Down Syndrome :: Toward a faster prenatal test for Down syndrome
Scientists in California are reporting an advance toward rapid testing for pre-natal detection of Down syndrome and other birth defects that involve an abnormal number of chromosomes.
Laboratory
Multiple Sclerosis :: Waddell Center Experts Conduct Multiple Sclerosis Symposium
Clinicians from the Waddell Center for Multiple Sclerosis will conduct MS Symposium 2007: Education, Support and Solutions, a free event for patients, caregivers and health care providers, on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Oasis Conference Center in Loveland. The Waddell Center is an affiliate of UC Physicians and the Neuroscience Institute at University Hospital and the University of Cincinnati (UC).
Stem Cell :: Stem cells from testes produce wide range of tissue types
After a decade of research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have succeeded in reprogramming adult stem cells from the testes of male mice into functional blood vessels and contractile cardiac tissue. The research offers a promising new source of stem cells for use in organ regeneration studies.
Tuberculosis :: $280 m grants to fight tuberculosis epidemic – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced grants totaling $280 million to help fight tuberculosis, an epidemic that infects one-third of people on earth and kills nearly 2 million yearly—mostly in the poorest countries.
Health :: UT Southwestern earns $34M NIH grant to foster patient-oriented research
UT Southwestern Medical Center will receive $34 million from the National Institutes of Health to lead a wide-ranging collaborative initiative aimed at speeding the transfer of laboratory discoveries to new therapies that improve human health.
Bird Flu :: China to cull 10000 poultry against bird flu outbreak
The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou will cull another 10,000 domestic fowls, following the outbreak of the deadly H5N1-type bird flu among ducks, local officials said today.
Genetic :: FDA Clears Genetic Lab Test for Warfarin Sensitivity
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing a new genetic test that will help physicians assess whether a patient may be especially sensitive to the blood-thinning drug warfarin (Coumadin), which is used to prevent potentially fatal clots in blood vessels.
Brain :: Scientists identify fundamental brain defect, probable drug target in fragile X syndrome
Scientists have discovered how the gene mutation responsible for fragile X syndrome — the most common inherited form of mental retardation — alters the way brain cells communicate. In neurons cultured from laboratory rats, the scientists also were able to reverse the effects of the mutation using a drug targeted to the specific site in an upstream pathway of the defect. The finding could lead to the development of human therapies for this previously untreatable condition.
Sperm :: New cell death pathway involved in sperm development
New research from Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute uncovers a new pathway that regulates caspase activity in Drosophila sperm, a finding that may provide new opportunities to develop drugs that can alter cell death for therapeutic purposes.
Gene :: Gene determines whether male body odor smells pleasant
To many, urine smells like urine and vanilla smells like vanilla. But androstenone, a derivative of testosterone that is a potent ingredient in male body odor, can smell like either – depending on your genes. While many people perceive a foul odor from androstenone, usually that of stale urine or strong sweat, others find the scent sweet and pleasant. Still others cannot smell it at all.