Key to immune cell's 'internal guidance' system discovered
Researchers have discovered the molecular pathway that enables receptors inside immune cells to find, and flag, fragments of pathogens trying to invade a host. The discovery of the role played by the molecule CD74 could help immunologists investigate treatments that offer better immune responses against cancers, viruses and bacteria, and lead to more efficient vaccines....
POSTED 02/05/2012 at 04:38 PM -- 
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Genetic variant increases risk of common type stroke
A genetic variant that increases the risk of a common type of stroke has been identified by scientists. This is one of the few genetic variants to date to be associated with risk of stroke and the discovery opens up new possibilities for treatment....
POSTED 02/05/2012 at 04:37 PM --
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Early study suggests nanodiamonds safe for implants
As the number of knee and hip joint replacements grows, nanodiamond coatings could answer problems related to metal surfaces....
POSTED 02/05/2012 at 04:37 PM --
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Hearing metaphors activates brain regions involved in sensory experience
New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 06:26 PM --
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Whole exome sequencing identifies cause of metabolic disease
Sequencing a patient's entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine, but geneticists are getting close. A case report shows how researchers can combine a simple blood test with an "executive summary" scan of the genome to diagnose a severe glycosylation disorder....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 06:26 PM --
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Why do cells age? Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging and neurodegenerative diseases
One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brain....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 06:09 PM --
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A lonely heart can make you sick: Middle aged divorced women vulnerable to contracting HIV
Newly divorced middle aged women are more vulnerable to contract HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, according to new research, because they tend to let their guard down with new sexual partners and avoid using protection since they are not afraid of getting pregnant....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 06:09 PM --
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Regular use of vitamin and mineral supplements could reduce the risk of colon cancer, study suggests
Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:15 PM --
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Schooling protects refugee children from disease
Refugee children have scant access to medical care and are particularly vulnerable to disease. Fresh research results show that just a few hours of schooling a week may have a pronounced positive impact on their health not only in childhood but later in life when they achieve adulthood....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:15 PM --
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Placebos and distraction: New study shows how to boost the power of pain relief, without drugs
Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction -- say, doing a puzzle -- relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests they do. When applying a placebo, scientists see activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. That's the part of the brain that controls high-level cognitive functions like working memory and attention -- which is what you use to do that distracting puzzle....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:15 PM --
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Warfarin and aspirin are similar in heart failure treatment, study suggests
In the largest and longest head-to-head comparison of two anti-clotting medications, warfarin and aspirin were similar in preventing deaths and strokes in heart failure patients with normal heart rhythm, according to new research....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:14 PM --
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Rare mutations may help explain aneurysm in high-risk families
An innovative approach to genome screening has provided clues about rare mutations that may make people susceptible to brain aneurysms, predisposing them to brain bleeds, according to preliminary research....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:14 PM --
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Coughing and other respiratory symptoms improve within weeks of smoking cessation
If the proven long-term benefits of smoking cessation are not enough to motivate young adults to stop smoking, a new study shows that 18- to 24-year olds who stop smoking for at least two weeks report substantially fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:11 PM --
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New hope for patients with brain tumors
In the United States, each year, approximately 10,000 patients are affected by recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. Now, a novel investigational device – available only at clinical trial sites – is offering new hope to these patients....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 02:11 PM --
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New drug doesn't improve disability among stroke patients, researchers find
A new drug that showed promise in animal studies and an early clinical trial didn't improve disability among stroke patients, according to new research....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 11:33 AM --
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Clopidogrel with aspirin doesn't prevent more small strokes, may increase risk of bleeding and death, researchers report
The anti-blood clot regimen that adds the drug clopidogrel (Plavix) to aspirin treatment is unlikely to prevent recurrent strokes and may increase the risk of bleeding and death in patients with subcortical stroke, according to new research....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 11:33 AM --
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New device performs better than old for removing blood clots, research shows
An experimental blood clot-removing device outperformed the FDA-approved MERCI; retriever device, according to new research....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 11:33 AM --
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Preference for fatty foods may have genetic roots
A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 11:33 AM --
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Lower levels of sunlight exposure link to allergy and eczema in children, study suggests
Increased exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk of both food allergies and eczema in children, according to a new scientific study....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 11:33 AM --
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New procedure repairs severed nerves in minutes, restoring limb use in days or weeks
Scientists believe a new procedure to repair severed nerves could result in patients recovering in days or weeks, rather than months or years. The team used a cellular mechanism similar to that used by many invertebrates to repair damage to nerve axons....
POSTED 02/03/2012 at 09:24 AM --
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