Medical News Observer

Keep updated with latest medical research news

Synthetic binding protein called “NS1 Monobody” found to inhibit common cancer causing (RAS) mutation

Monobody NS1 binds to H-RAS or K-RAS protein and blocksRAS function by disrupting the protein’s ability to form active molecular pairs. Credit: John P. O’Bryan, et al. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a new way to block the action of genetic mutations found in nearly 30 percent of all cancers. Mutations in…
Synthetic binding protein called "NS1 Monobody" found to inhibit common cancer causing (RAS) mutation

Monobody NS1 binds to H-RAS or K-RAS protein and blocksRAS function by disrupting the protein’s ability to form active molecular pairs. Credit: John P. O’Bryan, et al. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a new way to block the action of genetic mutations found in nearly 30 percent of all cancers. Mutations in…
Current vaccination trials using Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine

The first of five early stage clinical trials to test the safety and ability of an investigational Zika vaccine candidate called the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine to generate an immune system response has begun at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. The experimental Zika…
Researchers identify suicidal behavior using machine learning algorithm on patients verbal and non-verbal data

A new study shows that machine learning is up to 93 percent accurate in correctly classifying a suicidal person and 85 percent accurate in identifying a person who is suicidal, has a mental illness but is not suicidal, or neither. These results provide strong evidence for using advanced technology as a decision-support tool to help…
New approach to treating cancer with therapeutic short interfering RNA (siRNA) delivered by nanohydrogel nanoparticles

A novel targeted therapy using nanoparticles has enabled researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology to purge ovarian tumors in limited, in vivo tests in mice. “The dramatic effect we see is the massive reduction or complete eradication of the tumor, when the ‘nanohydrogel’ treatment is given in combination with existing chemotherapy,” said chief researcher…
Protein biomarkers to screen early type 1 diabetes mellitus

Certain proteins in the blood of children can predict incipient type 1 diabetes, even before the first symptoms appear. A team of scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, partners in the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), reported these findings in the ‘Diabetologia’ journal. The work was based on two large studies that are intended…
Researchers map short RNA molecules in single cell

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have measured the absolute numbers of short, non-coding, RNA sequences in individual embryonic stem cells. The new method could improve the understanding of how our genes are regulated and different cell types develop. When information in our genes is used, for example to build a protein, it is first translated to…
Non alcoholic blueberry-blackberry beverage shown to have anti diabetic properties in mice

Blueberries, and berries in general, are among foods labeled as “diabetes superfoods” by the American Association of Diabetes. Food science researchers at the University of Illinois have found that fermenting berries may improve their antidiabetic potential even more. Previous research has shown that dietary blueberries may play a role in reducing hyperglycemia in obese mice,…
Researchers find that acupuncture produces natural opioid enkephalin which reduce high blood pressure in mice

Researchers from the UCI Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine have demonstrated that regular electro-acupuncture treatments can lower hypertension by triggering the release of opioids in the brainstem, which regulates blood pressure. Their findings, published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, reveal that electro-acupuncture’s ability to reduce blood pressure involves increasing the gene expression of enkephalins, offering…
Mathematical model suggests increase in Zika virus outbreaks following Dengue fever vaccination

Vaccinating against dengue fever could increase outbreaks of Zika, suggests new research out of York University and Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. The research identifies a potentially serious public health concern. More than a third of the world’s population lives in areas where dengue is endemic and cases of co-infection with Zika have already been…