Improves in Biological News

Technology improves salmon passage at hydropower dams

SPOKANE, Wash. - Acoustic tags and numerical river models are two technologies developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that are helping improve salmon passage at the Columbia Basin's hydroelectric dams. PNNL researchers will discuss these tech...

Army study improves ability to predict drinking water needs

AUDIO: When soldiers leave base for a three-day mission, how much water should they bring? Dr. Samuel Cheuvront of the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine t...

New, less invasive genetic test greatly improves pregnancy rates in older women with poor prognosis

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: A new test examining chromosomes in human eggs a few hours after fertilisation can identify those that are capable of forming a healthy baby, a researcher told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Monday 29 June)...

Taste, odor intervention improves cancer therapy, according to Virginia Tech, Wake Forest study

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 30, 2009 Cancer and its therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, may directly alter and damage taste and odor perception, possibly leading to patient malnutrition, and in severe cases, significant morbidity, according to a Virginia Tech Wake Forest University Co...

Queen's University Belfast improves Malaysian public health

Queen's University and University of Malaya (UM) today announced the establishment of the Centre for Population Health in Malaysia. This is the first Centre of its kind in improving the health of Malaysians. Examining the communities in terms of their diet and disease, conducting research i...

Study finds 'rescue course' of antenatal steroids improves outcome in premature babies

WASHINGTON, DC In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, researchers will unveil findings that show that premature babies born before 34 weeks have a 31 percent reduction in serious complications when given a "rescue course" of Antenatal ...

Replacing corn with perennial grasses improves carbon footprint of biofuels

Converting forests or fields to biofuel crops can increase or decrease greenhouse gas emissions, depending on where and which biofuel crops are used, University of Illinois researchers report this month. The researchers analyzed data from dozens of studies to determine how planting new biofue...

Microarray analysis improves prenatal diagnosis

HOUSTON -- (Nov. 17, 2008) -- A "chip" or array that can quickly detect disorders such as Down syndrome or other diseases associated with chromosomal abnormalities proved an effective tool in prenatal diagnosis in a series of 300 cases at Baylor College of Medicine, said researchers in a report th...

For insulin sensitive overweight patients, 1 session of exercise improves metabolic health

HILTON HEAD, SCOne out of every three Americans is obese. These individuals are at greater risk for additional diseases, since obesity leads to other health problems, such as diabetes. Obesity-related complications are associated with an abnormal fat metabolism in the muscle. As a result, a...

Coating improves electrical stimulation therapy used for Parkinson's, depression, chronic pain

DALLAS Sept. 16, 2008 Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have designed a way to improve electrical stimulation of nerves by outfitting electrodes with the latest in chemically engineered fashion: a coating of basic black, formed from carbon nanotubes. The nanotube sheathing improve...

Pictures of hot fudge sundaes arouse: Understanding emotions improves our food choices

Menus and advertising affect our emotions, and if we understand those emotions, we make better food choices, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research . Authors Blair Kidwell, David M. Hardesty, and Terry L. Childers (all University of Kentucky) examined the "emotional intel...

JDRF-funded clinical trial demonstrates continuous glucose monitoring improves blood sugar control

NEW YORK, September 8, 2008 Patients with type 1 diabetes who used continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices to help manage their disease experienced significant improvements in blood sugar control, according to initial results of a major multicenter clinical trial funded by the Juvenile Diabet...

CAPHOSOL relieves oral mucositis and improves quality-of-life in cancer patients

PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2008 New data show that CAPHOSOL ( www.caphosol.com ), an advanced electrolyte solution, relieves painful oral mucositis (OM) and improves quality of life for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These data will be reported in two separate presenta...

More than words: childbirth training change improves safety, cuts unnecessary procedures

CHAPEL HILL Relatively inexpensive interventions were effective in helping health care providers in Latin America improve the way they treat mothers during labor and delivery, reducing bleeding and sometimes saving lives of women during childbirth, according to a University of North Carolina at C...

New surgery improves head and neck cancer treatment

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A new surgical procedure for head and neck cancer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers improved accuracy for surgeons and reduced post-operative pain for patients. The new procedure uses robotic surgery, and results have shown it lessens the scarring, breathing p...

Herceptin and chemo improves response rates without major adverse effects in HER2 breast cancer

Berlin, Germany: Women with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer seem to do better if they are treated with a combined anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy regimen before surgery, together with trastuzumab (Herceptin) before and after surgery, according to results from the largest mult...

Stem-cell transplantation improves muscles in MD animal model, UT Southwestern researchers report

DALLAS Jan. 20, 2008 Using embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy and more importantly, functioning muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study represents the first time t...

New clinical data shows chromium picolinate improves cognitive function

PURCHASE, N.Y., December 13, 2007 Nutrition 21, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXI), a leading developer and marketer of chromium-based and omega-3 fish oil-based nutritional supplements, today announced the results of a clinical study that showed daily supplementation with 1000 mcg of chromium as chromium picol...

Teamwork improves learning and career success

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- A two-year study of college students at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) proves that students learn better and develop higher-level skills by participating in cooperative (team) activities, compared to traditional classroom teaching methods. Elsa Snchez and Richard...

Endobronchial valve significantly improves emphysema

CHICAGO, Oct. 22 Emphysema patients whose lungs are implanted with a pencil eraser-sized, one-way endobronchial valve experience significantly improved measures of lung function and report better quality of life, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researcher Frank C. Sciurba, M.D., repor...

