Human heart tissue has for the first time been created in the laboratory.
Generated from embryonic stem cells at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the tissue could be used for testing and creating new drugs, for genetic studies, for tissue engineering and for studying the effects of various stresses on the heart.
“Everyone imagines the possibilities of embryonic stem cells in repairing broken hearts, but stem cell technology offers even more — and it offers it muc
Through the study of fat storage in nematode worms, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have formulated a new model for understanding the mechanisms of obesity and diabetes in humans.
Their work appears in today’s issue of Developmental Cell.
“Obesity and its associated diseases are now among the most important medical conditions in the world,” said Dr. Jonathan M. Graff, senior author of the study and associate professor in the Center for Developmen
Both sides of the brain play a role in processing emotional communication, with the right side stepping in when we focus not on the “what” of an emotional message but rather on how it feels.
By studying blood flow velocity to each side of the brain, Belgian psychologists have opened a window onto the richness and complexity of human emotional communication. Their research appears in the January 2003 issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
The use of hip protectors in nursing homes can reduce hip fractures by about 40%, yet acceptance of hip protectors is poor, according to a study in this week’s BMJ.
Researchers in Germany identified 42 nursing homes in Hamburg. Homes were allocated either to usual care (control group) or an intervention programme consisting of structured education of staff, who then taught residents, and provision of free hip protectors (intervention group).
Over a period of 14 months, there were 21 hip
Discovery could explain why light keeps us awake and may lead to new treatments for disorders such as jet-lag and SAD.
Researchers from Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, USA and Brown University, USA have discovered that melanopsin, a recently identified protein, plays a key role in a completely new light detection system in the eye.
Professor Russell Foster, from Imperial College London at the Charing Cross Hospital comments: “It had long been assumed that
Further underscoring the limitations of cholesterol screening in assessing a patient’s risk for heart disease, a new study by UC Davis physicians is the first to conclusively link C-reactive proteins (CRP) to formation of blood clots, a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other vascular disease. Until now, CRP had been recognized mainly as a risk marker of heart disease. The study appears in the Jan. 25 print edition of the journal Circulation, a publication of the American Heart Association,
In an unusual disease known as Bloom syndrome, patients exhibit an extremely high incidence of cancers in many tissues. In fact, some experts consider Bloom syndrome to be among the most cancer-prone hereditary diseases known.
Although the illness is rare, it fascinates scientists since it can teach them more about how cancers arise and how the body normally suppresses them. Information gleaned from studies of the syndrome should provide insights into other forms of cancer, they say.
Incidents of heart attack and stroke, some fatal, in a small number of men taking the drug Viagra have remained a puzzle. After all, Viagra, commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction, was originally developed to prevent these conditions — not only by dilating blood vessels but also by stopping platelets in the blood from clumping.
In fact, the drug does just the opposite, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. They found that Viagra, by el
A potent clot-busting substance originally extracted from the saliva of vampire bats may be used up to three times longer than the current stroke treatment window – without increasing the risk for additional brain damage, according to research reported in today’s rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The vampire bat saliva-derived clot buster is called Desmodus rotundus salivary plasminogen activator (DSPA) or desmoteplase. DSPA targets and destroys fi
A 12-year study of 38,077 male health professionals found that men who drank alcohol three or more days per week had a reduced risk of heart attack compared with men who drank less frequently. Men who drank less than one drink a day had similar risk reduction to those who drank three.
Many epidemiologic studies have reported that moderate drinking–for men two drinks a day–is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. This study looked at the relationship between quantity and frequen
Studies indicate that the number of diagnosed cases of Autism, or autistic spectrum disorder, is increasing with around 0.6% of the population affected. Early infantile autism was first described almost 60 years ago and autism has been the subject of intense research activities ever since, however the origin of the condition is still not understood. This review issue of Philosophical Transactions B, a Royal Society publication, provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research on autism and hi
US fertility experts have discovered a potential new role for the wonder drug tamoxifen – helping breast cancer patients to have babies by IVF.
In a study published today (Wednesday 8 January) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1], researchers from New York’s Cornell University report the first IVF pregnancy to result from the use of tamoxifen as an ovarian stimulant.
In a study of 12 breast cancer survivors they found that stimulating the ovaries
A class of drugs known as cholinesterase inhibitors has a significant impact on behavioral problems and the ability to perform everyday tasks in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and UCSF.
The study, an analysis of data from multiple small studies, appears in the January 8, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Known as a meta-analysis, the study applied sophisticated statistical
US fertility experts have discovered a potential new role for the wonder drug tamoxifen – helping breast cancer patients to have babies by IVF.
In a study published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1], researchers from New York’s Cornell University report the first IVF pregnancy to result from the use of tamoxifen as an ovarian stimulant.
In a study of 12 breast cancer survivors they found that stimulating the ovaries with a short, car
Agents that alter blood levels of beta-amyloid protein in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease represent a potential approach to treating the illness in humans that may be safer than the vaccine method of therapy, researchers report in a new study.
Beta-amyloid protein is a component of the amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer¡’s disease. Beta-amyloid is viewed by many researchers and clinicians as the underlying cause of the degeneration and demen
Meta-analysis shows medication treatment decreases risk of future substance abuse
An analysis of all available studies that examine the possible impact of stimulant treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on future substance abuse supports the safety of stimulant treatment. Using a statistical technique called meta-analysis, the researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found that medication treatment for children with ADHD resulted in an almost two-f
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