If two dogs are any indication, veterinary researchers may have found a cure for a previously incurable disease that causes dogs to go blind suddenly. In the past six weeks, two dogs have been successfully treated for sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome by a veterinary ophthalmologist.
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Scientists have demonstrated in the laboratory that the Casimir force — the small attractive force that acts between two close parallel uncharged conducting plates — can be changed using a beam of light, making the remote operation of micromachines a possibility.
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Veterinarians who work with birds are at increased risk for infection with avian influenza virus and should be among those with priority access to pandemic influenza vaccines and antivirals, according to a new study. The study showed that, compared with the control group, the veterinarians who worked with birds had significantly higher levels of antibodies in their blood against the H5, H6 and H7 avian virus strains, indicating previous infections with these viruses.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Torisel (temsirolimus) for the treatment of a certain type of advanced kidney cancer known as renal cell carcinoma. Torisel was approved based on a study that showed use of the drug prolonged survival of patients with renal cell carcinoma. The drug is an enzyme inhibitor, a protein that regulates cell production, cell growth and cell survival.
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The simple notion of copying the body’s own natural “waste disposal” chemistry to mop up potentially toxic nitrogen has saved an estimated 80 percent of patients with urea cycle disorders — most of them children — according to a report in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine summarizing a quarter century of experience with the treatment.
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People with a class of rare genetic disorders that often lead to brain damage, coma and death can be successfully treated with drugs, says a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.
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Both national and international guidelines on the use of mobile phones in the provision of clinical care are urgently needed, according to a recent article. Healthcare systems are increasing looking to developments in mobile communication technology to help improve the provision of care to people with long-term conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension and coronary heart disease.
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NASA and Columbia University Earth Institute research finds that human-made greenhouse gases have brought the Earth’s climate close to critical tipping points, with potentially dangerous consequences for the planet. Tipping points can occur during climate change when the climate reaches a state such that strong amplifying feedbacks are activated by only moderate additional warming.
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Exposure to pesticides and traumatic head injury may have a causative role in Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study. And the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease increases according to the level of exposure, the results showed. People who had been exposed to low levels of pesticides were found to be 1.13 times as likely to have Parkinson’s disease compared with those who had never been exposed. Those who had been exposed to high levels of pesticides were 1.41 times as likely to be affected.
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A new study shows that growth factors and the environment combine to increase brain maturation. Recent studies have demonstrated that rodents’ brains are sensitive to the influences of the environment and in particular that maturation of the visual system is accelerated in an enriched environment, where animals can explore new objects, engage in physical exercise and play. The aim of this new research was to clarify the molecular mechanisms that control this phenomenon.
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