Exercise improves thinking, reduces diabetes risk in overweight children

Just three months of daily, vigorous physical activity in overweight children improves their thinking and reduces their diabetes risk, researchers say. Studies of about 200 overweight, inactive children ages 7-11 also showed that a regular exercise program reduces body fat and improves bone den...

Statin treatment improves spatial memory in mouse models of Alzheimer's

Treatment with Simvastatin, one of the statin drugs widely used for lowering cholesterol in humans, significantly improved spatial memory - how to navigate a water maze - in mice genetically bred to have an Alzheimer’s like disease. Although statin improved memory in both males and females, the res...

New knowledge improves rice quality

A major international initiative is being launched to try to boost the income of the world’s millions of poor rice farmers and at the same time provide consumers with more nutritious, better tasting food. New scientific knowledge is allowing rice researchers to develop better quality rice varieti...

HIV survival improves if patients stay in care

People with HIV who drop out of care do not live as long as those who remain under a doctor's treatment, said Baylor College of Medicine and Veterans Affairs researchers in a report published in the June 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and available on line. "In an era when highly active...

Switching genes to overdrive improves muscular dystrophy symptoms in mice

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown in a laboratory study that revving up a crucial set of muscle genes counteracts the damage caused by a form of muscular dystrophy. Reporting in the April 1 issue of Genes and Development, the researchers demonstrated that manipulating a geneti...

Mutation improves memory, may lead to memory-enhancing pill

A mind-altering mutation in mice results in an enhanced long-term memory, researchers report in the April 6, 2007 issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press. These findings point to a potential target for the development of a drug to treat memory loss, according to the researchers. The re...

Chemo combination improves survival in asbestos-related cancer

People with mesothelioma ?a form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure ?have a higher survival rate when treated with a combination of two cancer drugs, a large multicenter study finds. Mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer that occurs in the lining of the lungs, heart and abdo...

Drug treatment improves learning in mice with Down syndrome symptoms, Stanford/Packard study shows

A once-a-day, short-term treatment with a drug compound substantially improved learning and memory in mice with Down syndrome symptoms, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. What’s more, the gains lasted for months after the treatment ...

Heart smart: new drug improves blood flow

A new drug has been shown to improve blood flow in diseased arteries, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks, a Monash University study published today reveals. The finding is a significant development for the Monash team that, in conjunction with Bayer Health Care, hopes to ...

Brain protein improves stroke symptoms in rats, even when injected after 3 days

A protein naturally occurring in the brain improves recovery from stroke when injected up to three days after the onset of the stroke, and could be used as an effective stroke drug. A study in rats published today in the open access journal BMC Biology shows that an injection of Granulocyte-Colony ...

Melatonin improves mood in winter depression

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University(OHSU) have found that melatonin, a naturally occurring brain substance, can relieve the doldrums of winter depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. The study is publishing online this week in the Proceedings of the National...

Quitting smoking improves lung function considerably

For smokers with asthma, quitting smoking can improve lung function test scores by more than 15 percent in less than two months. The findings appear in the second issue for July 2006 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society. ...

Viagra improves high altitude exercise performance up to 45% for some

Sildenafil (Viagra) significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude, mostly because the drug helped some participants improve a lot -- up to 45% -- while others showed little change. Sildenafil provided no benefit at sea level. Ten ...

Man-made heart tissue improves cardiac performance

Researchers have developed a method to engineer blood vessels within the tissue of previously engineered heart muscle. Trials have resulted in significant improvement in heart function. The study is published in the journal Artificial Organs. With heart disorders affecting individuals globall...

One fish, two fish: New MIT sensor improves fish counts

Researchers at MIT have found a new way of looking beneath the ocean surface that could help definitively determine whether fish populations are shrinking. A remote sensor system developed by Associate Professor Nicholas Makris of mechanical engineering, along with others at MIT, Northeastern Uni...

Cell therapy slows progression of an inherited neurological disease; Improves motor skills in mice

In an important discovery, scientists have demonstrated that the progression of a type of genetic brain disease is slowed and symptoms are improved in mice that received cell transplants. The new study, published in the March 22 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience , may have implications for de...

Combination therapy improves AIDS-related lymphoma outcome

Combining aggressive HIV therapy and chemotherapy significantly improves the survival rates of HIV-positive men and women treated for lymphoma, according to a new study. Published in the April 1, 2006 issue of CANCER ( http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom ), a peer-reviewed journal ...

Stem cell treatment improves mobility after spinal cord injury

A treatment derived from human embryonic stem cells improves mobility in rats with spinal cord injuries, providing the first physical evidence that the therapeutic use of these cells can help restore motor skills lost from acute spinal cord tissue damage. Hans Keirstead and his colleagues in the ...

Product improves peptide identification for proteomics research

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced a high-performance ion trap mass spectrometer (MS) that allows pharmaceutical and academic life-science researchers to identify 60 to 80 percent more peptides than preceding models in proteomics applications, such as protein identification and bi...

Bevacizumab Combined With Chemotherapy Improves Progression-Free Survival for Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer

Preliminary results from a large, randomized clinical trial for patients with previously untreated recurrent or metastatic breast cancer ?cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body ?show that those patients who received bevacizumab (Avastin? in combination with standard chemo...