Medical News Observer

Keep updated with latest medical research news

Researchers use microwaves and photodynamic therapy to fight cancer

Physicists at The University of Texas at Arlington have shown that using microwaves to activate photosensitive nanoparticles produces tissue-heating effects that ultimately lead to cell death within solid tumors. “Our new method using microwaves can propagate through all types of tissues and target deeply situated tumors,” said Wei Chen, UTA professor of physics and lead…
Researchers use machine learning to identify different cancer cell types

National Institutes of Health, COBRE Center for Cancer Research Development at Rhode Island Hospital, Rhode Island Foundation Medical Research Grant, Jason and Donna McGraw Weiss Brown University researchers have developed a new image analysis technique to distinguish two key cancer cell types associated with tumor progression. The approach could help in pre-clinical screening of cancer…
Animal studies show how designer brain receptors can be used in cocaine addiction

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have used viruses to infect neurons with genes that allow them to switch on brain receptors involved in suppressing addiction relapse. Results of these preclinical studies were published in the September 28th, 2016 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The technology, called designer receptors exclusively activated…
Research finds that gene therapy could be used in early Alzheimers disease in animal studies

Researchers have prevented the development of Alzheimer’s disease in mice by using a virus to deliver a specific gene into the brain.The early-stage findings, by scientists from Imperial College London, open avenues for potential new treatments for the disease. In the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team…
Researchers use big data analytics to discover harmful drug interations

WASHINGTON – Coupling data mining of adverse event reports and electronic health records with targeted laboratory experiments, researchers found a way to identify and confirm previously unknown drug interactions, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Drug-drug interactions account for a significant proportion of side effects and…
Researchers used stem cells to make new cartilage and repair damaged joints

Columbia College of Dental Medicine researchers have identified stem cells that can make new cartilage and repair damaged joints. The cells reside within the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which articulates the jaw bone to the skull. When the stem cells were manipulated in animals with TMJ degeneration, the cells repaired cartilage in the joint. A single…
Genetic signature linked to cancer prognosis identified

Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cancer Unit at the University of Cambridge have identified a genetic signature related to metabolism associated with poor patient prognosis. The results of the analysis of 8,161 tissue samples could in the future help clinicians decide how best to treat a patient as well as aid the development…
Scientists develop nanoscale sensor to detect heart attack

An international collaboration of scientists involving a team of researchers at Manchester led by Dr David J. Lewis has developed a tiny electric sensor, which could potentially improve patient survival rates by telling doctors if a person has had a heart attack. Cardiovascular diseases account for around 30% of adult deaths in the 30−70 year…
New MRI technique to assess stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients by assessing blood velocity in heart

Affecting 33.5 million patients worldwide, atrial fibrillation is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia. As if having an irregular heart beat wasn’t troubling enough, patients with atrial fibrillation are also much more likely to have a stroke. Markl, who is a professor of biomedical engineering in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and of radiology…
Research shows importance of genetic screening to find cause for sudden death syndromes

Sudden death strikes approximately 11,000 people under age 45 in the U.S. every year, leaving living relatives with troubling questions about their own risk. Unfortunately, with many conditions—such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden cardiac death (SCD)—the cause of death is not always apparent after a traditional clinical autopsy. Now a new study…