Health & Medicine : Science World Report

Feb 28, 2012 09:40 AM EST

Optogenetic Tool Elucidated

Controlling nerve cells with the aid of light: this is made possible by optogenetics. It enables, for example, the investigation of neurobiological processes with unprecedented spatial and temporal precision.

Feb 28, 2012 09:37 AM EST

Low Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Cause Memory Problems

A diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients commonly found in fish, may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities, according to a study published in the February 28, 2012, print issue of NeurologyÂ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurol...

Feb 28, 2012 09:30 AM EST

New Discoveries on Depression

During depression, the brain becomes less plastic and adaptable, and thus less able to perform certain tasks, like storing memories. Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have now traced the brain's lower plasticity to reduced functionality in its support cells, and bel...

Feb 28, 2012 09:25 AM EST

New Insights into Understanding Brain Performance

People who take Ritalin are far more aware of their mistakes, a University of Melbourne study has found. The study, by Dr Rob Hester from the Department of Psychological Sciences and colleagues at the Queensland Brain Institute, investigated how the brain monitors ongoing behaviour for performanc...

Feb 28, 2012 09:21 AM EST

First International Guidelines For Echocardiographic Diagnosis of Rheumatic Heart Disease

The inaugural international guidelines for the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a disease that affects tens of millions of people worldwide, have today been published by the World Heart Federation in Nature Reviews Cardiology.

Feb 28, 2012 09:04 AM EST

MIT research: Delivering RNA with Tiny Sponge-like Spheres

For the past decade, scientists have been pursuing cancer treatments based on RNA interference â€” a phenomenon that offers a way to shut off malfunctioning genes with short snippets of RNA. However, one huge challenge remains: finding a way to efficiently deliver the RNA.

Feb 27, 2012 08:39 AM EST

How to Rescue the Immune System

In a study published in Nature Medicine, Loyola researchers report on a promising new technique that potentially could turn immune system killer T cells into more effective weapons against infections and possibly cancer.

Feb 27, 2012 08:14 AM EST

Elusive Platelet Count and Limb Development Gene Discovered

Researchers have identified an elusive gene responsible for Thrombocytopenia with Absent Radii (TAR), a rare inherited blood and skeletal disorder. As a result, this research is now being transformed into a medical test that allows prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling in affected families.

Feb 27, 2012 07:50 AM EST

Targeted Drug Helps Leukemia Patients Who Do Not Benefit from Initial Therapy

A new study has found that patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have not responded to interferon treatments experience long-term benefits when they switch to the targeted drug imatinib. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study in...

Feb 27, 2012 07:19 AM EST

Math Can Save Tylenol Overdose Patients

University of Utah mathematicians developed a set of calculus equations to make it easier for doctors to save Tylenol overdose patients by quickly estimating how much painkiller they took, when they consumed it and whether they will require a liver transplant to survive. "It's an opportunity to u...

Feb 25, 2012 08:08 AM EST

Genetic Risk for Elevated Arsenic Toxicity Discovered

One of the first large-scale genomic studies conducted in a developing country has discovered genetic variants that elevate the risk for skin lesions in people chronically exposed to arsenic. Genetic changes found near the enzyme for metabolizing the chemical into a less toxic form can significantly...

Feb 24, 2012 04:45 PM EST

Psychiatry Program Garners National Education Award

An approach to treatment that focuses on recovery from mental illness, not the treatment of it, is gaining national acclaim for the Medical College of Georgia Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Georgia Health Sciences University.