Body

A scientific basis for cognitive complaints of breast cancer patients?

For many years, breast cancer patients have reported experiencing difficulties with memory, concentration and other cognitive functions following cancer treatment. Whether this mental "fogginess" is psychosomatic or reflects underlying changes in brain function has been a bone of contention among scientists and physicians.

Quest for edible malarial vaccine leads to other potential medical uses for algae

Can scientists rid malaria from the Third World by simply feeding algae genetically engineered with a vaccine?

That's the question biologists at UC San Diego sought to answer after they demonstrated last May that algae can be engineered to produce a vaccine that blocks malaria transmission. In a follow up study, published online today in the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, they got their answer: Not yet, although the same method may work as a vaccine against a wide variety of viral and bacterial infections.

Something's fishy in the tree of life

NORMAN – Fishes account for over half of vertebrate species, but while groups such as mammals, birds and reptiles have been fairly well understood by scientists for decades, knowledge about relationships among many types of fishes was essentially unknown – until now.

Respiratory and cardiovascular response during electronic control device exposure in law enforcement trainees

Law enforcement represents a large population of workers who may be exposed to electronic control devices (ECDs).

With the number of adverse events occurring proximal to ECD exposure, concern has been raised on the direct impact of ECD exposure on respiration and the cardiac cycle. However, little is known about the potential effect of exposure to these devices on respiration or cardiovascular response during current discharge.

From blank round to a potently active substance?

A long-forgotten candidate for antiviral therapy is undergoing a renaissance: Since the 1970s, the small molecule CMA has been considered a potent agent against viral infections, yet it was never approved for clinical use. Scientists at the Bonn University Hospital have now deciphered how the molecule can actually stimulate the immune system to combat viruses. The results are now being presented in the journal "EMBO" of the European Molecular Biology Organization.

Water-pipe smoking may not be a safe alternative to cigarette smoking

PHILADELPHIA — Smoking tobacco in a water pipe resulted in a different pattern of exposure to toxic substances and may result in a cancer risk profile that is different from that of cigarette smoking, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Alternative medicine use by MS patients now mapped

A major Nordic research project involving researchers from the University of Copenhagen has, for the first time ever, mapped the use of alternative treatment among multiple sclerosis patients - knowledge which is important for patients with chronic disease and the way in which society meets them.

Stress is good thing for parents, babies in squirrel world

Stressed-out mothers raise stronger, heartier offspring – at least among squirrels.

In a new study, international researchers – including University of Guelph biologists – say squirrels tailor their parenting to meet the varied conditions facing their young.

For pups born during crowded, stressful times, mama squirrels kick maternalism into high gear. By the time they leave the nest, these offspring are significantly larger than pups raised under less stressful conditions.

The study was published Thursday in the journal Science.

Research harnesses solar-powered proteins to filter harmful antibiotics from water

New research, just published, details how University of Cincinnati researchers have developed and tested a solar-powered nano filter that is able to remove harmful carcinogens and antibiotics from water sources – lakes and rivers – at a significantly higher rate than the currently used filtering technology made of activated carbon.

Random walks on DNA

Scientists have revealed how a bacterial enzyme has evolved an energy-efficient method to move long distances along DNA. The findings, published in Science, present further insight into the coupling of chemical and mechanical energy by a class of enzymes called helicases, a widely-distributed group of proteins, which in human cells are implicated in some cancers.

An IRB study contributes to the understanding and prevention of the side effects caused by drugs

Barcelona, Friday 19 April 2013.- Yellow vision, pseudo-pulmonary obstruction, involuntary body movements, respiratory paralysis. These are some of the 1,600 known side effects (SEs) produced by drugs. Adverse effects are one of the main causes of hospital admission in the west. These effects are difficult to predict, and in practice specific assays are required to test the safety of agents in pre-clinical phases, thus these effects are often not discovered until the drug has been launched.

A surprising new function for small RNAs in evolution

It has long been known that certain proteins, known as transcription factors, directly control the way in which information is read from DNA. As a result, it is widely believed that changes in genes encoding such proteins underlie the mechanisms responsible for evolutionary adaptation. The idea that small RNA molecules, so-called microRNAs, may play an important part in evolutionary changes to animals' appearance is completely new.

Chemical shift MRI helps differentiate renal cell tumors more likely to metastasize

Adding "chemical shift" techniques to MRI can help differentiate clear cell renal cell carcinoma from other types of renal cell cancer, a new study shows. That differentiation can help physicians better determine treatment for these patients.

Tomosynthesis increases breast cancer detection rate

2D plus 3D breast imaging increases cancer detection rates by 11%, and could be particularly useful in detecting cancer in women with dense breasts, a new study suggests.

2 views are better than 1 in 3-D breast screening

One view 3D breast screening (tomosynthesis) means less radiation dose and about five seconds less compression, but a study from Yale University, New Haven, CT, found that obtaining both views is necessary to help ensure that a cancer won't be missed.