Human neurons grown as cells cloned from a tumor helped restore the function of severely injured spinal cords in rats, University of South Florida researchers say in a study released this week in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
“Transplants of these specially treated cells were used to patch a short circuit in the spinal cord of rats,” said Samuel Saporta, PhD, associate director of the USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair, professor of anatomy and lead author of the study. “We demonstr
A research letter in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggests that night-time illumination could help prevent the onset of diabetic retinopathy, a condition which can result in severe visual impairment in people with diabetes.
People with diabetes generally have impaired blood capillary function, which reduces oxygen uptake to body tissue, including the retina. It has been suggested that retinal damage associated with diabetes (diabetic retinopathy) might be initiated by oxygen deprivation t
Tritherapies using antiretroviral drugs have proved their worth in industrialized countries in the fight against Aids. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 70 % of people infected with HIV live, access to such treatments is extremely limited. High cost, complicated procedures, combined with inadequate infrastructures for following up patients or capable of delivering medicines regularly partly explain this situation. Moreover, efficacy of antiretroviral agents might not be the same for some HIV stra
Study finds statistical evidence that animal-assisted therapy reduces loneliness in LTC residents
Animal-assisted therapy can effectively reduce the loneliness of residents in long-term care facilities, according to a study by Marian R. Banks of the VA Medical Center in St. Louis and William A. Banks of St. Louis University School of Medicine, Missouri.
The doctors noted that although animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is claimed to have a variety of benefits, until now almost al
Weizmann Institute scientists have uncovered a key mechanism that enables stem cells to exit the bone marrow into the blood circulation of healthy donors, as well as patients suffering from leukemia, other malignancies and blood disorders. Published in the current July issue of Nature Immunology, the findings may lead to more efficient clinical stem cell transplantations.
Bone marrow transplantation is a last-resort treatment that saves the lives of many patients with cancer and inherited b
Findings important in developing new drugs to treat inflammatory vascular diseases
An enzyme that stimulates the production of chlorine bleach in cells to kill bacteria and other invading pathogens also turns off a signal that regulates blood vessel dilation during inflammation, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center have found.
The research — conducted in collaboration with scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, UCLA and the Unive
Further study may help make biomedical devices safer and explain urinary tract infections
Researchers at the University of Washington have learned that something most people take for granted is not true: that the force of fluids within the human body helps to break the adhesive bonds of invasive bacteria and counterbalance infection.
Most scientists as well as lay people assume, for example, that a sneeze helps clear infection, or that urine helps to clear bacteria from the
Almost half of the first top 10 websites displayed by leading search engines on vaccination are emotive “anti” sites, finds a study in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Many masquerade as official scientific sites, making it easier for users to be misinformed, say the authors.
The researchers keyed in the terms “vaccination” and “immunis(z)ation” into seven leading search engines: Google; Netscape; Altavista; GoTo; HotBot; Lycos; and Yahoo. They then used just the term “vaccination,” for
High levels of personal hygiene increase the risk of eczema and asthma, shows a study of almost 11000 infants in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
The research focused on participants in a long-term study of parents and children (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children). Parents were surveyed about their children’s wheezy and eczema symptoms up to the age of 6 months, and then between 30 and 42 months.
A simple hygiene score was derived on the frequency of hand-washing
It’s no coincidence that the process of turning animal skins into leather is called tanning. When people tan, UV radiation from the sun breaks down protein in our skin cells and causes, over time, wrinkles and leathery-looking skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), most sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. With major summer “beach time” remaining, here’s some information from the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, on how consumers can prote
Based on a review of research in postmenopausal women and monkeys, Thomas B. Clarkson, D.V.M., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, believes that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has a beneficial role in slowing heart vessel disease after menopause. Clarkson addressed the Third World Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility in Washington, D.C. this weekend.
“Mounting evidence points to the conclusion that HRT can help prevent heart vessel disease – if
If grandma gets a bedsore, the best thing to put on it might be a plant that’s been used for 5,000 years.
The mysterious Aloe vera has been a source for healing since Old Testament times, and a Texas A&M University researcher is trying to uncover just what the substances are in the plant that work wonders and how they do it so that more might be learned about treating wounds.
Dr. Ian Tizard, a professor of immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is studying a spe
Highly promising results from clinical trials indicate that alpha-emitting radioisotopes can kill cancer cells. The Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum presented this innovative therapy during a recent workshop in Heidelberg. Alpha-immunotherapy should develop into an effective treatment over the next few years and provide new methods of healing for patients. How does the cancer-killing mechanism work? A cancer-cell selective vehicle, (e.g. a monocolonal anti
A new study published in BMC Public Health shows that breathing in second-hand smoke significantly increases the risk of developing heart problems in non-smokers. These findings have serious consequences for public health giving weight to calls for smoking to be banned in public places.
In 1995 cardiovascular diseases accounted for nearly 15 million deaths, approximately 30% of deaths worldwide. Smokers are becoming increasingly aware of the links between smoking and heart disease as warning
p> Salmonella enterica causes approximately 16 million cases of typhoid fever worldwide, killing around 500,000 per year. One in thirty of the survivors, however, become carriers, such as Typhoid Mary who caused several typhoid outbreaks in New York City at the beginning of the last century. In carriers the bacteria remain hidden inside cells and the gall bladder, causing new infections as they are shed from an apparently healthy host.
The factors that enable the bacteria to establish ch
Physical fitness may have an anti-inflammatory effect that protects against heart attacks, according to a report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In a recent study, researchers compared the level of physical fitness in 135 women from three ethnic groups to their levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP level indicates inflammation.
Elevated CRP is associated with a two- to five-fold increase in the risk of heart attack. T
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