http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The majority of fatal cases of malaria are caused by infection with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Most at risk are young children and women who are pregnant. A team of researchers, led by Patrick Duffy, at the National Institutes of Health, Rockville, has now developed an approach to profile P. falciparum parasites in such a way that they are able to identify parasite genes associated with severe infection. http://phys.org/news216307445.html Biology Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:24:17 EST news216307445 The type of bacteria that colonize the placenta during pregnancy could be associated with preterm birth and other developmental problems in newborns according to research published in the current issue of the online journal mBio. http://phys.org/news215360351.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:19:36 EST news215360351 (PhysOrg.com) -- New proteomics technology could detect risk for heart disease and cancer from a single drop of blood. http://phys.org/news215259929.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:25:50 EST news215259929 A new study shows that a test of biomarkers for DNA methylation is technically feasible and could aid in earlier, more precise diagnosis of melanoma. http://phys.org/news215087579.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:33:08 EST news215087579 Research is trying to determine whether Alzheimer's disease might be slowed or prevented with nutritional approaches, but a new study suggests those efforts could be improved by use of nutrient "biomarkers" to objectively assess the nutrient status of elderly people at risk for dementia. http://phys.org/news214842047.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:21:59 EST news214842047 Cancer researchers have long hypothesized that tumors release small amounts of proteins that could serve as earlier diagnostic indicators of cancer, but the search for such biomarkers has been hampered by the presence of large quantities of other proteins, such albumin, found in the blood and by the fact that these trace proteins are often unstable in blood. Now, an international research team from the United States and Italy has shown that it can use a new type of nanoparticle to selectively trap specific families of proteins from blood and protect them from degradation by enzymes in blood. http://phys.org/news214658355.html Nanotechnology Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:19:25 EST news214658355 Using biological samples taken from patients and state-of-the-art biochemical techniques, a Florida State University researcher is working to identify a variety of "biomarkers" that might provide earlier warnings of the presence of breast and prostate cancers. http://phys.org/news213884909.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:00:03 EST news213884909 While most blood tests require shipping a vial of blood to a laboratory for analysis and waiting several days for the results, a new device invented by a team of engineers and students at the University of Rhode Island uses just a pinprick of blood in a portable device that provides results in less than 30 minutes. http://phys.org/news213858974.html Chemistry Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:16:36 EST news213858974 Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, have developed a novel technology that is able to detect the presence of immune molecules specific to Alzheimer's disease in patients' blood samples. While still preliminary, the findings offer clear proof that this breakthrough technology could be used in the development of biomarkers for a range of human diseases. http://phys.org/news213538986.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:23:25 EST news213538986 A lung transplant can mean a new chance at life. But many who receive one develop a debilitating, fatal condition that causes scar tissue to build up in the lungs and chokes off the ability to breathe. http://phys.org/news212931283.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:35:07 EST news212931283 In the war on cancer, perhaps there is nothing more powerful in a physician's arsenal than early detection. Despite recent advances in early detection and treatment, breast cancer remains a common and significant health problem in the United States and worldwide. Approximately one in ten women will get breast cancer in their lifetime and more than half of women with late stage cancer (II and III) have no cure or effective therapeutic available. http://phys.org/news211715113.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:10:01 EST news211715113 A professor from the University of the West of England will present her inaugural lecture on bioluminesence and give insight into how this natural phenomenon has been used to make biomarkers that are making exciting breakthroughs in several areas of health research. http://phys.org/news210250537.html Biology Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:55:48 EST news210250537 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dr. Dan Mercola has identified genetic biomarkers -- or 'fingerprints' -- of prostate cancer that yield specific information about tumors, permitting earlier detection and more effective treatment. http://phys.org/news209726357.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:19:25 EST news209726357 Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors of childhood, with 40 to 50 percent overall mortality. One of the greatest challenges in treating them is that they vary substantially from patient to patient. In the largest genomic study of human medulloblastomas to date, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston, together with collaborators, have identified six subtypes with distinct molecular "fingerprints" that will improve doctors' ability to direct and individualize treatment. http://phys.org/news209665996.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:33:43 EST news209665996 Researchers at the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital have utilized proteomic technologies to discover proteins secreted by thyroid cancer cell lines to identify and characterize potential biomarkers for the future management of thyroid carcinomas. http://phys.org/news209138976.