones control energy metabolism in tissue. Hypothyroidism - a condition estimated to affect approximately 20 percent of older women - is produced when the thyroid ...Stem cell therapy for spinal injury
...em cells are supplemented with a certain gene that controls their maturing process. The results are important for planning of stem cell therapy trials on patients with spinal injury. Spinal injury confines some 150 Swedes a year to wheelchairs. The damage cause the loss of movement and sensation below the lev...Study finds happiness persists, despite illness
... the researchers also had the patients and healthy controls recall the moods they had experienced during the week they had carried the PDA. While healthy people slightly underestimated their previous week's average mood, the patients were quite accurate in recalling theirs. The researchers speculate that the ...Patients with cancer have highly increased risk for blood clots
...ion of the anticoagulant therapy, all patients and controls were interviewed, a blood sample was taken, and DNA was isolated to ascertain the gene mutations, factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A, both linked to thrombosis. The researchers found that the overall risk of venous thrombosis was increased 7-fold...