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Medical Breakthroughs

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 161 - 180 of 213

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October 2007
- 'Smart Bra' Developing as Cancer Detector
  
  Discovery Channel | Oct 5, 07 8:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Lingerie is about to become a lifesaver. UK researchers are developing a bra that would detect breast cancer, and hope to stitch the same technology into briefs that spot prostate cancer, reports the Discovery Channel . Serving as an early-warning system, the underwear would monitor temperature changes between areas of internal tissue, often an indication of cancerous tumors. More »
- Antibiotic May Buy Time for Treating Stroke Victims
  
  Los Angeles Times | Oct 2, 07 9:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An antibiotic commonly used to treat acne has shown promise in helping stroke victims recover. Patients who got minocycline within a day of their stroke fared markedly better than those who did not, a discovery that could open the critical window for treating stroke victims from just 3 hours to a full day, the LA Times reports. More »
September 2007
- Lack of Sleep Doubles Risk of Heart Disease
  
  Reuters | Sep 24, 07 4:57 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Getting 7 hours of sleep a night is best, and people who consistently sleep less are risking their lives, a new study says. Researchers followed 10,000 civil servants for 17 years and found that those who reduced their sleep from 7 hours a night to 5 or less doubled their risk of dying from heart disease, Reuters reports. More »
- Scientists Solve Estrogen Heart Mystery
  
  Wall Street Journal | Sep 17, 07 3:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A compound created as the body processes cholesterol was to blame for giving scientists conflicting data about the effect of hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women, researchers say. Initial studies had found that estrogen helps keep the heart healthy, but a later study reported that women taking estrogen actually exhibited higher levels of coronary disease. More »
- Lonely People's Genes Make Them Sick
  
  Reuters | Sep 15, 07 6:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Scientists say they’ve figured out why loners get sick and die young: “a highly suspicious conspiracy of genes” screws up their immune systems, Reuters reports. Their altered DNA can lead to heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and other problems. “There is something about being isolated and lonely that changes your body,” a biologist says. More »
- Tangerine Peel May Help Fight Cancer
  
  Reuters | Sep 12, 07 3:54 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - UK researchers may have found a natural way to combat certain cancers. In tests, a chemical compound in tangerine peel attacked and destroyed cancer cells. The findings could lead to treatments for cancers of the breast, lung, prostate, and ovaries, Reuters says. “It is very exciting to find a compound in food that can target cancers specifically,” said one chemist. More »
- Human Genome Mapped, but DNA Still a Mystery
  
  Washington Post | Sep 4, 07 5:42 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A new map of human DNA shows just how complex we really are – so much so that scientists can’t even pin down which genes are making our eyes blue. "I found out that I have [only] a high probability of having blue eyes," says azure-eyed biologist Craig Venter, whose genetic code is published in a new study. "We all thought that would be simple." More »
- Schizophrenia Drug Offers New Hope
  
  BBC | Sep 3, 07 3:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The first human trial of a new medication to treat schizophrenia that works fundamentally differently from its predecessors has shown promising results, according to this month's Nature Medicine . The drug targets glutamate rather than dopamine, as do other drugs. Scientists have long known glutamate is involved in schizophrenia. More »
August 2007
- Grapevine Genome Yields Secrets
  
  McClatchy Newspapers | Aug 27, 07 4:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Grapevines have extra genes that are responsible for making wine taste and smell so good, a new study finds. A team of researchers from France and Italy (where else?) mapped a pinot noir-related grapevine's genome and found it has twice as many genes linked to resin and oil—which give wine its "nose"—as regular plants do, McClatchy reports. More »
- Human Stem Cells Grow Heart Muscle
  
  Seattle Times | 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 succeeded in turning as many as half the cells into heart muscle, and keeping them alive. More »
- Roses Are Red, Viagra Is Blue ...
  
  Reuters | Aug 24, 07 11:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Viagra and other ED drugs may elevate levels of a hormone linked with feelings of love, a new study shows. Oxytocin, long associated with breastfeeding and maternal affection, also plays a part in arousal and orgasm; Viagra and related meds work on the part of the brain that controls levels of the hormone in rats, Reuters reports. More »
- Missing Link in Pneumonia Deaths Found
  
  Reuters | 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 the lungs that current drugs might in fact exacerbate. More »
- Brain Implant Shows Promise for Stroke Victims
  
  Newsweek | Aug 22, 07 7:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Stroke patients have shown lasting, "extremely promising" results, even years after suffering a brain hemorrhage, from an experimental therapy that electrically stimulates the brain. The currents help the organ rewire itself to take over for stroke-damaged sections, Newsweek reports, and study participants have improved significantly beyond what they could achieve through conventional physical therapy. More »
- Simple Technique Could Bypass Cardiac Arrest
  
  Guardian (UK) | Aug 17, 07 1:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A simple technique temporarily restricting the arm's blood supply before heart bypass surgery significantly improves the chances of a full recovery—and could one day be used to prevent cardiac arrest, reports the Guardian . The technique uses cycles of arm compressions with cuffs to remotely restrict blood flow to the heart. More »
- Go Easy on Pregnancy Weight Gain, Say Docs
  
  Associated Press | Aug 15, 07 12:03 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The current guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy may be contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic, some doctors say, and radical changes in the recommendations are under consideration. Docs say a revision is long overdue, the AP reports. "Most of us think overall the weight gain recommendations are too high," says a Yale med school expert. More »
- Bone Hormone Could Help Treat Diabetes
  
  Boston Globe | Aug 13, 07 3:08 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A substance produced by the skeleton may help to treat diabetes, a new study suggests. A hormone called osteocalcin regulates blood sugar; type 2 diabetics have a lower level of the hormone than other people. In the study, mice with lower levels of osteocalcin develop symptoms of diabetes, which go away when they are injected with the hormone. More »
- MRIs Beat Mammograms at Spotting Earliest Breast Cancer
  
  Guardian (UK) | Aug 10, 07 10:07 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - MRIs significantly outperform mammograms in detecting pockets of abnormal cells that can lead to full-blown breast cancer, and the costly scans should be used routinely to save more women's lives, researchers say. A new study out today says MRIs detected 92% of the early lesions, called ductal carcinoma in situ, while mammograms found only 57%, the Guardian reports. More »