Key stem cells for repairing knee joints identified by Aberdeen scientists. Stem cells that seem key for maintaining and repairing the body’s knee joints have been identified by scientists. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health published the findings today (Tuesday May 16) in Nature Communications. Our joints are surrounded...
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Blood study insight could improve stem cell therapy success
Researchers have pinpointed a key enzyme that is vital for the production of fresh blood cells in the body. The enzyme is essential for the survival of specialised stem cells that give rise to new blood cells, the study found. Experts say the findings could help to improve the success of stem cell therapies that...
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Stem cell therapy holds promise for treating most severe cases of angina
An analysis of data from the entire development program consisting of three trials assessing the feasibility of using a stem cell therapy (CD34+ cells) to treat patients with the most severe cases of angina, refractory angina (RA), showed a statistically significant improvement in exercise time as well as a reduction in mortality. Results from “CD34+...
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Scientists develop a quick, cheap and portable test for diagnosing tuberculosis
This photomicrograph reveals Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria using acid-fast Ziehl-Neelsen stain; Magnified 1000 X. The acid-fast stains depend on the ability of mycobacteria to retain dye when treated with mineral acid or an …more A microchip-based test developed by A*STAR researchers can diagnose tuberculosis in 15 minutes. The test meets the speed, cost, accessibility and disposal...
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Scientists identify biomarkers to guide hormone therapy for prostate cancer
A test commonly used in breast cancer has been found to also identify which patients with aggressive prostate cancer will benefit from hormonal therapy, according to a study led by scientists at UC San Francisco and the University of Michigan. While hormone therapy has been used successfully to treat many prostate cancer patients, until now, researchers have been...
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New gene identified in Lou Gehrig’s disease
This stylistic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). The chromosome is X-shaped because it is dividing. Introns are regions often found in eukaryote genes that are removed in the …more For the first time, a variant in UBQLN4 gene has been associated with...
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New blood test is more accurate in predicting prostate cancer risk than PSA
Eric Klein, M.D., is chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute. A team of researchers from Cleveland Clinic, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, and other clinical sites have demonstrated that a new blood test known as IsoPSA detects prostate cancer more precisely than current tests in two crucial...
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Common hard-to-treat brain disease starts in the GUT, study reveals
CCM disease, which occurs in one in 100 people, causes stroke and seizures Tests on mice showed certain gut bacteria triggered the formation of clusters that cause these seizures Looking at human models it seems the same is true for people Gut bacteria could be the cause of a crippling hard-to-treat brain disease, a new...
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Battery-free medical implants use body’s fluids as fuel
A team of researchers has developed a biofriendly supercapacitor that could allow for battery-free, lifelong implantable medical devices Despite the continual evolution of medical implant technologies, such as making smaller and smaller pacemakers, we still power these devices with traditional batteries. Such batteries contain toxic chemicals that aren’t ideal to have inside the human body and also...
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Researchers uncover potential risks of common MS treatment
In one of the most comprehensive studies to date, UBC researchers have identified potential adverse reactions of a commonly used multiple sclerosis drug. The study aimed to identify potential adverse events related to beta-interferon treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by analyzing health records of over 2,000 British Columbians with multiple sclerosis between 1995 and 2008. “Once a...