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:20:01 EST news209138976 Published in Nature Communications, NRC researchers have developed a tool to determine which breast cancer patients have little risk of their disease recurring. The tool -- an algorithm that identifies "gene expression signatures" or biomarkers that can predict low risk tumors with 87-100 percent accuracy in different groups of patients -- has the potential to virtually eliminate unnecessary chemotherapy. http://phys.org/news208459706.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:10:01 EST news208459706 A new study by researchers from the University of Bristol, presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) conference today, has found potential new biomarkers for very early prostate cancer in men with no symptoms of the disease. http://phys.org/news208428055.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:50:01 EST news208428055 A study funded by the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC), has identified a common signature of nerve damage in the brains of MND patients. http://phys.org/news208100647.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:00:05 EST news208100647 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Glasgow have developed a simple test to detect coronary artery disease by analysing urine samples. http://phys.org/news207910435.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:30:06 EST news207910435 The future of cancer diagnosis may lie in just a few milliliters of blood, according to a research team led by Professor Arie Admon of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. http://phys.org/news207391308.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:42:04 EST news207391308 Measuring three biomarkers in a single blood sample may improve physicians' ability to identify patients at high risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. http://phys.org/news206901542.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:50:01 EST news206901542 A set of proteins found in blood serum shows promise as a sensitive and accurate way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found as part of a statewide study. http://phys.org/news205519260.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:41:33 EST news205519260 Using a novel aptamer-based proteomics array technology, researchers and collaborators have identified biomarkers and protein signatures that are hallmarks of cancer at an early stage for two of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer — pancreatic and mesothelioma. http://phys.org/news204908427.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:10:01 EST news204908427 An initial analysis suggests that biomarkers in blood serum can be combined with clinical information to accurately classify patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://phys.org/news203614703.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:00:02 EST news203614703 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers used a yeast model to map epigenetic processes-- those that influence gene expression -- in cells as they undergo sperm formation. Understanding the process can help explain how it goes awry in cases of human male infertility. They found several sites on proteins that may be important epigenetic regulators of sperm and egg formation: Novel chemical changes key to gamete formation could be potential biomarkers of human male infertility. http://phys.org/news201797696.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:20:01 EST news201797696 A "signature" consisting of three biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid was present in 90 percent of patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease but also was found in more than one-third of cognitively normal older adults, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://phys.org/news200581438.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:00:02 EST news200581438 Though a valuable weapon against cancerous tumors, radiation therapy often harms healthy tissue as it tries to kill malignant cells. Now, Prof. Israel Gannot of Tel Aviv University's Department of Biomedical Engineering is developing a new way to destroy tumors with fewer side effects and minimal damage to surrounding tissue. http://phys.org/news200582340.html Nanotechnology Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:19:30 EST news200582340 A new article in press of the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters unveils groundbreaking research on the hydrothermal formation of Clay-Carbonate rocks in the Nili Fossae region of Mars. The findings may provide a link to evidence of living organisms on Mars, roughly 4 billion years ago in the Noachian period. http://phys.org/news199638367.html Space & Earth Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:20:01 EST news199638367 The recent discovery of more than a thousand genes known as large intergenic non-coding RNAs (or "lincRNAs") opened up a new approach to understanding the function and organization of the genome. That surprising breakthrough is now made even more compelling with the finding that dozens of these lincRNAs are induced by p53 (the most commonly mutated gene in cancer), suggesting that this class of genes plays a critical role in cell development and regulation. http://phys.org/news199625236.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:27:32 EST news199625236 Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have used a newly discovered class of biomarkers to investigate the possibility that the shape of brain protein deposits is different in people with Alzheimer's who have the highest-risk gene type than in those with the condition who have a neutral risk gene type. The study is being presented July 14 at the 2010 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu, Hawaii. http://phys.org/news198344287.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:00:02 EST news198344287