Brain :: Reading Shakespeare has dramatic effect on human brain
Research at the University of Liverpool has found that Shakespearean language excites positive brain activity, adding further drama to the bard’s plays and poetry
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Cancer :: Run amok enzyme causes same problems in both humans and fruit flies
An enzyme found at elevated levels in several human cancers has been linked to abnormal tumor growth in fruit flies, a discovery that provides a new model for understanding the link between stem cell biology and cancer, according to researchers at the University of Oregon.
Steering toward the much-discussed lab-on-a-chip
Scientists are reporting discovery of technology that may simplify construction of those much-discussed Micro Total Analysis Systems (micro-TASs) ? “labs-on-a-chip” with whole medical and scientific laboratories shrunk to the size of computer chips.
Grant :: Health Care Disparities Grant $300,000
The UCLA Department of Family Medicine, under the direction of Principal Investigator Michael A. Rodriguez, MD, MPH, is receiving a two-year, $300,000 grant from Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change, a National Program Office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) housed at the University of Chicago that evaluates interventions aimed at eliminating racial and ethnic health care disparities in local communities.
Technology :: SDSC Triples Speed of BlueGene Data Supercomputer
Like movie makers who dazzle audiences with virtual imagery created with supercomputers, scientists rely on massive computational power to build digital worlds that simulate major earthquakes to help design better buildings, predict the path of plumes from smokestacks, and even recreate the birth of stars.
Meth :: Meth’s Effects on Children, Families and the Foster Care System
Vanderbilt University encourages active journalists to apply to attend its 2007 media fellowship, ?Meth Rescue: Meth?s Effects on Children, Families and the Foster Care System,? April 24-27, 2007, in Nashville, Tenn.
Heart Failure :: MYO-VAD – Promise for Treatment of Heart Failure
Biophan Technologies, Inc., a developer of next-generation medical technology, in conjunction with MYOTECH, LLC, recently presented results of animal studies that indicate the potential of the MYO-VAD, a cardiac support system to significantly improve the treatment of heart failure. The MYO-VAD restores cardiac output on an arrested or weak heart. The device can be implanted in approximately three minutes.
Pregnancy :: Noninvasive diagnostic test for serious infections in pregnancy
Scientists have discovered the basis for a noninvasive test to diagnose common infections in pregnant women that are a major cause of premature births and infant deaths. The University of Washington?s Michael G. Gravett and colleagues are reporting identification of protein biomarkers for these hard-to-diagnose infections of the amniotic fluid, which surrounds the fetus prior to birth.
HIV :: Effective HIV control may depend on viral protein targeted by immune cells
An effective response of the immune system’s “killer” T cells against infection with HIV may depend on exactly which viral protein is targeted, according to an international group of researchers. A new study finds that HIV-infected individuals in whom virus-specific CD8 T cells are targeted against the Gag protein have lower viral levels than do those with CD8 responses directed against other viral proteins.
Alcoholism :: Brains can recover from alcoholic damage but patients stop drinking soon
As people embark on the festive season’s usual round of drinking they should spare a thought for the damage they are doing to their brains. In particular, new research has revealed that while the brain is able to recover from some of the damage caused by alcohol abuse, the longer alcoholics postpone sobriety the less likely their brains may be to regenerate.