http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers used the placebo effect to successfully treat psoriasis patients with one quarter to one half of their usual dose of a widely used steroid medication, according to an early study published online today in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Early results in human patients suggest that the new technique could improve treatment for several chronic diseases that involve mental state or the immune system, including asthma, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. http://www.physorg.com/news180705596.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:20:01 EST news180705596 A groundbreaking discovery two years ago that turned ordinary skin cells back into an embryonic or "pluripotent" state was hailed as the solution to the controversial ethical question that has plagued stem-cell science for the past decade. http://www.physorg.com/news179673740.html Biology Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:50:01 EST news179673740 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the skin that acts surprisingly like certain stem cells found in embryos: both can generate fat, bone, cartilage, and even nerve cells. These newly-described dermal stem cells may one day prove useful for treating neurological disorders and persistent wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, says Freda Miller, an HHMI international research scholar. http://www.physorg.com/news179399989.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:20:29 EST news179399989 (PhysOrg.com) -- Clinical trials comparing a spray-on skin product with skin grafts will start in the US in December. The trials, which are partly funded by a US army grant of $1.4 million, will last about a year and will involve 106 patients with second degree burns. The product, ReCell, has been available for some time in Europe, Australia, Malaysia and elsewhere, and was approved for use in China earlier this year. http://www.physorg.com/news178271249.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:50:02 EST news178271249 Scientists have for the first time produced liver cells from adult skin cells using the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. http://www.physorg.com/news175259173.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:20:01 EST news175259173 (PhysOrg.com) -- While some scientists have argued that cancer is such a complex genetic disease that you'd have to sequence a person's complete genome in order to predict his or her cancer risk, a University of California, Berkeley, cell biologist suggests that the risk may be more simply determined by inexpensively culturing a few skin cells. http://www.physorg.com/news174836673.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:45:43 EST news174836673 (PhysOrg.com) -- With new stem cell lines generated directly from the cells of patients, researchers are able to study how the genetic disorder known as Angelman syndrome develops. http://www.physorg.com/news174759775.html Biology Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:23:14 EST news174759775 Scientists at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have successfully produced liver cells from patients' skin cells opening the possibility of treating a wide range of diseases that affect liver function. The study was led by Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., Marcus Professor in Human and Molecular Genetics, and professor of cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy, along with postdoctoral fellow Karim Si-Tayeb, Ph.D., and graduate student Ms. Fallon Noto. http://www.physorg.com/news174245427.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:30:01 EST news174245427 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers has made a major advance toward producing induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, that are safe enough to use in treating diseases in patients. http://www.physorg.com/news174235034.html Biology Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:10:01 EST news174235034 Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine assistant professor of pediatrics, neurosciences and otolaryngology, Stephen M. Maricich, M.D., Ph.D., and his team found that Merkel cells originate in the skin, not the neural crest lineage, as previously speculated. http://www.physorg.com/news173714691.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:20:02 EST news173714691 European scientists said Sunday they could explain why nicotine patches designed to help smokers kick their habit can cause skin irritation. http://www.physorg.com/news172073080.html Medicine & Health Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:20:01 EST news172073080 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have uncovered a new role played by Vitamin C in protecting the skin. http://www.physorg.com/news171707493.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:44:01 EST news171707493 (PhysOrg.com) -- Nevermind facial masks and exfoliating scrubs, skin takes care of itself. Stem cells located within the skin actively generate differentiating cells that can ultimately form either the body surface or the hairs that emanate from it. In addition, these stem cells are able to replenish themselves, continually rejuvenating skin and hair. Now, researchers at Rockefeller University have identified two proteins that enable these skin stem cells to undertake this continuous process of self-renewal. http://www.physorg.com/news171221180.html Biology Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:30:03 EST news171221180 Drawing on the power of DNA sequencing, National Institutes of Health researchers have identified a new group of genetic mutations involved in the deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma. This discovery is particularly encouraging because some of the mutations, which were found in nearly one-fifth of melanoma cases, reside in a gene already targeted by a drug approved for certain types of breast cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news170945921.