CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study suggests that nicotinamide, more commonly known as vitamin B3, may be able to combat some of the antibiotic-resistance staph infections that are increasingly common around the world, have killed thousands and can pose a significant threat to public health. The research found that high doses of this vitamin increased by 1,000 times the ability of immune cells to kill staph bacteria. The work was done both in laboratory animals and with human blood. The findings were published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers ...

A recent study in the Journal of General Physiology brings new insights to an area of ion channel regulation: whether voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels can be regulated by physiological changes to PIP2. Potassium channels, microscopic pores that allow potassium ions to cross cell membranes, are crucial to such diverse processes as conduction of the nerve impulse, regulation of the heartbeat, and the secretion of hormones such as insulin. PIP2, a minor phospholipid component of cell membranes, regulates the activity of various proteins in the cell membrane, and ...

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Successive, vigorous bouts of leg compressions following a stroke appear to trigger natural protective mechanisms that reduce damage, researchers report. Compressing then releasing the leg for several five-minute intervals used in conjunction with the clot-buster tPA, essentially doubles efficacy, said Dr. David Hess, a stroke specialist who chairs the Medical College of Georgia Department of Neurology at Georgia Health Sciences University. "This is potentially a very cheap, usable and safe – other than the temporary discomfort – therapy for stroke," ...

Munich, Germany – August 27 2012: Renal denervation improves blood pressure and arterial stiffness in patients with therapy resistant hypertension, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012 by Mr Klaas Franzen from the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein. The findings suggest that renal denervation regenerates blood vessels and could reduce cardiovascular events. Malignant arterial hypertension was historically treated with surgical thoracolumbar splanchnicectomy, a type of sympathectomy treatment that was introduced in 1938. "A significant reduction ...

DURHAM, N.C. – The benefits of breast milk have long been appreciated, but now scientists at Duke University Medical Center have described a unique property that makes mother's milk better than infant formula in protecting infants from infections and illnesses. The finding, published in the August issue of the journal Current Nutrition & Food Science, explains how breast milk, but not infant formula, fosters colonies of microbiotic flora in a newborn's intestinal tract that aid nutrient absorption and immune system development. "This study is the first we know of that ...

Munich, Germany – August 27 2012: Renal denervation leads to significant and sustained blood pressure reduction for up to 18 months in patients with treatment resistant hypertension, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012. The new clinical data from the Symplicity HTN-2 randomized clinical trial were presented by principal investigator Dr Murray Esler at the scientific session, associate director of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute of Melbourne, Australia and by Prof Böhm for the ESC Press Conference. Treatment resistant hypertension is blood pressure ...

Munich, Germany – August 26 2012: Renal sympathetic denervation improves anxiety, depression, quality of life and stress in patients with resistant hypertension, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Denise Fischer from Saarland University Hospital. Arterial hypertension is often associated with several psychological comorbidities, such as anxiety and panic disorders, leading to impaired quality of life. Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) is a novel treatment option for patients with resistant hypertension and has been shown to reduce ...

Munich, Germany – August 27 2012: Renal denervation successfully treats patients with resistant hypertension in real world patient populations, according to a study presented at ESC Congress 2012. The findings were presented by Dr Darren Mylotte from France. Transcatheter renal denervation represents a novel therapy for treating patients with treatment resistant hypertension, a condition which greatly increases the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. "The Symplicity Hypertension I and II studies have suggested that this procedure significantly lowers blood pressure ...

August 27, 2012 -- In one of the most comprehensive peer-reviewed discussions on cancer vaccines and immunotherapeutics, a Special Focus in the journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics provides a critical view on cancer vaccines and a discussion on best approaches for the future. From firsthand accounts of principal investigators involved in numerous failed cancer vaccine programs, including Oncophage® and MVAX®, to commentary from world experts in cancer vaccine development, authors in the Special Focus recount the mistakes of the past and provide an critical lens ...

Munich, Germany – August 27 2012: Renal denervation leads to better outcomes than standard drug treatment in patients with advanced heart failure, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012. The results of the Olomouc I pilot study were presented by Dr Miloš Táborský from the University Hospital Olomouc. Renal denervation does not involve any pharmacological treatment. It is a multiple application of radiofrequency energy using a thin catheter via the femoral artery and a long-term "denervation" of the sympathetic nerves around the renal arteries. "This is done ...

Some of the body's own genetic material, known as small interfering RNA (siRNA), can be packaged then unleashed as a precise and persistent technology to guide cell behavior, researchers at Case Western Reserve University report in the current issue of the journal, Acta Biomaterialia. The research group, led by Eben Alsberg, associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedic Surgery, have been pursuing experiments that seek to catalyze stem cells to grow into, for example, bone and cartilage cells, instead of fat, smooth muscle and other cell ...

Aug. 27, 2012 – Professional athletic field managers maintain trimmed turfgrass with great precision, carefully painting crisp lines and colorful logos on their grass before each game. While these fields appear to be in perfect health, some field managers have noted deteriorating turfgrass beneath repeated paint applications. New research now suggests why. In a study that appears in the September-October issue of Crop Science, three North Carolina State University researchers found that grasses coated with latex paints show a notable reduction in photosynthesis. In ...

Leuven scientists (VIB/KU Leuven) are using zebrafish as a model in their search for genes that play a role in the mechanism of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As a result, they have identified a molecule that could be the target for a future ALS treatment. ALS is a progressive degenerative motor neuron disease for which there currently is no treatment. Their study has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS ALS is a progressive paralyzing disease caused by the destruction of the neurons connecting to the muscles. ...

