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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: medical breakthrough

medical breakthrough stories: 72 news summaries

41 - 60 of 72 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>

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New Drug Protects Body From Radiation

Promising treatment has potential medical, military applications

Apr 11, 08 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - A promising new drug that protects animals from damaging radiation is ready for clinical trials in humans, the BBC reports. The drug interferes with the protein that ordinarily causes cell suicide in the presence of radiation, meaning it could be useful in treating cancer patients undergoing radiation as well as... More »

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cancer • medicine • medical breakthrough • science • cancer treatment • radiation • dirty bomb • apoptosis

 Cold Virus 
 Joins Cancer Fight 

Brain tumors may yield to targeted infection

Apr 7, 08 2:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists are trying to beat some of the most untreatable forms of cancer by employing another undefeated ailment: the common cold. A research team in Seattle has "modified the viruses so they can selectively target the tumor cells, replicate inside them and kill them," says one of the... More »

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cancer • medical breakthrough • tumor • virus • common cold • clinical trials • scientific breakthroughs • measles

 Scientists Discover New
 Diabetes Genes 

Six variants each add risk for developing the disease

Mar 31, 08 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists pooling data from European and US studies have identified six more genes associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, the Guardian reports. The study, published in Nature Genetics, found small but significant connections between the genes and the disease, with certain genetic variants linked to a 10-15%... More »

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medical breakthrough • prostate cancer • diabetes • genetic testing • genes • Oxford University • genetic research • type 2 diabetes • Nature Genetics

Scientists Build Immune System in Test Tube

Breakthrough could
make it easier, and safer, to test vaccines

Mar 28, 08 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a way to produce tiny artificial human immune systems, Time reports, a breakthrough that could transform vaccine research. The process—called Modular Immune In Vitro Construct—will allow researchers to test budding medicines as never before and possibly make faster progress against AIDS and other killers.... More »

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medicine • medical breakthrough • vaccine • immune system • HIV/AIDS • clinical trials

Scientists Link Gene Mutation to Longevity

Alteration makes cells less receptive to
growth factor

Mar 5, 08 11:42 AM CST
(Newser) - A genetic mutation that makes cells less responsive to growth hormone has been linked to human longevity, Scientific American reports. A recent study looked at children of Ashkenazi Jews with a family history of long life and an average age of 98, and compared their genes with the children of... More »

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medical breakthrough • health • growth hormones • aging • genetic mutation • genes • longevity • aging process • insulinlike growth factor 1 • Ashkenazi Jews

Antidepressants Mostly Useless, Study Finds

Prozac and others make a difference only  in most extreme cases

Feb 26, 08 7:41 AM CST
(Newser) - Big Pharma swallowed a bitter pill yesterday as Prozac and other antidepressants were found in a UK study to be largely ineffectual in all but the most extreme cases of depression. The meta-analysis of 47 clinical trials submitted to the FDA with licensing applications for six popular antidepressants concluded that... More »

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medical breakthrough • depression • antidepressant • GlaxoSmithKline • prescription drugs • therapy • Eli Lilly • Prozac • Wyeth • pharmaceutical industry

Gecko Toes Inspire New Surgical Tape

MIT team duplicates nano-scale ridges on lizards' sticky feet

Feb 19, 08 9:20 AM CST
(Newser) - Inspired by geckos' sticky feet, MIT scientists have developed a bandage that could soon be used in place of stitches or staples during surgery. The waterproof material, coated with a sugar-based adhesive that has the nano-scale hills and valleys found on lizard feet, is flexible enough to be used on... More »

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medical breakthrough • surgery • MIT • antibiotics • adhesive • gecko • sutures • stitches

Snorer Slept 14 Minutes A Night

British doctors aghast at patient's plight

Feb 8, 08 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) - After 17 years of getting only minutes of sleep per night, a British man is finally getting some quality sack time. Doctors say it's one of the worst cases of sleep apnea on record, the Guardian reports. The man thought he slept 12 hours a night and couldn't figure out... More »

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sleep • medical breakthrough • sleep apnea • sleep disorder • snoring

Docs Shelve Diabetes Study After Deaths

Findings contradict long-held doctrine of lowering blood sugar

Feb 6, 08 10:16 PM CST
(Newser) - Researchers have abruptly tabled a major study measuring the effects of lowering diabetics' blood sugar after a surprising number of deaths among participants. The results come as a shock to the medical community, which has long held that lowering blood sugar through diet and medication is the only way for... More »

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medicine • medical breakthrough • diabetes • estrogen • blood sugar • American Diabetes Association • cardiology

Scientists Rebuild Heart With Stem Cells

Advance could save heart disease patients, regrow other organs

Jan 13, 08 7:04 PM CST
(Newser) - Scientists rebuilt rat and pig hearts using stem cells taken from the recipients themselves, the Telegraph reports—a medical breakthrough that could help the 22 million people who suffer from heart failure worldwide. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, produced the world’s first functioning “bioartificial” heart within eight... More »

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medical breakthrough • organ transplants • stem cells • heart disease • heart • heart transplants • University of Minnesota • whole organ decellularization • blood vessels