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:59:07 EST news170945921 (PhysOrg.com) -- Manipulating tiny objects like single cells or nanosized beads often requires relatively large, unwieldy equipment, but now a system that uses sound as a tiny tweezers can be small enough to place on a chip, according to Penn State engineers. http://www.physorg.com/news170686724.html Nanotechnology Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:59:38 EST news170686724 Scientists have uncovered a vital link in the chain of events that gives stem cells their remarkable properties. http://www.physorg.com/news169989830.html Biology Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:40:01 EST news169989830 (PhysOrg.com) -- Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have substantially improved the odds of successfully reprogramming differentiated cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) by blocking the activity of the gene that instructs the cells to stop dividing. http://www.physorg.com/news169136061.html Biology Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:00:01 EST news169136061 A collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered that the tumor suppressor p53, which made its name as "guardian of the genome", not only stops cells that could become cancerous in their tracks but also controls somatic cell reprogramming. http://www.physorg.com/news169051420.html Medicine & Health Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:44:33 EST news169051420 Researchers from the University of Bath are embarking on a project to use stem cell technology that could reduce the number of animal experiments used to study conditions such as motor neurone disease. http://www.physorg.com/news168599961.html Biology Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:19:56 EST news168599961 (PhysOrg.com) -- A research team comprised of faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center (LSBC) and investigators at CellThera, a private company also located at the LSBC, has discovered a novel way to turn on stem cell genes in human fibroblasts (skin cells) without the risks associated with inserting extra genes or using viruses. This discovery opens a new avenue for reprogramming cells that could eventually lead to treatments for a range of human diseases and traumatic injuries by coaxing a patient's own cells to repair and regenerate the damaged tissues. http://www.physorg.com/news168097310.html Biology Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:30:01 EST news168097310 In a paper publishing online July 23 in Cell Stem Cell, a Cell Press journal, Dr. Shaorong Gao and colleagues from the National Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing, China, report an important advance in the characterization of reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. http://www.physorg.com/news167569781.html Biology Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:10:08 EST news167569781 Cancerous tumors sometimes form at the site of chronic wounds or injury, but the reason why is not entirely clear. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered mice with a persistent wound-like skin condition, and the mice are helping them understand the tumor-promoting effects of long-standing wounds and injuries. http://www.physorg.com/news166104028.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:30:02 EST news166104028 (PhysOrg.com) -- UCLA researchers have found that embryonic stem cells and skin cells reprogrammed into embryonic-like cells have inherent molecular differences, demonstrating for the first time that the two cell types are clearly distinguishable from one another. http://www.physorg.com/news165756445.html Biology Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:28:03 EST news165756445 (PhysOrg.com) -- When stem cell researchers in Japan and the United States announced in 2007 that they had developed long-sought methods to return fully developed adult human cells to an embryonic-like state, the world of stem cell research was turned upside down. http://www.physorg.com/news165507466.html Biology Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:18:14 EST news165507466 More than one kind of stem cell is required to support the upkeep and repair of the lungs, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. http://www.physorg.com/news163343671.html Biology Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:15:04 EST news163343671 The technology for versatile, grow-in-a-dish transplant tissue took a step toward clinical use Thursday when researchers announced they have found a safe way to turn skin cells into stem cells. http://www.physorg.com/news162740887.html Biology Thu, 28 May 2009 14:48:23 EST news162740887 (AP) -- A research institute devoted to Alzheimer's and related diseases has teamed up with a major maker of diagnostic tests to speed development of what could be the first test to detect Alzheimer's in its early stages. http://www.physorg.com/news162627378.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 May 2009 07:17:20 EST news162627378 Many young children who get a severe skin rash develop asthma months or years later. Doctors call the progression from eczema, or atopic dermatitis, to breathing problems the atopic march. In this week's issue of PLoS Biology, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report another step taken towards understanding the process of atopic march. Their findings show that a substance that is secreted by damaged skin can circulate through the body and trigger asthmatic symptoms in laboratory mice when exposed to eczema-causing or dermatitis-causing agents, also known as allergens. http://www.physorg.com/news161933500.html Biology Tue, 19 May 2009 06:32:27 EST news161933500 For years, genes have been considered the one and only way biological traits could be passed down through generations of organisms. Not anymore. http://www.physorg.com/news161864762.html Biology Mon, 18 May 2009 11:26:52 EST news161864762 Even cells aren't immune to peer pressure. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have now shown that skin cells can be coaxed to behave like muscle cells -- and muscle cells like skin cells -- solely by altering who they hang out with: the relative levels of the ingredients inside the cell. http://www.physorg.com/news160754538.html Biology Tue, 05 May 2009 15:02:52 EST news160754538