Studies and Analyses

OHSU study flies in face of belief that plasticity causes stem cells to transform

An Oregon Health & Science University study is defying a long-accepted assertion among many scientists that stem cells repair diseased tissue by transforming into other cell types in a process called plasticity.

The first study from OHSU’s new Oregon Stem Cell Center, published in the current issue of the journal Nature Medicine, found that mature macrophages derived from bone marrow stem

A new University of Southampton study concludes that kiwi fruit appears to be a significant food allergen capable of causing severe reactions, particularly in young children with other allergic reactions. The study, which was funded by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), highlights the increasing incidence of allergic reaction to the popular tropical fruit.

The research team believes that the increase in allergic symptoms can be explained by the demonstrable rise in the incidence of food aller

People who have early stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could be more capable of learning than previously thought, according to two new studies supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The promising studies suggest that some people with early cognitive impairment can still be taught to recall important information and to better perform daily tasks.

In a July 2004 report, researchers in Miami, FL, found mildly impaired AD patients who pa

In a knowledge-based economy, where new ideas and scientific knowledge are central to innovation and growth, investment in human resources in science & technology (S&T) is an essential factor to remain competitive. Europe is top of the class as the world’s biggest ‘S&T brain factory’ with graduate numbers (2.14 million in 2000) above that of the US (2.07 million) and Japan (1.1 million). In fact, 26% of all graduates in Europe come from an S&T field in comparison with 21% in Japan and 17% in the US.

A study of patients with kidney cancer has shown that radiofrequency ablation, a minimally invasive, kidney-sparing procedure, can be a successful treatment option for patients whose cancer has not spread beyond the kidney, report researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Results from the three year study, which evaluated 22 patients who received the treatment, are published in the July issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. The treatment uses computed tomography to guide

Oxford geneticists have closed in on the genetic basis for risk factors of metabolic diseases such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes.

Studying 1,300 patients and healthy volunteers from over 400 families across Oxfordshire, the research team located several variations in the DNA sequence of the lipid phosphate SHIP2 gene which are associated with an increased risk for a cluster of common and increasingly frequent disorders, referred to as the ’metabolic syndrome’ or ’Syn