Health News Today

(Vanderbilt University) What does a mixture of two different kinds of cells have in common with a mixture of oil and water? The same basic force causes both mixtures to separate into two distinct regions. That is the conclusion of a new 3-D computer model of the cell sorting process produced by researchers at Vanderbilt University and at the University of Waterloo. »»»

(University of Missouri-Columbia) Using precise microscopes, University of Missouri researchers are dissecting coronary microvessels and testing which proteins are responsible for inflammation that causes blood-vessel dysfunction. By identifying the proteins that play important roles in blood-vessel dysfunction, they hope to develop new treatments for blood-vessel dysfunction in people with type 2 diabetes. »»»

(Louisiana State University Health Science Center) Dr. Eugene Woltering, the James D. Rives Professor of Surgery and Neurosciences at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, and Dr. Conrad Hornick, former LSUHSC professor of physiology, have been awarded a US patent for a compound to inhibit the formation of blood vessels critical to the growth of cancerous tumors and diseases like diabetic retinopathy, obesity, and psoriasis. »»»

(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) A research team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is clarifying a previously unappreciated way that cellular processes are disrupted in cancer. Following upon previous work showing that a splicing factor called SF2/ASF can induce tumors in cell cultures, the team now shows that the same splicing factor induces changes in proteins in a pathway called PI3K-mTOR well known for its involvement in cancers. »»»

(WeissComm Partners) Combined results from two Phase 3 studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Fla., demonstrated that TAK-390MR resulted in higher healing rates than lansoprazole among patients with more severe grades of erosive esophagitis. TAK-390MR combines dexlansoprazole with a Dual Delayed Release formulation, designed to provide two separate releases of drug for extended duration of acid suppression. »»»

(Wake Forest University) Researchers at Wake Forest University are using nanotechnology to search for new cancer-fighting drugs through a process that could be up to 10,000 times faster than current methods. »»»

(University of California - San Diego) A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that use of oral vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. »»»

(Canadian Medical Association Journal) Investing in Canada's public health system is the best way to improve it, rather than privatization, writes Dr. Marcia Angell, a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School and former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. »»»

(The Science Coalition) As the ongoing financial crisis has clearly illustrated, the top priority for the next President will be addressing the nation's severe economic crisis. Believing that expanding the nation's commitment to basic scientific research is one of the most important actions the next President can take to ensure our long-term fiscal health, The Science Coalition today distributed 10 suggested questions to the moderator of tomorrow's presidential debate. »»»

(University of Iowa) Researchers have found, in a previously identified gene, a variation that likely contributes to one in five cases of isolated cleft lip. It's the first time a genetic variant has been associated with cleft lip alone, rather than both cleft lip and palate. The study provides insight on a previously unknown genetic mechanism and could eventually help with diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cleft lip, which affects more than five million people worldwide. »»»

(University of Montreal) Researchers have discovered what promises to be the on-off switch behind several major diseases. In today's Nature Medicine, scientists from Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, the Universit?© de Montr?©al and the Institut national de la sant?© et de la recherche m?©dicale in France report how the GPR91 receptor contributes to activate unchecked vascular growth that causes vision loss in common blinding diseases. These findings could also have wide-ranging and positive implications for brain tissue regeneration. »»»

Scientists develop a blood test that could tell a pregnant women if her unborn baby has Down's syndrome. »»»

Smoking is costing the NHS in England ??2.7bn pounds a year, up from ??1.7bn a decade earlier, a report claims. »»»

The stigma surrounding dementia makes life much harder for many patients suffering the condition, research suggests. »»»

The discovery of HIV and work linking a virus to cervical cancer jointly win the Nobel Prize for Medicine. »»»

Air pollution may increase risk of developing the life-threatening condition appendicitis, research suggests. »»»

Five pensioners were "inappropriately" restrained by staff at a north-west London hospital, an inquiry finds. »»»

Air purification system may cut symptoms »»»

Is Dr Beetroot's fall a boost for South Africa's Aids fight? »»»

The struggle to cut maternal mortality in Afghanistan »»»