Latest advances in medical research thread

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Study reveals new insights into how asthma 'pathways' could be blocked

Researchers from the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Genentech, have discovered new insights into ...

Synthetic DNA vaccine against MERS induces immunity in animal study

A novel synthetic DNA vaccine can, for the first time, induce protective immunity against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in animal species, reported researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine ...

 

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First almost fully-formed human brain grown in lab, researchers claim

An almost fully-formed human brain has been grown in a lab for the first time, claim scientists from Ohio State University. The team behind the feat hope the brain could transform our understanding of neurological disease.
Though not conscious the miniature brain, which resembles that of a five-week-old foetus, could potentially be useful for scientists who want to study the progression of developmental diseases. It could also be used to test drugs for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, since the regions they affect are in place during an early stage of brain development.
The brain, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, is engineered from adult human skin cells and is the most complete human brain model yet developed, claimed Rene Anand of Ohio State University, Columbus, who presented the work today at the Military Health System Research Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

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A metabolic master switch underlying human obesity

Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century. Affecting more than 500 million people worldwide, obesity costs at least $200 billion each year in the United States alone, and contributes to potentially ...

 

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Working longer hours increases stroke risk, major study finds
Working longer hours increases stroke risk, major study finds

Danger highlighted by research suggesting those working a 55-hour week face 33% increased risk of stroke than those working a 35- to 40-hour week

The likely toll of long working hours is revealed in a major new study which shows that employees still at their desks into the evening run an increased risk of stroke – and the longer the hours they put in, the higher the risk.

The largest study conducted on the issue, carried out in three continents and led by scientists at University College London, found that those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 33% increased risk of stroke compared with those who work a 35- to 40-hour week. They also have a 13% increased risk of coronary heart disease.

 

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Remember how it took our fastest supercomputers about 12 years to complete the Human Genome Project? Yeah, about that... like, all that...


Supercomputer Force Knocks Full Human Genome Assembly to Under 9 Minutes

A team from the Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and researchers from UC Berkeley have used 15,000 cores on the Cray XC30 “Edison” supercomputer to boost the complete assembly of the human genome, bringing the time down to 8.4 minutes.
The work represents how the coupling of high-powered computational capacity, matched with novel approaches to complex code parallelization, can significantly speed large-scale scientific research. For genomics, this speedup marks a dramatic improvement in what was possible before for using de novo assemblers to rebuild a genome from a selection of short reads. For instance, on the same machine, the unmodified Meraculous code took 23.8 hours. For the far more complex wheat genome, full assembly has been difficult for most standard de novo assemblers. The team used their HipMer approach to scale wheat genome assembly across 15,000 cores in just under 40 minutes.
The team says that while the de novo approach has “inherent advantages of discovering variations that may remain undetected when aligning sequence data to a reference genome, unfortunately, de novo assembly computational runtimes cannot up with the data generation of modern sequencers.”

 

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New drug protects against the deadly effects of nuclear radiation 24 hours after exposure

An interdisciplinary research team led by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reports a new breakthrough in countering the deadly effects of radiation exposure. A single injection of a regenerative peptide ...

 

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Marijuana Kills Cancer Says US National Cancer Institute

Cannabis kills cancer, the National Cancer Institute admits.

The institute recently updated its ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page about marijuana to include various studies revealing how cannabis “may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow” while also protecting normal, healthy cells.

 

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Generic heart medication shown to prolong ovarian cancer patients' survival
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers demonstrate a benefit in overall survival among epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients receiving generic heart medications known as beta-blockers. Survival was shown to be greatest ...

 

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Universal flu vaccine is near and could potentially save billions of dollars each year and thousands of lives

Researchers say they are closer to developing a vaccine to give life-long protection against any type of flu, after promising trials in animals. Two separate US teams have found success with an approach that homes in on a stable part of the flu virus. That should remove the problem with current flu vaccines which must be given anew each...

 

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Artificial nerves created in the lab

Researchers create linkages of polymer nanotubes resembling nerves that can gather and send electrical impulses; may serve as future interfaces between nerves and prosthetic devices

Using a succession of biological mechanisms, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have created linkages of polymer nanotubes that resemble the structure of a nerve, with many out-thrust filaments poised to gather or send electrical impulses.

