An implantable pump can help heart-failure patients live and recover strength while they wait for a transplant. But an evaluation concludes that the UK’s National Health Service should continue to restrict the technology’s use — at least for now.
Cancer researchers have found that a gene that is involved in regulating aging also blocks prostate cancer cell growth. They have shown that the enzyme SIRT1 can block the growth of treatment-resistant prostate cancer cells that overexpress a mutation for the androgen receptor. The scientists hope the newly found connection will aid in better understanding the development of prostate cancer and lead to new drugs against the disease.
Scientists now understand how an important protein converts chemical energy to mechanical force, thus powering the process of cell division, thanks to a new structural model by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.
People who experience their first-ever bout of depression after having a heart attack are at greater risk for future heart problems than are patients who either don?t become clinically depressed after the medical emergency or who were depressed even before the incident, new research shows.
Technology developed for roadside fingerprints using hand-held devices — announced in the media this month — has also been pioneered in identifying the dead, it has been revealed.
60 percent of Scottish doctors’ surgeries prescribe homeopathic remedies according to a study of nearly two million patients. Homeopathic prescribing is most prevalent among babies under 12 months and older people aged 81-90. The authors have called for a critical review of prescribing. The paper is published as leading UK scientific institutions voice concerns about changes to homeopathic labelling rules that came in in September 2006.
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers have found that a radical prostatectomy can be a viable option for select octogenarian patients. The findings, which run counter the conventional practice of generally avoiding surgeries for individuals over 80 years old solely based on age, are available today in Urology.
A new study compared a humpback whale brain with brains from several other cetacean species and found the presence of a certain type of neuron cell that is also found in humans. This suggests that certain cetaceans and hominids may have evolved side by side.
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announced the results of the recent competition for support of its three large-scale sequencing centers, strengthening efforts to use the power of DNA sequencing to unlock the genomic secrets of human diseases.
Alcohol can help people initially fall asleep, but leads to poor-quality sleep later in the night. Escalated consumption of alcohol to aid sleep can lead to alcoholism. Inaccurate sleep perceptions among alcoholics in early recovery may predict relapse to drinking.