Latest National Institute Stories
Faithful females who choose good providers key to evolutionary shift to modern family, study finds In early human evolution, when faithful females began to choose good providers as mates, pair-bonding replaced promiscuity, laying the foundation for the emergence of the institution of the modern family, a new study finds. The study helps answer long-standing questions in evolutionary biology about how the modern family, characterized by intense, social attachments with exclusive mates,...
Study proposals could reduce screening costs by around 25 percent Research carried out at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, has concluded that it would be a safe and cost-effective strategy to screen people with type 2 diabetes who have not yet developed diabetic retinopathy, for the disease once every two years instead of annually. The research is supported by funding from the National Institute for Health Research Peninsula Collaboration for...
Molecular mechanisms involved in the switch-on of the temperature sensor TRPM2 by hydrogen peroxide have been clarified Macrophages playing an important role in the immune system eat and fight against pathogens and foreign substances in the very beginning of infection. In this condition, macrophages produce reactive oxygen species for sterilization. However, the relation with the temperature sensor was not previously known. Professor Makoto TOMINAGA from National Institute for...
New mathematical model explains how hosts survive parasite attacks In nature, how do host species survive parasite attacks? This has not been well understood, until now. A new mathematical model shows that when a host and its parasite each have multiple traits governing their interaction, the host has a unique evolutionary advantage that helps it survive. The results are important because they might help explain how humans as well as plants and animals evolve to withstand parasite...
LONDON, February 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN; LSE:SN), the global medical technology business, today announced the results of a new study for its BIRMINGHAM HIP(TM) Resurfacing (BHR) System. The study, carried out at the request of the FDA, followed the progress of the first 400 BHR patients in the United Kingdom and found that after 10 years, 99% were either satisfied or extremely satisfied with their BHR procedure. "These results further exemplify why...
King's College London researchers produce the first animal product-free clinical grade human embryonic stem cell lines intended for public benefit Stem cell scientists at King's College London will today (Tuesday 6 December) announce they have submitted to the UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB) their first clinical grade human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines that are free from animal-derived products, known as 'xeno-free' stem cells. The cells, which have the potential to become the 'gold...
The research group headed by Professor Atsushi Nambu (The National Institute for Physiological Sciences) and Professor Masahiko Takada (Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University) has shown that the 'oscillatory' nature of electrical signals in subcortical nuclei, the basal ganglia, causes severe motor deficits in Parkinson's disease, by disturbing the information flow of motor commands. The group also found that chemical inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus (a structure of the basal...
Advances in DNA testing could open the door for more expensive cancer treatments to be approved, as well as more personalized treatment options to emerge, one expert told Telegraph Medical Correspondent Stephen Adams on Saturday. Matthew Seymour, director of the National Cancer Research Network (NCRN), told Adams that genetic testing techniques were advancing so rapidly that doctors could soon administer such an exam to find out which types of medicine would work best for them. That, in...
New public-private initiative set to change the way we age by encourages exercise, physical activity for older adults. Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) October 21, 2011 The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), a professional association that leads, connects and defines the active-aging industry, announces that it is joining the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the NIH in Go4Life, a new national exercise and physical activity campaign for people age 50+. The goal of Go4Life is to provide...
An effective recovery has been observed in stroke patients and those with spinal cord injuries who have strong vitality and motivation to rehabilitate in clinical practice. However, it was not really clear how motivation facilitates functional recovery in brain science. The joint research team consisting of Associate Professor Yukio NISHIMURA, and Professor Tadashi ISA from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Dr. Hirotaka ONOE, Team Leader in the Functional Probe Research...
