Undergoing anaesthesia may be more like falling asleep than we once thought, according to new research from Imperial College London and Harvard Medical School, USA.
Researchers report today in the journal Nature Neuroscience how two of the most widely used anaesthetics, pentobarbital and propofol induce sleep by mimicking the natural process of falling into a deep sleep.
Using behavioural studies and molecular imaging techniques in rats, the team of basic scientists and clinicians
In a powerful demonstration of how animal research can help humans, a pair of scientific teams is reporting the discovery of defects in a deafness gene in mice that led to the identification of similar genetic defects in people with hearing loss.
The findings, published in two new papers, may eventually lead to a screening test and therapy for families affected by one type of inherited hearing loss.
The discoveries also bring scientists closer to understanding the intricate choreo
Testing pregnant women for gestational diabetes at 16-weeks of pregnancy is a more efficient way to screen for the disease than the current method of screening women during their third trimester, said Gerard Nahum, M.D., an associate clinical professor at Duke University Medical Center’s department of obstetrics and gynecology.
The earlier tests, Nahum said, allow women at highest risk for gestational diabetes to be identified and treated earlier, possibly heading off complications in both
HIV selectively inserts itself into active areas of a host cell’s genome, Salk Institute researchers have found for the first time. The fact that the virus hooks itself up to areas of the cell’s genome that are busy expressing themselves may help explain why HIV can replicate, or reproduce itself, so rapidly. The findings are being published as the cover article in the Friday, August 23, issue of the journal Cell.
“HIV seems to be targeting not just genes, but active genes,” said
A researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine is discovering how a gene known as E1A, found in a virus responsible for the common cold, renders tumor cells vulnerable to destruction.
“By explaining how E1A works, we hope to develop novel strategies to make human immunological defenses against tumors, as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, more effective in combating cancer,” said Dr. James Cook, chief of infectious diseases and a member of the UIC Cancer
Carbohydrate activates body’s defenses, causing inflammation
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) have shown that certain types of naturally occurring carbohydrates in the body may cause rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating, painful disease affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
Although there have been promising advances in treating the symptoms of arthritis, the exact causes of arthritic inflammation, swe
A new study by scientists at The Wistar Institute links the genes responsible for neurofibromatosis, a common neurological disorder, to a protein thought to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease.
In establishing a connection between the two diseases, the research opens new lines of thinking for investigators studying both diseases, while also providing basic biological insights into vital cellular processes. A report on the study was published electronically on August 20 in the Journal of
Daily consumption of whole grains has been associated in a number of studies with reductions in risk for ischemic stroke, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes. The cereal fiber found in whole grains slows digestion, producing a greater feeling of fullness and helping to prevent obesity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. In a long-term study of male health professionals published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Fung et al. found that men who ate several servings of whole
Milk is an essential source of minerals, vitamins, energy, and protein in children. The reasons young children avoid drinking cow milk include lactose intolerance or a parent’s lifestyle choice. A recent study published by Black et al. in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared New Zealand children who were long-term “milk avoiders” with children who habitually drank milk, by evaluating the daily calcium intake, bone mineral content, bone size, stature, and skeletal size of both grou
Placing These Cells in Injectable Hydrogel May Provide New Way to Repair Joints
Johns Hopkins University researchers have caused stem cells from adult goats to grow into tissue that resembles cartilage, a key step toward creating a minimally invasive procedure that may one day be used to repair injured knees, noses and other body parts.
In this method, doctors would inject a fluid filled with stem cells and nutrients into damaged tissue, then use light to harden the liquid i
Revolutionary surgery in womb transplants may give hope to patients with fertility problems. Infertility is an increasing problem in the western world and it is estimated that around 15% of all couples are infertile. Most causes of infertility are today treatable by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and sperm injection (ICSI), but infertility due to a hysterectomy or womb (ie uterus) malformation is not treatable. Uterine infertility can be caused by injury, congenital conditions, or hysterectomy. Even th
A compound found in many foods and drinks could form the basis for new drugs to defeat cancer and heart disease, scientists at UCL claimed today.
Professor Peter Shepherd and his team believe that caffeine and theophylline- compounds commonly found in cola beverages, coffee, tea and chocolate – block the operation of a key enzyme linked to a wide range of cell functions. This suggests these compounds would block cell growth and also blood clotting. The teams work may also explain the anti-in
Researchers in the Netherlands have found that the herbal dietary supplement St. John’s wort interferes with the metabolism–and potentially the effectiveness of–the chemotherapy drug irinotecan. Their findings appear in the August 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
St. John’s wort ( Hypericum perforatum L.) is widely used to treat mild to moderate forms of depression. Past studies have suggested that the compound increases levels of CYP3A4, an enzyme
Ginkgo biloba has no beneficial effect on memory and related mental functions of healthy older adults when taken following manufacturer’s instructions, according to a study in the Aug. 21st issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association conducted by researchers at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. and The Memory Clinic in Bennington, Vt.
The study was designed and conducted by the paper’s lead author, Paul R. Solomon, Ph.D., professor of psychology and found
Internet websites promoting `alternative` cures for cancer can seriously harm patients who follow their advice . And some are downright dangerous – according to an editorial published today in the British Journal of Cancer. A survey of 13 sites relating to alternative or complementary medicine and cancer found that patients were not only discouraged from using conventional cancer therapies but were not informed about alternative remedies that have been shown to be ineffective. The w
Researchers are developing a marijuana-derived synthetic compound to relieve pain and inflammation without the mood-altering side effects associated with other marijuana based drugs.
They say the compound could improve treatment of a variety of conditions, inctluding chronic pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Their findings were presented at the 224th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
The compound, called ajulemic
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