Working with heart attack-stricken mice, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists has shown that embryonic stem cells may one day live up to their clinical promise.
In a paper to be published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, a team led by UW-Madison stem cell researcher and heart specialist Timothy J. Kamp reports that all-purpose embryonic stem cells, transplanted into mouse hearts damaged by experimentally induced heart a
NASA ’s Space Technology 5 (ST5) micro-satellites have arrived at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., launch site and are in the beginning stages of final launch preparation. ST5 is scheduled to launch in February 2006.
“The team is very excited and we are still working hard as we approach our launch date,” said Art Azarbarzin, ST5 Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
ST-5 will pave the way for future science missions by de
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered how to block a molecular switch that triggers brain damage caused by the lack of oxygen during a stroke. The Hopkins study, conducted on mice, is believed to be the first to demonstrate that a protein on the surface of nerve cells called the EP1 receptor is the switch, and that a specific compound, known as ONO-8713, turns it off.
The finding holds promise for the development of effective alternatives to anti-inflammatory drugs called CO
Studies in drosophila genetics inform development of human heart
Researchers at The Burnham Institute for Medical Research have provided detailed insights into the early formation of the heart. A team lead by Dr. Rolf Bodmer found that two proteins, called Robo and Slit, are required for normal development of the heart and that malfunction of either of these proteins severely impacts the heart’s structure, resulting in congenital heart defects. These findings were publish
IU mathematician helps solve old problem that may have new applications
A twisted soap bubble with a handle?
If you find that hard to visualize, it’s understandable. Experts had thought for more than 200 years that such a structure was not even mathematically possible. But no longer.
In a paper published in the Nov. 15 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mathematicians Matthias Weber of Indiana University, David Hoffman of Stanford Universi
New research reveals that television commercials featuring celebrity voice-overs are most influential when consumers can’t identify which actor it belongs to.
The study, by Mark Forehand of the University of Washington Business School and Andrew Perkins of Rice University, appears in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.
The researchers studied consumers’ reactions to TV commercials featuring actors Willem Dafoe, David Duchovny, David Hyde Pie
Phase I trial will gauge safety and potential of using child’s own bone marrow stem cells to treat brain trauma
A unique clinical trial will gauge the safety and potential of treating children suffering traumatic brain injury with stem cells derived from their own bone marrow starting early next year at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital.
The clinical trial is the first to apply stem cells to treat tra
Researchers believe they’ve found the source of a stinking problem that has plagued areas surrounding sewage treatment plants for decades. Much of the “rotten cabbage” smell near these facilities, they say, is likely caused by trace amounts of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in waste water. The joint U.S.-German study will appear in the Jan. 1 issue of the American Chemical Society journal, Environment Science & Technology. DMSO, a common industrial solvent used in paint stripping, is not odorous o
Researchers have discovered that drugs, such as heart burn medications, which reduce gastric acidity, are potential risk factors for Clostridium difficile infection outside of hospitals. The new research to be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) tomorrow focuses on community-acquired C. difficile, and is a follow-up to previous work by the same group that demonstrated an increased risk from these medications in hospital settings.
“We believe drugs that reduc
A new study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence examines coping styles from youth to young adulthood. The authors find that individuals who had coherent relationships with their parents, dealt with their problems more actively by seeking support and reflecting on possible solutions. They also became increasingly more competent in dealing with a variety of stressors. Those considered insecure, or poorly attached to their parents showing only minor growth in their
“Scientists have an obligation to do no harm”, according to the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), a global network of science academies that includes the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities, which has recently published a set of principles, to be taken into account when formulating codes of conduct. The IAP statement on biosecurity is being issued prior to the Meeting of States Parties of the Biological Weapons Convention which was held in December, it has b
Technique to pick healthy embryos highly reliable, but small margin of error remains
Screening embryos for genetic diseases during in vitro fertilization offers couples the best chance for a healthy child, but a genetic glitch could potentially cause doctors to misdiagnose a small fraction of them, University of Florida researchers say.
Citing concerns about the accuracy of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, the method many practitioners use to pick the healthiest emb
Power of ’’FUZEON effect” provides much needed hope for HIV patients facing treatment failure
Exciting interim data presented at the annual ICAAC* conference show that adding FUZEON (enfuvirtide) to the investigational boosted protease inhibitor (PI), TMC114/r, more than doubles the proportion of patients reaching undetectable levels of the virus.
This latest study provides further evidence that FUZEON now makes undetectable viral loads more achievable for pati
JBS 2: Joint British Societies’ guidelines on prevention of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice
New joint guidelines published by six professional societies today in Heart significantly widen the criteria for prevention of heart disease and stroke in primary care, and are set to boost the numbers of patients targeted for screening and preventive treatment.
The evidence based guidelines are a collaborative effort from the British Cardiac Society, the British Hyper
A new study supports previous research done that used guided health imagery to help smokers quit. Guided health imagery – a technique to help patients relax their muscles and open their minds to images of health and healthy living – has long been used to help surgery and cancer patients, as well as for reducing pain and reversing negative thoughts resulting from traumatic events including rape and other types of sexual assault.
This study, published in the Journal of Nursing Scholars
New York University School of Medicine researchers provide some of the most compelling evidence yet that long-term exposure to air pollution–even at levels within federal standards–causes heart disease. Previous studies have linked air pollution to cardiovascular disease but until now it was poorly understood how pollution damaged the body’s blood vessels.
In a well-designed mouse study, where animals breathed air as polluted as the air in New York City, the researchers pi
Feedback
