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Started by S Goldstein; Last updated Feb 26, 08 5:16 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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Medical Breakthroughs

The latest from the labs

Stories

Stories 81 - 100 of 178

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January 2008
- Religious Belief Linked to Loneliness
  
  newser | LiveScience | Jan 24, 08 8:05 PM CST
  
  Most people can't stomach loneliness, and they're more prone to believing in the supernatural or creating strong bonds with pets and household objects to compensate, a new study finds. It's a throwback to our ancestors, who relied on group living to survive, LiveScience reports. "Being socially isolated is just not good for you," said the lead scientist. More »
- New Virus Linked to Virulent Skin Cancer
  
  newser | New York Times | Jan 18, 08 1:55 PM CST
  
  A new virus has been linked with a rare but particularly aggressive form of skin cancer that affects as many as 1,200 Americans a year. Scientists have yet to definitively prove a causal relationship between the newly discovered polyoma virus and Merkel cell carcinoma, but evidence strongly suggests that they soon will, the New York Times reports. More »
- Scientists ID Leukemia Stem Cells
  
  newser | Guardian (UK) | Jan 18, 08 7:09 AM CST
  
  British scientists have identified the stem cells that cause the most common type of childhood leukemia, the Times of London reports. The unprecedented discovery means doctors can monitor cell levels in young cancer patients and stop treatment when those cells are gone, said a leading oncology expert. The work also could help scientists develop therapies targeting the specific cells. More »
- Calif. Firm First to Clone Human Embryos
  
  newser | Union-Tribune (San Diego) | Jan 17, 08 4:38 PM CST
  
  A California lab has cloned a human embryo, a science first; the researchers stopped short, however, of creating stem cells. Using a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, the scientists fused DNA from a man’s skin cells with donated egg cells—and created an embryo with cells specific to the man. Scientists hope stem cells could replace damaged cells with reduced risk of rejection. More »
- Gene Tweaking Dramatically Extends Life
  
  newser | LiveScience | Jan 14, 08 5:33 PM CST
  
  In a breakthrough that may have implications for humans, researchers have made the lifespan of yeast 10 times longer, doubling the previous record for life expansion, LiveScience reports. Genetic alteration and a low-calorie diet prolonged the microbe's existence from the typical 1 week to 10 weeks. The scientists involved have turned their attention to Ecuadorians with similar mutations. More »
- New Drug Stirs Debate Over Disease's Existence
  
  newser | New York Times | Jan 14, 08 4:20 PM CST
  
  The first drug approved by the FDA to treat fibromyalgia is raising questions, but not the typical ones about whether the medication works. They're questions about whether the disease even exists. Lyrica sales are up and climbing, but critics say giving a name to the chronic pain that characterizes fibromyalgia lends the diagnosis undeserved legitimacy, the New York Times reports. More »
- Scientists Rebuild Heart With Stem Cells
  
  newser | Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jan 13, 08 7:04 PM CST
  
  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 days after researchers injected it with fresh stem cells. More »
- Stem Cells Made Without Destroying Embryos
  
  newser | Wired | Jan 10, 08 5:43 PM CST
  
  Scientists have created new embryonic stem cells while keeping the donor embryos intact, Wired reports, a breakthrough that could finally permit long-delayed research into curing cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Researchers plucked single cells from 2-day-old human embryos, coaxed them to become ESCs, and developed them into heart tissue, neurons, cartilage, and blood cells. More »
- Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk
  
  newser | USA Today | Jan 10, 08 3:50 AM CST
  
  Researchers studying the DNA of autistic children have discovered a pair of genetic mutations that raise the risk of developing autism as high as a hundredfold, USA Today reports. The defects in chromosome 16 occur in just 1% of autistic kids, but that figure represents some 10,000 children. A test has been developed to identify the mutations, which may be "the tip of the iceberg" of genetic aberrations linked to autism, said one expert. More »
- Sun May Lower Risk of Some Cancers
  
  newser | WebMD | Jan 9, 08 7:48 PM CST
  
  Getting a little bit more sun may actually reduce the risk of dying from some forms of cancer, a new study says. Brief exposure spurs the production of vitamin D in the body, which helps patients survive bouts with internal cancers—colon, lung, breast, and prostate. That benefit may outweigh any risks of developing skin cancer, the researchers say. More »
- 'Rewired' Nerves Restore Ability to Walk
  
