A multi-centre research team from the UK and the USA has discovered the first method to deliver medication directly into the encysted stage of the infectious parasites that cause toxoplasmosis and a novel target for medicines in the parasite. It has major implications for the way that we treat this devastating disease as it could lead to new medications and approaches to better tackle it. The study will be published online on November 17 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

UCLA study looks at quality of life of younger women after breast cancer

Very young women diagnosed with breast cancer may be more likely to have persisting physical and psychological problems years after cancer, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center.

In a survey of nearly 600 women who were all age 50 or younger when they first were diagnosed with breast cancer, researchers found that the majority of women report they have a good quali

STICH trial enrolling patients at 90 leading centers around the world

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is the only Chicago-area hospital participating in a National Institutes of Health sponsored research study to find a definitive answer to whether medical therapy or surgery is the better option for treating congestive heart failure. In addition, the study will compare coronary artery bypass surgery alone to bypass surgery plus a new procedure called surgical ventricular restorat

Three mutations in genes associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) are described by researchers in the November issue of The Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder often affecting the elderly and characterized by gradual loss of memory and cognitive decline, according to the article. AD is often accompanied by a buildup of certain proteins or plaques in the brain. Since 1991, the results of genetic studies

A thin, plastic “sling” surgically placed under the skin beneath the skin and jaws helps reduce the saggy appearance of the neck that results from aging, according to an article in the November/December issue of The Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to the article, aging is often accompanied by changes in the face and neck, including loss of elasticity in the skin and an increase in the amount of fat in the neck, causing it to sag. Part of the

There is a new reason to enjoy hot cocoa on a cold winter’s night in front of a cozy fire. Consider it a health drink.

Beyond the froth, cocoa teems with antioxidants that prevent cancer, Cornell University food scientists say. Comparing the chemical anti-cancer activity in beverages known to contain antioxidants, they have found that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea.

Their finding will be published Dec.

Caenorhabditis elegans, a 1-mm soil-dwelling roundworm with 959 cells, may be the best-understood multicellular organism on the planet. As the most “pared-down” animal that shares essential features of human biology—from embryogenesis to aging—C. elegans is a favorite subject for studying how genes control these processes. The way these genes work in worms helps scientists understand how diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s develop in humans when genes malfunction. With the publication of a genome s

The tropical mantis shrimp has the most sophisticated eyes of any creature on the planet, yet it often lives at murky depths where the only light is a filtered, dim blue. Why does it need such complex vision?

Marine biologists and physiologists have now discovered at least one use for these eyes in the deep, blue ocean: to see the fluorescent markings mantis shrimp use to signal or threaten one another.

The shrimps’ characteristic spots are easy to see in shallow water but o

East African naked mole-rats, the only known cold-blooded mammal, have shown a rather heated response in lab tests that may have important implications for treating chronic pain in humans.

The blind, furless creatures that live underground in colonies lack a body chemical called Substance P, a neurotransmitter normally in the skin that sends pain signals to the central nervous system. The rats feel no immediate pain when cut, scraped or subjected to heat stimuli. They only feel some aches.

Brazilian scientists claim to have restored feeling to patients paralysed for two years or more, reports Marina Murphy in this issue of Chemistry & Industry Magazine.

The report previews research carried out at the University of San Paulo, Brazil. Scientists lead by Tarciscio Barros at the University’s School of Medicine harvested stem cells from the blood of 30 patients with spinal cord injury and reintroduced them via injection into the artery supplying the damaged area. After a few month

The system developed by the Moscow scientists with the financial assistance of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises will instantly allow to detect and measure gas micro-bubbles being formed in blood inside the pump oxygenator. A small device which looks like some kind of a bracelet on the arterial line of the pump oxygenator and is connected to the computer will be recording all bubbles, searching for potentially dangerous ones an

Reduction of agitation leads to less stress for caregiver; better care for patient

Results from a Phase II, multi-center study found dronabinol, a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana, reduces agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the research concluded that reduced agitation may contribute to the relief of caregiver burden associated with the condition. The findings were presented at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists’ 3

Curing human diseases using gene transfer into human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) remains a promising avenue for development. In the November 14 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, two independent studies – the first by Stanton Gerson and colleagues at Case Western University and the second by Hans-Peter Kiem and colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – have accomplished, for the first time, the selection and expansion of gene-corrected HSCs from large animals (dogs a

With an estimated 170 million people around the world already infected with hepatitis C, Saint Louis University is testing, for the first time in humans, an investigational vaccine that researchers hope will prevent infection with the virus. The successful development of such a vaccine would represent a major step in combating this growing health problem.

Saint Louis University is the only site in the country conducting this pilot study.

“There is currently no licensed vaccine to

Proteomic signature for ALS identified

Detection of protein abnormalities in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may allow physicians to more rapidly diagnose and better monitor drug efficacy in clinical trials for the disease, according to a novel study presented by a University of Pittsburgh researcher in Milan, Italy, today.

These findings may lead to the first test for early stage ALS, also know as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Primping and passing time with peers may serve a serious purpose, suggests a new study by a UCLA-led team of primate researchers.

The more time wild female baboons spend in the company of other adult baboons, particularly while occupied with grooming activities, the more likely their offspring are to live until their first birthday, the team reports in the Nov. 14 issue of Science.

“Until now, social scientists assumed that because females invest a lot in social relationships, the