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Showing clinical empathy to patients can improve their satisfaction of care, motivate them to stick to their treatment plans and lower malpractice complaints, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj090113.pdf.

The cost to treat heart disease in the United States will triple by 2030, according to a policy statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Despite the successes in reducing and treating heart disease over the last half century, even if we just maintain our current rates, we will have an enormous financial burden on top of the disease itself," said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association expert panel issuing the statement.

Scientists from A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Singapore and the University of Hong Kong's Department of Medicine have produced the world's first human cell model of progeria, a disease resulting in severe premature ageing in one in four to eight million children worldwide. This model has allowed them to make new discoveries concerning the mechanism by which progeria works. Their findings were published this month in the prestigious scientific journal, Cell Stem Cell (1).

IQ scores are used to assess the intelligence of human beings. Now Tel Aviv University has developed a "Social-IQ score" for bacteria ― and it may lead to new antibiotics and powerful bacteria-based "green" pesticides for the agricultural industry.

Micropilot detected these cells and then instructed the microscope to remove fluorescent tags from proteins in half of each cell’s nucleus, and record whether fluorescently-tagged proteins moved in from elsewhere.

(Photo Credit: EMBL)

Women who have become pregnant after egg donation should be categorized as high-risk patients. Why that is the case, and which consequences egg donation may have for women is the subject of a review article by Ulrich Pecks and co-authors from the University Hospital Aachen in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl In 2011; 108[3]: 23-31).

Chapel Hill, NC – A new study shows that a test of biomarkers for DNA methylation is technically feasible and could aid in earlier, more precise diagnosis of melanoma.

Despite the sophistication and range of contemporary microscopy techniques, many important biological phenomena still elude the precision of even the most sensitive tools. The need for refined imaging methods for fundamental research and biomedical applications related to the study of disease remains acute.

Protection against nerve gas attack is a significant component of the defense system of many countries around the world. Nerve gases are used by armies and terrorist organizations, and constitute a threat to both the military and civilian populations, but existing drug solutions against them have limited efficiency.

Most miscarriages in horses results at very early stages of pregnancy (within about three weeks) and it is generally believed that the primary cause is that the foetus grows or develops too slowly: smaller than normal embryos have a higher chance of being lost then normally sized ones. It is not clear whether low concentrations of progesterone lead to slower embryonic development but nevertheless the progestin altrenogest is routinely used to treat mares that frequently suffer miscarriages.

Jerusalem, January 23, 2011 -- Global warming is already affecting the earth in a variety of ways that demand our attention. Now, research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem indicates that many tree species might become extinct due to climate change if no action is taken in time.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered a rogue gene which – if blocked by the right drugs – could stop cancer in its tracks.

Published today by the journal Oncogene, the discovery is a breakthrough in our understanding of how cancer spreads. It is hoped the research will lead to new drugs that halt the critical late stage of the disease when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study by Ohio State University cancer researchers provides a rational for treating breast cancer by combining two kinds of targeted agents, one that inhibits an overactive, cancer-causing pathway in cancer cells and one that reverses changes that silence genes that normally prevent cancer. Both types of agents are currently available and being evaluated individually in clinical trials, the researchers note.