Biology News Net - Health & Medicine

Study reveals how ionising radiation damages DNA and causes cancer

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 18:22:33 -0500

For the first time, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have been able to identify in human cancers two characteristic patterns of DNA damage caused by ionising radiation. These fingerprint patterns may now enable doctors to identify which tumours have been caused by radiation, and investigate if they should be treated differently.

New 'Trojan horse' antibody strategy shows promise against all Ebola viruses

Thu, 08 Sep 2016 19:41:12 -0500

In research published online today in Science, a team of scientists describe a new therapeutic strategy to target a hidden Achilles' heel shared by all known types of Ebola virus. Two antibodies developed with this strategy blocked the invasion of human cells by all five ebolaviruses, and one of them protected mice exposed to lethal doses of Ebola Zaire and Sudan, the two most dangerous. The team included scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Integrated Biotherapeutics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and The Scripps Research Institute.

Biochemists' discovery could lead to vaccine against 'flesh-eating' bacteria

Mon, 05 Sep 2016 18:38:00 -0500

Biochemists at the University of California San Diego have uncovered patterns in the outer protein coat of group A Streptococcus that could finally lead to a vaccine against this highly infectious bacteria--responsible for more than 500,000 deaths a year, including toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis or "flesh-eating disease."

NIH researchers discover otulipenia, a new inflammatory disease

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 18:24:06 -0500

The just-discovered disease is a rare and sometimes lethal inflammatory disease that causes fever, skin rashes, diarrhea and joint pain in young children. National Institutes of Health researchers have discovered a rare and sometimes lethal inflammatory disease - otulipenia - that primarily affects young children. They have also identified anti-inflammatory treatments that ease some of the patients' symptoms: fever, skin rashes, diarrhea, joint pain and overall failure to grow or thrive.

Yale study identifies how Zika virus infects the placenta

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:02:36 -0500

In a new study, Yale researchers demonstrate Zika virus infection of cells derived from human placentas. The research provides insight into how Zika virus may be transmitted from expectant mother to fetus, resulting in infection of the fetal brain.

Leukaemia blood testing has 'massive potential'

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 18:43:30 -0500

This image shows the presence of an extracellular vesicle. Researchers at The University of Manchester have unlocked the potential of a new test which could revolutionise the way doctors diagnose and monitor a common childhood Leukaemia.

Paraplegics regain some feeling, movement after using brain-machine interfaces

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:30:37 -0500

A computer monitor in the lab of Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D., shows the brain activity of a monkey using a brain-machine interface. Eight people who have spent years paralyzed from spinal cord injuries have regained partial sensation and muscle control in their lower limbs after training with brain-controlled robotics, according to a study published Aug. 11 in Scientific Reports.

Two Zika proteins responsible for microcephaly identified

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:30:35 -0500

USC researchers have tracked down two Zika proteins potentially responsible for thousands of microcephaly cases in Brazil and elsewhere -- taking one small step toward preventing Zika-infected mothers from birthing babies with abnormally small heads.

Vaccine candidates protect primates against Zika virus

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 18:02:57 -0500

A month after announcing that two promising vaccine candidates provided mice with complete protection against the Zika virus, a research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), in collaboration with scientists at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and the University of São Paulo, now reports achieving complete protection against Zika virus in rhesus monkeys. The research team's findings were published online today in the journal Science.

New cause of immune neuropathy discovered

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:41:36 -0500

Patients suffering from so-called immune-mediated neuropathies frequently have a long medical record. As there are no diagnostic tests available to reliably diagnose the disease, the diagnosis is frequently made belatedly and patients can be misdiagnosed. Accordingly, many years often pass before an effective therapy is started. However, not all patients respond to first-choice drugs even when treated immediately.