  newser | Scientific American | Jan 7, 08 1:40 PM CST
  
  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 the area were repurposed—not regrown, as was previously believed. More »
- 'Fuzzy Logic' Could Help Create Better Elder Care
  
  newser | CNET | Jan 4, 08 7:58 PM CST
  
  Researchers in the UK and US are collaborating to develop “fuzzy logic” technology to improve care for the elderly. The 6-month project aims to create more discerning medical and accident monitors that can distinguish between, for example, a slamming door and a person falling, CNET reports. So-called fuzzy logic lets computer applications make decisions based on vague data. More »
- New Tech Tracks Things Left Behind
  
  newser | Chicago Tribune | Jan 2, 08 2:12 PM CST
  
  Hospitals are turning to technology to cut down on incidents of doctors sewing up surgical patients with sponges and other items left inside, the Chicago Tribune reports. A bar-coding system to ensure what goes in comes back out is one solution; another involves tagging items with chips that allow them to be detected with a radio-frequency wand. More »
December 2007
- Not So Bad for Dirt-Eaters to Dig In: Study
  
  newser | Der Spiegel | Dec 30, 07 9:23 AM CST
  
  New research is giving new meaning to the term Mother Earth: Scientists say loam in the soil may provide vital protection against poisonous agents in the body. People around the world, especially pregnant women, have eaten dirt for hundreds of years. Now researchers have found that earth not only provides sustenance during famine but may cleanse tissue, Der Spiegel reports. More »
- New Tech Identifies Rare DNA Disorders
  
  newser | New York Times | Dec 28, 07 11:50 AM CST
  
  New procedures that scan all 46 human chromosomes are helping doctors classify disorders once lumped together as "developmentally delayed" or "autistic"—and helping parents connect to families whose children also have uncommon conditions. The New York Times looks at the lives of parents isolated by their experience with disorders so rare some have only a genetic address instead of a name. More »
- Hospitals Seduced by 'Nuclear Arms Race' vs. Cancer
  
  newser | New York Times | Dec 26, 07 2:29 PM CST
  
  More and more hospitals are using nuclear proton accelerators in the fight against cancer, with mixed results, reports the New York Times . Some experts say the massive devices, formerly only found in physics labs, are a vital next-generation tool. Others doubt their effectiveness and worry that hospitals are getting caught up in a kind of anti-cancer "arms race," with price tags running up to $100 million a pop for the 222-ton accelerators. More »
- Third Team Turns Skin Into Stem Cells
  
  newser | Reuters | Dec 24, 07 4:40 AM CST
  
  A third team of scientists has successfully turn skin cells into stem cells that can be coaxed into becoming any kind of tissue. The American researchers are the first group to manage the feat with a volunteer's cells, not cells grown in a lab, which demonstrates that such cells could be widely available. More »
- Researchers Find New Breast Cancer Marker
  
  newser | Chicago Tribune | Dec 17, 07 5:19 PM CST
  
  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 diagnosed with precancerous tumors annually—the 8-15% that will eventually become lethal. More »
- Mediterranean Diet Extends Lives
  
  newser | Reuters | Dec 11, 07 11:55 AM CST
  
  The Mediterranean diet—rich in fish, fruits, vegetables, and nuts but low in meat and dairy—could help Americans live longer, Reuters reports. Adults whose diets were closest to the Mediterranean ideal were 21% less likely to die over a 5-year period than those whose diets were least Mediterranean-like, according to a new study involving nearly 400,000 people. More »
- Virtual Surgery Coming Soon?
  
  newser | Scientific American | Dec 8, 07 6:39 AM CST
  
  Within five years, surgeons may be able to create 3D virtual models of patients' bodies in order to practice surgeries ahead of time. While current virtual surgery lags far behind the realism of, say, combat video games, a UCLA assistant math professor believes this could change soon, reports Scientific American . High costs could delay adoption in hospitals, however. More »

Stories 81 - 100 of 178

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(KRT Photos)

Science! (KRT Photos)

Dr. Murray Rebner reviews a mammogram done using digital technology at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. (KRT Photos)

(Associated Press)

(Index Stock (http://ww.indexstock.com))

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