Health News

Fishing for cures: New zebrafish model identifies drugs that kill pediatric cancer cells

A new animal model developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators promises to be less expensive, easier to use and to improve personalized therapies for cancers and potentially other diseases. In their paper published online in Cell, the investigators describe using their immunodeficient zebrafish model to visualize drug responses at single-cell resolution in live animals. […]

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Sugar entering the brain during septic shock causes memory loss: Research gives clear target for drug development and further study into memory loss

The loss of memory and cognitive function known to afflict survivors of septic shock is the result of a sugar that is released into the blood stream and enters the brain during the life-threatening condition. This finding, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explains the premature mental aging that follows […]

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Train your brain, change your brain

Less than one hour of brain training with neurofeedback leads to a strengthening of neural connections and communication among brain areas. This is the main finding of a new study conducted at D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), published today in Neuroimage. According to the authors, the study may pave the way for the […]

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Magnetic nanoparticles can ‘burn’ cancer cells: Magnetic hyperthermia is still a highly experimental cancer treatment, but new research shows that the therapy is tunable

Unfortunately, cancer isn’t simply a single disease, and some types, like pancreas, brain or liver tumours, are still difficult to treat with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery, leading to low survival rates for patients. Thankfully, new therapies are emerging, like therapeutic hyperthermia, which heats tumours by firing nanoparticles into tumour cells. In a new study […]

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Drug takes aim at cancer metastasis

Many cancers are relatively harmless at their site of origin, and it is only when they metastasize to sites like the brain, bones, lungs, and liver that they become especially dangerous. And so, in addition to stopping the growth of cancer at its primary site, an ongoing goal of cancer research is to keep cancer […]

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Engineers aim to pioneer tissue-engineering approach to TMJ disorders: Solutions have been hampered by past failures, proximity of jaw joint to brain

Here’s something to chew on: One in four people are impacted by defects of the temporomandibular — or jaw — joint. Despite the pervasiveness of this affliction, treatments are lacking, and many sufferers resort to palliative measures to cope with the pain and debilitation it causes. “The TMJ is central to chewing, talking and so […]

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New optical imaging system could be deployed to find tiny tumors: Near-infrared technology pinpoints fluorescent probes deep within living tissue; may be used to detect cancer earlier

Many types of cancer could be more easily treated if they were detected at an earlier stage. MIT researchers have now developed an imaging system, named “DOLPHIN,” which could enable them to find tiny tumors, as small as a couple of hundred cells, deep within the body. In a new study, the researchers used their […]

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How a common oral bacteria makes colon cancer more deadly: Findings may help predict aggressive colon cancer and identify new treatment targets

Researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine have determined how F. nucleatum — a common oral bacteria often implicated in tooth decay — accelerates the growth of colon cancer. The study was published online in the journal EMBO Reports. Why it matters The findings could make it easier to identify and treat more […]

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Looking behind a rare brain disease for clues to treat more common mental disorders: Researchers use genetic manipulation techniques to highlight how the function of a protein can lead to neurodevelopmental delays

Researchers have clarified, for the first time, the mechanism behind a very rare brain disorder called MICPCH (microcephaly, disproportionate pontine and cerebellar hypoplasia) syndrome in animal models. Information gleaned from this study could also inform research into other, more common neurological diseases such as mental retardation, epilepsy, and autism. MICPCH has only affected a total […]