Methane is an organic carbon compound containing the fundamental building block of nearly all living material: carbon. It provides an important source of energy and nutrients for bacteria. Methane is produced in oxygen-free environments and is found in abundance at the bottom of lakes. The Brazilian post-doctoral researcher in biology and ecology, Angela Sanseverino, has presented a study that shows methane from lakebeds to be present in fish tissue. The study was carried out in cooperation with, inter alia, David Bastviken, Water and Environmental Studies (WES), Linköping ...

Alexandria, VA – Technology is creating a new breed of scientist. I'm talking about citizen scientists – ordinary people and volunteers from all walks of life coming together to help monitor, and possibly mitigate, the next big earthquake through an innovative program called NetQuakes. A play off the popular company Netflix – a movie company that allows users to rent movies through the mail – NetQuakes allows ordinary people to volunteer as a kind of host "family" for one of the program's many blue seismometers. This grassroots movement, an innovative effort between ...

VIDEO: This is a 3-D pattern produced by photografting (180 µm wide). Fluorescent molecules are attached to the hydrogel, resulting in a microscopic 3-D pattern. Click here for more information. There are many ways to create three dimensional objects on a micrometer scale. But how can the chemical properties of a material be tuned at micrometer precision? Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology developed a method to attach molecules at exactly the right place. ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A new study from Rhode Island Hospital reports that nearly seven percent of urologic multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans for hematuria result in incidental findings that may be clinically important for the patient. The study is published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. It is known that urologic CT scans can sometimes show incidental findings. To date, however, there has been limited information about the prevalence and characteristics of those findings. Julie Song, M.D., a radiologist with Rhode Island Hospital's department of ...

Stockholm, August 27, 2012 - Research into water is growing faster than the average 4% annual growth rate for all research disciplines, claims a new report presented by Elsevier and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) during the 2012 World Water Week in Stockholm. The report, "The Water and Food Nexus: Trends and Development of the Research Landscape" analysed the major trends in water and food-related article output at international, national and institutional levels. Elsevier and SIWI worked closely together on creating the report, which is based on the analysis ...

This release is available in German. Vitamin B12 is vital for cell division, the synthesis of red blood cells and the functioning of the nervous system. Unable to produce the vitamin itself, the human body has to obtain it via animal proteins. So far it has been known that on its way into the cell vitamin B12 is absorbed by little organelles, so-called lysosomes. From there, the vitamin enters the cell interior with the aid of the transport protein CblF, which was discovered by the same research team three years ago. The researchers now show that a second transport ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Some RNA molecules spend time in a restful state akin to hibernation rather than automatically carrying out their established job of delivering protein-building instructions in cells, new research suggests. And instead of being a fluke or a mistake, the research suggests that this restful period appears to be a programmed step for RNA produced by certain types of genes, including some that control cell division and decide where proteins will work in a cell to sustain the cell's life. This could mean that protein production in cells is not as clear-cut ...

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansas State University researchers have developed a glue mixture that may reduce risks after laser vision correction surgery. Stacy Littlechild, a recent bachelor's degree graduate in biology originally from Wakeeney, is the lead author of two studies that describe a new protocol involving fibrinogen, riboflavin and ultraviolet light that could improve the safety of the corrective surgery. One study that demonstrates the ability of a glue to bind corneal surfaces has been published in the June edition of the journal Investigative Ophthalmology ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- To control the three-dimensional shape of engineered tissue, researchers grow cells on tiny, sponge-like scaffolds. These devices can be implanted into patients or used in the lab to study tissue responses to potential drugs. A team of researchers from MIT, Harvard University and Boston Children's Hospital has now added a new element to tissue scaffolds — electronic sensors. These sensors, made of silicon nanowires, could be used to monitor electrical activity in the tissue surrounding the scaffold, control drug release or screen drug candidates for their ...

Munich, Germany – A balloon pump inserted in the aorta is currently the most widely used support device in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and, since its introduction in 1968, has been used in several million people. However, there is still only limited evidence that the intraaortic balloon pump (IABP), one of the oldest medical devices in cardiology, is actually beneficial for the patient. Only a few registry studies and clinical trials have shown that the IABP can improve blood pressure and the perfusion of the coronary arteries. Based on these studies, international ...

MBL, WOODS HOLE, MA-- Squid's colorful, changeable skin enables the animal--and their close relatives, cuttlefish and octopus--to display extraordinary camouflage, the speed and diversity of which is unmatched in the animal kingdom. But how squid control their skin's iridescence, or light-reflecting property, which is responsible for the animal's sparkly rainbow of color, has been unknown. In a new study, MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) researchers Paloma Gonzalez Bellido and Trevor Wardill and their colleagues report that nerves in squid skin control the animal's ...

Munich, Germany – Rates of stent thrombosis at three years were low and comparable between zotarolimus-eluting and sirolimus-eluting stents, according to findings from the PROTECT study described here today at ESC Congress 2012. Presenting the results, Professor William Wijns from the Cardiovascular Center in Aalst, Belgium, said that the decline in rates of stent thrombosis seen recently and in the PROTECT (Patient Related OuTcomes with Endeavor versus Cypher Stenting) study was probably explained by several factors, including "improvements in patient selection, procedural ...