Medicine | Page 246 of 378 | SpiritIndia.com

Gene :: How blood flow dictates gene expression

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have pinpointed a key regulatory protein that translates blood flow into gene expression. The investigators showed that in a model of mouse embryonic development a transcription factor called Klf2, which resides in cells that line blood vessels, is activated by rapid, pulsed blood flow. Understanding Klf2’s role in blood vessel and muscle biology could help with fighting atherosclerosis.

Restless Legs Syndrome :: Requip, ropinirole treatment for restless legs syndrome

Newly approved medications for restless leg syndrome may only be effective for a time, suggest movement disorder neurologists from the University of Rochester Medical Center. If taken too long, in some cases the drugs can actually backfire, causing symptoms to worsen. Rochester specials suggest that treatment that rotates through different types of medications may be needed for many patients.

Surgery :: Snake-like robot and steady-hand system could assist surgeons

Engineers are designing new high-tech medical tools to equip the operating room of the future, in an effort to help doctors treat patients more safely and effectively and allow them to perform surgical tasks that are nearly impossible today.

Urinary Tract Infection :: Treatments for urinary infections leave bacteria bald, happy and vulnerable

A different approach to treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) could defeat the bacteria that cause the infections without directly killing them, a strategy that could help slow the growth of antibiotic-resistant infections. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been working to create pharmaceuticals that essentially “defang” the bacteria by preventing them from assembling pili, microscopic hairs that enable the bacteria to invade host cells.

Dementia :: Non-drug treatments for dementia show promise

Memory training and other non-drug treatments may one day help older adults ward off declines in mental function, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in an editorial in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Brain :: Deal or no deal – Need for immediate reward linked to more active brain region

How people might play the popular game show — whether they’d accept an offer for quick cash or hold out for the chance to win $1 million — probably has less to do with what?s inside each briefcase than what’s inside each contestant’s brain, suggests a study. While researchers didn’t study players of the game, their research in normal adults provides new insight about reward-based decision making and may have implications for understanding and treating addiction.

Colorectal Cancer :: More patients diagnosed at earlier stage of colon cancer

Since Medicare raised the amount it will reimburse for colon cancer screening in 1998, there has been an increase in use of colonoscopies by Medicare beneficiaries, and a rise in the proportion of patients being diagnosed with colon cancer at an early stage, according to a study in the Dec. 20 issue of JAMA.

Breast Cancer :: Breast cancer stem cells resist radiation treatment

The population of breast cancer cells that gives rise to a tumor may be relatively resistant to radiotherapy and may even increase when given multiple treatments of radiation, a new study shows.

Pancreatic Cancer :: Asthma medicine cromolyn halts pancreatic cancer cell growth

A common asthma drug reduced pancreatic cancer cell growth in laboratory experiments and animal tests, a new study reports.

Brain :: Electrical activity alters language used by nerve cells

University of California, San Diego biologists have shown that the chemical language with which neurons communicate depends on the pattern of electrical activity in the developing nervous system. The findings suggest that modification of nerve activity could have potential as a treatment for a wide range of brain disorders.