Medical News Observer

Keep updated with latest medical research news

New nanosensor technology to detect osteoarthritis biomarker

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have been able to analyze hyaluronic acid using solid-state nanopore sensor. This technique allows them to study its role in osteoarthritis and other inflammatory joint disorders. This technique is first of a kind and is a significant improvement regarding relative ease to perform and high precision from other…
Understanding molecular mechanisms behind germinal matrix hemorrhage

Researchers have utilized a mouse model to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying germinal matrix hemorrhage. Nearly 12,000 premature infants born annually in the US are affected by neonatal brain hemorrhage which results in mortality and long-term morbidity. Unfortunately, no treatment exists for this condition, and the only preventive measure is steroids before birth, which has…
New biomarkers to predict the success of diabetic macular edema treatment

Researchers have found new biomarkers that predict prognosis following current treatments for diabetic macular edema. The research was led by Dr. Rajeev Muni, a vitreoretinal surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital. The study is published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. Diabetic macular edema is one the common complication of Diabetes. It is associated with the accumulation of fluid in the…
Cost of care for falls in elderly population

Researchers estimated medical costs attributable to both fatal and nonfatal falls in the elderly population and found that approximately 50 billion dollars were spent in 2015. These findings are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers utilized population data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and cost estimates from the Web-based Injury Statistics…
New biomarkers for assessing Alzheimers dementia risk and early diagnosis

Researchers from the University of Texas have analyzed biomarkers to predict future risk of dementia. Their findings are published in journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Dementia is a rising tidal wave of devastation for families and society. Age is the biggest risk factor. Alzheimer’s disease, which is the leading cause…
Total joint replacement procedure projections 2030 to 2060

Total joint replacement (TJR) is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the United States, and the volume of primary and revision total joint replacement procedures have increased consistently in past decade. New research presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) analyzed models to predict the…
A new algorithm to solve memory problems in large-scale human brain simulations

Researchers have come closer towards advancing technology to create computer simulations of the brain networks using exascale-class supercomputers. Their findings are published in journal Frontiers in Neuroinformatics. Credit: Forschungszentrum Jülich The human brain is a complex network composed of approximately 100 billion neurons. With current computing power, it is impossible to simulate 100 percent working brain.…
New targeted epigenetic therapy for lymphoma shows promise

New compounds targeting epigenetics have shown promise in treating patients with lymphoma, according to data presented at the Targeted Anticancer Therapies International Congress 2018 in Paris, France. ESMO’s phase-I oncology meeting featured early clinical studies with BET inhibitors and EZH2 inhibitors. Dr. Anastasios Stathis, head of the New Drugs Development Unit of the Oncology Institute…
Understanding interaction between heart muscle cells and nanoscaffoding

Researchers from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have researched nanofibrous scaffold structure and its interaction with rat heart muscle cells. This study revealed that cardiac muscle cells envelop nanofibers as they grow, but fibroblasts tend to spread out on fibers forming several focal adhesion sites. Nanofibers enveloped by Heart muscle cells. The 3-D…
Developing new biomarkers for liver cancer with RNA splicing techniques

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), led by Professor Adrian Krainer, have developed a method for identifying splicing-based biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). They have published their findings in journal Genome Research. Different versions, or isoforms, of messenger RNAs generated by the human AFMID gene, are represented, showing their relative prevalence in cancerous (top)…