The scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. Also called pathobiology.
Penn study demonstrates new way to boost immune memory — Cancer vaccine efficacy enhanced using anti-diabetic drug metformin. – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers have found that a common anti-diabetic drug might enhance the effectiveness of vaccines. The findings are described this week in an advanced online publication of Nature.
Researchers find breast cancer gene that’s blocked by blood pressure drug. Gene overexpressed in up to 20 percent of breast cancers responds to blood pressure drug in lab, U-M researchers report. – Researchers have identified a gene that is overexpressed in up to 20 percent of breast cancers and that could be blocked in the lab by a currently available blood pressure drug, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
History of hyperactivity off-base, says researcher. Educators do children and parents a disservice by claiming Mozart and others had ADHD. – A Canadian researcher working in the U.K. says doctors, authors and educators are doing hyperactive children a disservice by claiming that hyperactivity as we understand it today has always existed.
Study indicates that a common virus could cause high blood pressure – Cytomegalovirus affects majority of adults worldwide. – A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Suit charges that Myriad Genetics BRCA1 and BRCA2 patents interfere with the free flow of information and knowledge in violation of the First Amendment and that human genes are ‘products of nature’ that cannot be patented. – The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) announced that it is working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation to bring a lawsuit charging that patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer are unconstitutional and should be invalidated.
Caffeine appears to be beneficial in males?but not females?with Lou Gehrig?s Disease – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease that damages key neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The disease causes progressive paralysis of voluntary muscles and often death within five years of symptoms.
New alternative to biopsy detects subtle changes in cancer cells, Stanford study shows. – A drop of blood or a chunk of tissue smaller than the period at the end of this sentence may one day be all that is necessary to diagnose cancers and assess their response to treatment, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Research led by Professor Mark Pepys FRS has identified a protein known as serum amyloid P component (SAP) as a possible therapeutic target in Alzheimer?s disease. – New therapeutic approaches in Alzheimer’s disease are urgently needed. Work led by Professor Mark Pepys FRS over more than 20 years has identified a protein known as serum amyloid P component (SAP) as a possible therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease.
Meningitis bacteria dress up as human cells to evade our immune system – The way in which bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis mimic human cells to evade the body’s innate immune system has been revealed by researchers at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.
Newly discovered gene could be a prime target in the most lethal brain cancer – Scientists at Duke University Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University have discovered mutations in two genes that could become therapeutic targets in malignant glioma, a dangerous class of brain tumors.
One in eight women in the United States will receive a diagnosis of breast cancer in their lifetime, and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Now a new test will help physicians determine the best possible treatment for each patient. – A set of 50 genes can be used to reliably identify the four known types of breast cancer, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions.
OHSU researchers find regular MRI, CT, radiography scans unnecessary unless a significant underlying condition is first identified. – Physicians should not immediately order routine scans for low-back pain unless they observe features of a serious underlying condition, researchers in the Oregon Evidence-Based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University report.
