Study identifies 53 approved drugs that may block Ebola infection — Compounds may keep virus from entering cells; may accelerate drug development – Researchers found 53 existing drugs that may keep the Ebola virus from entering human cells, a key step in the process of infection. Among the better known drug types shown to hinder infection by an Ebola virus model: several cancer drugs, antihistamines and antibiotics.
ReWalk: First and Only Exoskeleton Cleared by FDA — FDA allows marketing of first wearable, motorized device that helps people with certain spinal cord injuries to walk – Exoskeleton leader ReWalk Robotics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the company’s ReWalk Personal System for use at home and in the community.
Breathalyzer Test May Detect Deadliest Cancer — Researchers from TAU and partner institutions develop groundbreaking device that spots lung cancer – to stop it in its tracks – A new device developed by a team of Israeli, American, and British cancer researchers may turn the tide by both accurately detecting lung cancer and identifying its stage of progression.
How a versatile gut bacterium helps us get our daily dietary fiber – A common gut bacterium – Bacteroides ovatus – helps us metabolize a main component of dietary fibre xyloglucan from the cell walls of fruits and vegetables, revealed by researchers from University of British Columbia in the journal Nature.
Ludwig Cancer Research bestows half a billion in new funding to six eminent U.S. research institutions – Cancer research in the U.S. got a critical boost today as the six Ludwig Centers received a total of $540 million as part of a gift from Ludwig Cancer Research, on behalf of its founder, Daniel K. Ludwig.
The Secret to Fewer Doctor Office Visits after 70 – Play High School Sports – Seventy year olds who don’t frequently visit the doctor have something unexpected in common – most played high school sports. They were active on a team over 50 years ago and are more likely to be active into their late 70s.
Nicotine exploits COPI to foster addiction – A study in The Journal of General Physiology helps explain how nicotine exploits the body’s cellular machinery to promote addiction. The findings could lead to new therapies to help people quit smoking.
Clinical Trial Shows Tongue-Controlled Wheelchair Outperforms Popular Wheelchair Navigation System – A new study shows that the wireless and wearable Tongue Drive System outperforms sip-and-puff in controlling wheelchairs. In the study, individuals with paralysis were able to use a tongue-controlled technology to access computers and execute commands for their wheelchairs at speeds that were significantly faster than those recorded in sip-and-puff wheelchairs, but with equal accuracy.
Meat, egg and dairy nutrient essential for brain development — Deficiency of asparagine synthetase caused by rare genetic disorder affects brain development – Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development.
Gene-silencing study finds new targets for Parkinson’s disease — NIH study sheds light on treatment of related disorders – Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to reveal dozens of genes which may represent new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson’s disease. The findings also may be relevant to several diseases caused by damage to mitochondria, the biological power plants found in cells throughout the body.
