New Treatment for Bone Re-Growth
A drug originally used to treat iron poisoning has been found to significantly boost the body's own ability to heal and re-grow injured bones, according to a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Researchers injected the drug desferoxamine (or DF), which is designed to reduce iron overload, into injured mouse bones. DF was found to trigger the growth of new blood vessels, which in turn initiated bone re-growth and healing. The bone density surrounding the injury more than doubled to 2.6 cubic millimeters in treated bones versus 1.2 cubic millimeters in untreated bones. Researchers say the blood vessel growth and bone healing was achieved through a cell pathway that helps the body respond to low oxygen levels, a common problem when bone fracture and disease affect blood supply.
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FISH on Chips and ...Cancer?
New diagnostic technology developed at the University of Alberta will allow for a quicker and more effective diagnosis of cancer, uniquely called fish-on-a-chip. The so-called FISH (or "fluorescent in situ hybridization") is a test that checks for a mutation of chromosomes in several different types of cancer. While thought to be highly effective, FISH tests had been used only in clinical trials because of their expense and time involvement.
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Marijuana Brain Study
Some might say that marijuana is not a dangerous drug overall. But new research released today suggests that it can have a profound negative impact on the development of the adolescent brain, and maybe even predispose one to schizophrenia. With the drinking age at 21, many teens turn to marijuana as a way to get high. And many would argue, that given the two evils, marijuana is a lesser one. That can be debated at length, but consider the new research which shows that adolescents who are heavy pot smokers have visual changes on their brain scans--showing diminished development in key areas, which are important for higher level thinking.
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