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New Method helps Researchers Zero in on Drugs that can kill Brain Cancer Stem Cells

By Guest PostOctober 17, 2011Health, Sciencebiobehavioral sciences, brain cancer, brain tumors, dr. harley kornblum, glioblastoma, identify chemical compounds, jonsson cancer center, kill the stem cells, malignancies, molecular cancer therapeutics, new cancer drugs, new screening approach, seven chemical libraries, treatment-resistant, tumor cells, typical screening, ucla's jonsson comprehensive cancer center, university of california

Researchers with UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new screening approach to identify chemical compounds that can target and kill the stem cells responsible for creating deadly brain tumors.

Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest malignancies, typically killing patients within 12 to 18 months. These brain cancers consist of two kinds of cells: a larger, heterogeneous population of tumor cells and a smaller sub-population of stem cells, which are treatment-resistant. (more…)

“Drunkorexia:” A Recipe for Disaster

By Guest PostOctober 17, 2011Healthalcohol consumption, alcohol misuse, disordered eating, drinking rate, drunkorexia, eating disorder

MU study finds disordered eating combined with heavy drinking is common among college students

COLUMBIA, Mo. – It is well known that eating disorders are common among teens and college students. Heavy alcohol consumption is another well-known unhealthy habit of this age group. A new study from the University of Missouri shows that when college students combine these two unhealthy habits, their long-term health may be affected. “Drunkorexia” is a new term coined by the media to describe the combination of disordered eating and heavy alcohol consumption. (more…)

WHOI Teaming with Flatley Discovery Lab in Search for Effective Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis

By Guest PostOctober 13, 2011Health, Scienceantibiotics, biological and chemical processes of ocean microbes, cf, cftr, cftr gene, charlestown, chemical extracts, cystic fibrosis, cystic fibrosis trans-membrane conductance regulator, flatley discovery lab, fungi, gene, john flatley, marine actinomycetes, marine microbes, marine microbial extracts, membrane, microbes, microbial infection biofilm, mutation, phytoplankton, respiratory disease, richard fitzpatrick, sodium transport, susan k. avery, therapeutic agents for cystic fibrosis, tracy mincer, whoi, woods hole oceanographic institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has signed a $1.18 million agreement with the Flatley Discovery Lab in Charlestown, Mass., to investigate and supply marine microbial extracts as possible treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF).

The life-shortening respiratory disease has eluded attempts at a cure, although researchers have been successful in some cases at adding years to a person’s lifespan, primarily through treatment with antibiotics. (more…)

Zinc’s Role in the Brain

By Guest PostOctober 13, 2011Health, Sciencechemical in synaptic vesicles, duke university, long-term potentiation, neuroscience, stores neurotransmitters, the role of zinc in the brain, university of toronto scarborough (utsc), xiao-an zhang, zinc, zinc’s function, zinc’s role in the brain, zx1

*Research gives insight into 50-year-old mystery – zinc important for learning and memory

TORONTO, ON – Zinc plays a critical role in regulating how neurons communicate with one another, and could affect how memories form and how we learn. The new research, in the current issue of Neuron, was authored by Xiao-an Zhang, now a chemistry professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), and colleagues at MIT and Duke University.

Researchers have been trying to pin down the role of zinc in the brain for more than fifty years, ever since scientists found high concentrations of the chemical in synaptic vesicles, a portion of the neuron that stores neurotransmitters. But it was hard to determine just what zinc’s function was. (more…)

Clinical Trial Uncovers Potential ‘Functional Cure’ for HIV/AIDS

By Guest PostOctober 12, 2011Healthantiviral effect, biallelic zfn-modification, ccr5 gene, clinical trial, dr. ronald mitsuyasu, functional cure for hiv/aids, highly active antiretroviral therapy (haart), interscience conference on antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, non-responders, sangamo biosciences phase, sb-728-t, university of california, university of pennsylvania school of medicine

Data shows Correlation between New Therapeutic Approach, Viral Load Reduction

Data from a clinical trial involving UCLA researchers suggest that a new therapy may potentially serve as a “functional cure” for HIV/AIDS.

The therapy, called SB-728-T, involves the modification of both copies of a patient’s CCR5 gene, which encodes the major co-receptor used by HIV to infect immune system cells.

In the Sangamo BioSciences’ phase 1 trial, SB-728-T was given to HIV patients who were on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) but were considered to be “non-responders” — that is, their CD4+ T-cell levels, a key measure of immune system health, remained low. The patients’ HAART therapy was interrupted when they received the SB-728-T therapy. (more…)

Chagas Disease May Be A Threat in South Texas, Says Researcher

By Guest PostOctober 10, 2011Healthchagas disease, chagas infection, digestive disorder, disease causing insects, kissing bugs, triatomine bugs, tropical parasitic disease

AUSTIN, Texas — Chagas disease, a tropical parasitic disease that can lead to life-threatening heart and digestive disorders, may be more widespread in Texas than previously thought, according to research from The University of Texas at Austin. (more…)

How the Brain Makes Memories: Rhythmically!

By Guest PostOctober 9, 2011Health, Sciencearvind kumar, brain, brain mechanisms of learning, brain rhythms, connections between neurons, conventional wisdom, detuning process, einstein, experimental data, frequency, mayank r mehta, memory disorders, mozart, neural signals, neuro physicists, optimal brain rhythm, optimal learning, spike trains, stimuli, synapses, synaptic plasticity, synaptic strength

The brain learns through changes in the strength of its synapses — the connections between neurons — in response to stimuli.

Now, in a discovery that challenges conventional wisdom on the brain mechanisms of learning, UCLA neuro-physicists have found there is an optimal brain “rhythm,” or frequency, for changing synaptic strength. And further, like stations on a radio dial, each synapse is tuned to a different optimal frequency for learning.

The findings, which provide a grand-unified theory of the mechanisms that underlie learning in the brain, may lead to possible new therapies for treating learning disabilities. (more…)

Everest Expedition Suggests Nitric Oxide Benefits for Intensive Care Patients

By Guest PostOctober 8, 2011Healthcxe expedition, everest expedition, hypoxia, low oxygen levels, shortage of oxygen, xtreme everest team

The latest results from an expedition to Mount Everest that looked at the body’s response to low oxygen levels suggest that drugs or procedures that promote the body’s production of a chemical compound called nitric oxide (NO) could improve the recovery of critically ill patients in intensive care. (more…)

Category Archives: Health

*Research gives insight into 50-year-old mystery – zinc important for learning and memory

Data shows Correlation between New Therapeutic Approach, Viral Load Reduction