"This is the first demonstration of naturally occurring proteins assembling chemically created polymers into complex structures that modern machinery can't duplicate," said Sandia National Laboratories researcher George Bachand.
Sandia co-researcher Wally Paxton said, "This is foundational science, but one possibility we see, way down the road, is to use soft artificial structures like these to painlessly interface with the body's nerve structures."
Currently, rigid electrodes that cause inflammation are used to penetrate nerve tissue trying to communicate with an artificial limb, he explained. Instead, in a future application, the polymer network could be used extend the nerve, providing a gentler prosthetic interface.

 

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Scientists find way to 'turn off cancer' by reverting cancerous cells to benign tissue

Scientists believe they may have found a way to "turn off cancer" by reverting cancerous cells to healthy tissue.

Researchers at the US Mayo Clinic demonstrated a method to turn cancerous breast and bladder cells benign, according to their study published in the Nature Cell Biology. The study, which although in its early stages has been hailed by cancer charities as “crucial”, works by focusing on the PLEKHA7 protein that clumps healthy cells together. Led by Panos Anastasiadis, researchers found that when the usual sequence of cell regulation is disrupted, cancerous cells quickly occur and multiply out of control, but by adding mircoRNAs molecules scientists were able to prevent cancer.

 

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Researchers find pathway that controls metabolism and will try to use it to cure obesity

Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century. Affecting more than 500 million people worldwide, obesity costs at least $200 billion each year in the United States alone, and contributes to potentially fatal disorders such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. But there may now be a new approach...
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New tech lets the paralyzed speak via "breath signals"
By Ben Coxworth - August 28, 2015

We've seen a number of technologies that speak on behalf of paralyzed people who are unable to do so. While some of these utilize cues as subtle as eye movements, the fact is that many severely paralyzed patients are unable to manage even those. That's why researchers at Britain's Loughborough University have created a system that speaks words based on the user's breathing.

 

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Speech-classifier program is better at predicting psychosis than psychiatrists

100% accurate

An automated speech analysis program correctly differentiated between at-risk young people who developed psychosis over a later two-and-a-half year period and those who did not.
In a proof-of-principle study, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center found that the computerized analysis provided a more accurate classification than clinical ratings. The study was published Wednesday Aug. 26 in an open-access paper in NPJ-Schizophrenia.
About one percent of the population between the ages of 14 and 27 is considered to be at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. CHR individuals have symptoms such as unusual or tangential thinking, perceptual changes, and suspiciousness. About 20% will go on to experience a full-blown psychotic episode. Identifying who falls in that 20% category before psychosis occurs has been an elusive goal. Early identification could lead to intervention and support that could delay, mitigate or even prevent the onset of serious mental illness.

 

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Research team develops quick way to determine bacteria's antibiotic resistance
Bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics is a growing issue in health care: Resistant strains result in prolonged illnesses and higher mortality rates.

 

[irosie91]

Research team develops quick way to determine bacteria's antibiotic resistance
Bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics is a growing issue in health care: Resistant strains result in prolonged illnesses and higher mortality rates.

thanks matthew------keep up the good work----confine your posts to continuing medical education

 

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thank you


Completely paralyzed man steps out in robotic exoskeleton

• Colin Jeffrey
• September 2, 2015
• 5 PICTURES

Working with a team of UCLA scientists, a man with protracted and complete paralysis has recovered sufficient voluntary control to take charge of a bionic exoskeleton and take many thousands of steps. Using a non-invasive spinal stimulation system that requires no surgery, this is claimed to be the first time that a person with such a comprehensive disability has been able to actively and voluntarily walk with such a device.

 

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Could common diabetes drugs help fight leukemia?
Common diabetes drugs might help eradicate drug-resistant cancer cells in a certain form of leukemia when added to standard treatment, a small new study suggests.

 

[irosie91]

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Could common diabetes drugs help fight leukemia?
Common diabetes drugs might help eradicate drug-resistant cancer cells in a certain form of leukemia when added to standard treatment, a small new study suggests.

thanks Mathew-----I am a post actos presently non-practioner---but I am impressed----nonetheless-----sorta -----a little

 

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$100 in supplies can now make tens of thousands CRISPR gene editing units

University of California, Berkeley, researchers have discovered a much cheaper and easier way to target a hot new gene editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, to cut or label DNA. The CRISPR-Cas9 technique, invented three years ago at UC Berkeley, has taken genomics by storm, with its ability to latch on to a very specific sequence of DNA and cut it,...

Think of what we could do with this..Cure cancer, increase intelligence,,,,maybe even change the sex of yourself for our transgender friends.