U of T researchers work with human retinal cells

University of Toronto researchers have shown that human retinal stem cells transplanted into the eyes of mice and chicks can successfully regenerate. The research, published in the Oct. 19 issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, documents the development of transplanted human retinal stem cells into light-sensing photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, the cells which bounce light and ima

Researchers at Jefferson Medical College have found a new way to coax bone marrow stem cells into becoming dopamine-producing neurons. If the method proves reliable, the work may ultimately lead to new therapies for neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, which is marked by a loss of dopamine-making cells in the brain.

Developmental biologist Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., associate director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson Universit

Knowledge could lead to new vaccines and treatments for UTI

Anyone who thinks scientists lead a glamorous, exciting life should talk to Jennifer Snyder, a graduate student at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine. During July of 2003, while all her friends were out enjoying themselves, Snyder spent 10 days trying to get 40 laboratory mice to urinate into little plastic tubes. Snyder’s goal was to extract enough genetic material from mouse urine to determine which of th

Scientists are launching a research study to check the effectiveness of a new type of flu vaccine that is made differently than the conventional vaccine, which is grown in eggs. The experimental vaccine instead relies on a cell line drawn from insects known as silk moths, which are better known for their role as pests attacking crops such as corn, cotton, barley and alfalfa.

The study of FluBlOk, made by Protein Sciences Corp. of Meriden, Ct., was initiated by flu expert John

Babraham Institute and Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that certain enzymes with a key activity in the immune system may be important in stem-cell development, but may also work against us by contributing to the occurrence of cancer.

The usual targets

A family of enzymes known as DNA deaminases beneficially mutates the genetic code of antibodies to improve their ability to recognise foreign bodies. The usual target for the enzymes’ activity is cytosine (C

Beneficial bacteria have fast-tracked evolution to solve some of our pollution problems, according to an article in the November 2004 issue of Microbiology Today, the quarterly magazine of the Society for General Microbiology. Using the same mechanisms that have allowed hospital superbugs to survive in the presence of antibiotics, many bacteria have changed their behaviour and now use our toxic chemicals as a source of food.

Researchers at the University of Wales Bangor have studied the

Malaria vaccine trial

The results of a randomized controlled trial of a malaria vaccine called ME-TRAP are published this month in PLoS Medicine. “This first field efficacy trial was an important milestone in the progression of new recombinant vectored vaccines to deployable products,” says Adrian Hill (University of Oxford, United Kingdom), the senior investigator of the study. “The safety profile was excellent and the efficacy data provide a first indication of the levels of

Drinking regular cuppas could help improve your memory, new research suggests.

Results of laboratory tests by a team from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne found that green and black tea inhibit the activity of certain enzymes in the brain which are associated with memory. The findings, which are published in the academic journal, Phytotherapy Research, may lead to the development of a new treatment for a form of dementia which affects an estimated ten million people worldwi

Many patients with sleep apnea or insomnia also have attention deficit disorder

People who have difficulty sleeping at night or staying awake during the day may suffer from more than just a sleep disorder. According to a new study presented at CHEST 2004, the 70th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the majority of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and/or nonrestorative sleep have a high degree of attention defi

Retina specialists and ophthalmologists are encouraged by promising new scientific approaches that could have the potential to reduce the devastating effects of wet AMD for patients and offer the medical community a new paradigm of care, according to presentations made at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in New Orleans.

Many experts consider AMD, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 50, as a growing public health epidemic. Diagno

Findings of a recent study published in Public Health Nursing suggest that if the main barriers preventing high-risk populations from having routine testing for HIV are addressed, the spread of AIDS could be slowed in the US.

The study, conducted at an urgent care center in Atlanta, GA, interviewed 143 high-risk patients to identify behavioral and psychosocial barriers associated with having repeat and routine aids testing. Women, who had been tested for HIV previously, wer

Three University of Chicago geriatricians just published a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine calling for creative and wide-reaching solutions to the problem of sub-optimal end-of-life care for patients with dementia. An estimated 500,000 people die every year in the United States suffering from Alzheimer’s or related diseases and many of them receive inadequate pain control, are subjected to ineffective and invasive therapies such as tube feedings, and do not receive the ben

The scenarios where radiotherapy can be used for curative (and palliative) treatment of cancer have steadily increased, and radiotherapy now forms a part of the treatment of more than 50% of all cancer patients. However, in many countries, treatment capacity is exceeded and access to treatment is a major problem. This was the conclusion of three leading European radiation oncologists who were jointly presenting their findings at the 23rd Meeting of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology

Women under 35 years of age with breast cancer can have an almost 20% lower risk of their disease recurring if they are treated using a new radiotherapy regime. These were some of the results presented here today (Tuesday 26th October) by Prof Harry Bartelink and his colleagues at the 23rd Meeting of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

The analyses were based on data from the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) 22881 trial with updat

Immediate post-operative radiotherapy following surgery to remove the prostate results in improved progression-free survival for prostate cancer patients, according to the results of a study presented here today (Tuesday 26th October 2004) by Prof Michel Bolla of CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France, at the 23rd Meeting of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but if it is detected early enough by individual (o

The voice laboratory at the University of Navarre University Hospital has designed a novel and efficient protocol to evaluate and rehabilitate the voice of patients who have undergone laryngectomy. This involves a monitoring procedure based on patterns of phonatory flow. The study forms part of the PhD thesis by Dr Francisco Vázquez de la Iglesia. The title of the work is “Physiological Bases of the Pharyngoesophageal Segment. Characterisation of the erigmophonic voice as a function of its acoust