Archive for July 24th, 2012
Lack of high-quality tissue samples hampers research
July 24th, 2012 | 
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Demand is high and supply low for high-quality samples of tumors, tissues and bodily fluids for research, "increasingly limiting diagnostics entrepreneurs and the investors who back them," Luke Timmerman writes. Diagnostics entrepreneurs should aim to extract the maximum amount of information from the smallest sample, says Veracyte CEO Bonnie Anderson. Getting patients to give informed consent for future use of their samples in various experiments could help alleviate the bottleneck, Timmerman writes.
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YouTube Videos May Help Some Vertigo Patients
Two-thirds of videos posted to the YouTube website accurately depicted the Epley maneuver (EM) for benign positional vertigo, suggesting that such video sharing might help increase use of the procedure, investigators concluded.
The 33 videos attracted close to three million hits (views), including more than 800,000 for a video produced by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN)…
Video-sharing sites on the Internet have proliferated in recent years, the most popular and widely viewed being YouTube.com. Videos posted to the websites include numerous "how-to" demonstrations related to common medical procedures.
Study links high antioxidant intake with lower pancreatic cancer risk
Eating an antioxidant-rich diet may lower the risk for pancreatic cancer, according to a study published online in the journal Gut. Researchers tracking the health of more than 23,500 people who kept a food diary found that those with the highest dietary intake of selenium and vitamins C and E had a 67% lower risk of pancreatic cancer than those with the lowest intake of the three antioxidants. The observational study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, researchers caution.
HealthDay News
HealthDay News
Study looks at brain changes in institutionalized children
MRI scans of 74 Romanian children revealed that those who remained in institutions had less white matter and electrical activity in their brains compared with foster care children and those who had never lived in an institution. Researchers said the brain changes may be part of the reason that institutionalized children are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders than other children. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Tribune Co. could sell Chicago newspaper, radio station next year
Tribune Co.'s scheduled emergence from bankruptcy protection in 2013 could trigger the sale of its main newspaper in Chicago, as well as other holdings in the city that has been the company's base since 1847. Among the holdings that could go on the block are WGN Radio, Chicago magazine and the iconic, neo-Gothic Tribune Tower.
Aging Heart Cells Rejuvenated by Modified Stem Cells
Damaged and aged heart tissue of older heart failure patients was rejuvenated by stem cells modified by scientists, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2012 Scientific Sessions.
Genetic entrepreneur to compete in Genomics X Prize
A race to unlock genetic clues behind living to 100 is set to begin next year, after a US team announced it will compete for the $10m Genomics X Prize.