'Rewired' Nerves Restore Ability to Walk

Promising research on mice raises hopes for human breakthrough

Jan 7, 08 1:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Scientists have figured out how mice that lose the ability to walk after a spinal-cord injury can regain it, a finding that could someday help human patients, Scientific American reports. When the long nerves that run from the brain to the base of the spine were severed, shorter nerves in... More »

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medical breakthrough • science • spine • paralyze • nerves • paralysis • spinal cord • nerve damage

Researchers Find New Breast Cancer Marker

Discovery predicts which early tumors will become cancerous

Dec 17, 07 5:19 PM CST
(Newser) - Tens of thousands of women may avoid unnecessary treatment for breast cancer in the future, thanks to the discovery of a means to predict which precancerous breast tumors will become cancerous, the Chicago Tribune reports. Researchers found molecular markers that can be used to identify—out of 50,000 women... More »

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medical breakthrough • breast cancer • tumors • precancerous tumors

Mirror Eases Phantom
Limb Pain

Reflection of healthy appendage helps fool brains of amputees

Nov 23, 07 8:44 PM CST
(Newser) - The phantom pain amputees experience from a missing limb can be dramatically reduced if they view their remaining leg or foot in a mirror, Reuters reports. The mirror tricks the brain into thinking the amputated limb is intact, researchers conclude. A controlled study of injured soldiers at Walter Reed found... More »

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medical breakthrough • Walter Reed Army Medical Center • amputees • wounded • Jack Tsao

Bone Marrow Breakthrough Gives New Hope

Safer technique could benefit MS, arthritis sufferers

Nov 23, 07 2:52 AM CST
(Newser) - Scientists investigating bone marrow transplants have made a breakthrough that could one day help millions. Currently, before transplants occur defective cells are killed with radiotherapy or chemotherapy—which causes widespread damage and can have serious side effects. But researchers have found it's possible to pinpoint and destroy blood-forming stem cells... More »

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medical breakthrough • rheumatoid arthritis • bone marrow • medical research • multiple sclerosis

Gene Therapy for Parkinson's Delivers
 Major Results

Researchers find dramatic improvement

Nov 20, 07 4:47 AM CST
(Newser) - New evidence indicates that the first gene therapy for Parkinson's disease has achieved measurable success. Brain scans of patients receiving the treatment confirmed significant changes, supporting earlier anecdotal accounts of 65% improvements in mobility and other gains, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of ... More »

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medical breakthrough • genetics • gene therapy • Parkinson's disease • brain

Human Stem Cells Grow Heart Muscle

Rats' cardiac tissue regenerated,
halting progress of disease

Aug 27, 07 2:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Researchers are using human embryonic stem cells to regrow heart muscle and actually stop the progression of heart failure in rats. Although stems cells injected into rat heart tissue had previously been shown to become muscle tissue, very few had survived. Now  a team from the University of Washington has... More »

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stem cell research • medical breakthrough • stem cells • heart disease • heart

Missing Link
in Pneumonia Deaths Found

Antibiotics useless against toxin causing lung infection

Aug 23, 07 4:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - Many pneumonia patients die despite receiving treatment, and a new study finds that an infectious toxin unaffected by antibiotics can cause the deaths. One of the researchers involved in the study, published in the journal Immunity, tells Reuters that scientists are working to find a treatment for sometimes-fatal bleeding in... More »

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medical breakthrough • health • antibiotics • medical research • treatment • illness • pneumonia • toxin

New Procedure Gives Hope to Diabetics

UK treatment ends insulin dependency for type 1 sufferers

Aug 19, 07 5:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Car crashes, comas, sudden stabbings, divorces – all are being indirectly diminished as Britain spearheads a new procedure to help sufferers of type 1 diabetes. Victims of the growing disorder are often subject to fits and blackouts as they scramble for insulin, but a new operation is offering hope: already... More »

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medicine • medical breakthrough • health • diabetes • disease • United Kingdom • Islet cell transplantation • diabetics • pancreas • liver

10 Technologies on the Cusp

MIT experts look ahead at breakthroughs and brainstorms that may change the way we live

Aug 5, 07 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Technology Review presents 10 technologies you'll soon be hearing about.
  1. Peer-to-peer networking as a way for legitimate businesses to handle heavy data streaming.
  2. Nanocharging solar, which could make solar power cost-competitive.
  3. Artifically structured metamaterials.
  4. Personalized medical monitors.
  5. Single-cell analysis.
More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • medical breakthrough • science • list • biotechnology • solar energy

Electric Stimulation Revives Man
in Near-Coma

Case brings hope,
raises questions

Aug 1, 07 8:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Electric stimulation may help improve the brain function of patients in a minimally conscious state, a case study reported in Nature reveals. A 38-year-old man who was mute and barely conscious for nearly 6 years is able to name objects, perform precise movements, and eat without the aid of a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
medical breakthrough • health • patients • brain • medical research • brain damage • neuroscience • Terry Schiavo

41 - 60 of 72 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>


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