For the first time in humans, scientists have found early indicators of inflammation ? potential warning signs ? in work-related injuries caused by repetitive motion. Their findings could someday lead to early detection and prevention of debilitating conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis.
A study published this week in the scientific journal PNAS provides new information on the origin of different cells in the cerebellum, an important component of the central nervous system found in all vertebrates, including humans, and the part of the brain that controls movement.
Brain activity has been compared to a light bulb turning on in the head. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have reversed this notion, creating a drug that stops brain activity when a light shines on it.
Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and arthritis are among a variety of autoimmune diseases that are aggravated when one type of white blood cell, called the immune regulatory cell, malfunctions. In humans, one cause of this malfunction is when a mutation in the FOXP3 gene disables the immune cells? ability to function.
High-temperature superconductors hold the key to a handheld tool for surgeons that promises to be more accurate, cost-effective and safer than existing methods for staging and treating various cancers, including breast cancer.
The response of tumors to anticancer drugs has been observed in real-time 3-D images using technology developed at Purdue University. The new digital holographic imaging system uses a laser and the same microchip used in household digital cameras, to see inside tumor cells. The device also may have applications in drug development and medical imaging.
The case for low-carbohydrate diets is gaining weight. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have completed the largest and longest-ever comparison of four popular diets, and the lowest-carbohydrate Atkins diet came out on top.
Across the country, states are embroiled in a debate over “specialty hospitals” ? physician-owned hospitals that focus on a single disease process such as heart care or orthopedics. The debate has intensified ever since a federal government moratorium on opening new specialty hospitals expired last year.
A Georgia Tech researcher has discovered that for tasks involving spatial processing, preparing for the task and performing it are not two separate brain processes, but one — at least when there are a small number of actions to choose from.
A new series of training courses aimed at helping physicians better diagnose osteoporosis has been launched by IOF ? International Osteoporosis Foundation.