July 28, 2021

Researchers question prevailing Alzheimer’s theory with new discovery

Scientists at UC say restoring a brain protein, not removing amyloid plaques, should be the target. Experts estimate more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. But a recent study, led by the University of Cincinnati, sheds new light on the disease and a highly debated new drug […]
July 27, 2021

'Zombie cells' hold clues to spinal cord injury repair

Mammals have a poor ability to recover after a spinal cord injury which can result in paralysis. A main reason for this is the formation of a complex scar associated with chronic inflammation that produces a cellular microenvironment that blocks tissue repair. Now, a research team led by Leonor Saude, […]
July 26, 2021

Castration Delays Epigenetic Aging in Male Sheep

Castration is known to extend life in male sheep. Researchers here show that epigenetic clocks constructed for this species show the expected slowing of epigenetic aging following castration. This is a way to dig deeper into the question of how it is that females live longer than males in mammalian […]
July 26, 2021

Largest-Ever Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Study Identifies Potential Treatment Targets

Scientists have completed the largest and most diverse genetic study of Type 1 diabetes ever undertaken, identifying new drug targets to treat a condition that affects 1.3 million American adults. Several potential drugs are already in the pipeline. Drugs targeting 12 genes identified in the diabetes study have been tested […]
July 26, 2021

Discovery of Unknown Brain-Repair Process Could Lead to New Epilepsy Treatments

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a previously unknown repair process in the brain that they hope could be harnessed and enhanced to treat seizure-related brain injuries. Common seizure-preventing drugs do not work for approximately a third of epilepsy patients, so new and better treatments for such […]
July 26, 2021

Study identifies how lung cells sense chitin, an allergen in fungi and shellfish

Some of the world’s most common allergy-inducing critters, from dust mites to fungi to shellfish, have one thing in common: chitin, the polymer that makes tough cell walls in mushrooms, fungal spores and crunchy lobster exoskeletons. A whiff of chitin triggers an immune response in the lungs, likely to prepare […]
July 26, 2021

For Concussion Patients, CTs Offer Window into Recovery

CT scans for patients with concussions provide critical information about their risk for long-term impairment and potential to make a complete recovery – findings that underscore the need for physician follow-up. In a study led by UC San Francisco, researchers looked at the CT scans of 1,935 patients, ages 17 […]
July 26, 2021

Coffee Doesn’t Raise Your Risk for Heart Rhythm Problems

In the largest study of its kind, an investigation by UC San Francisco has found no evidence that moderate coffee consumption can cause cardiac arrhythmia. In fact, each additional daily cup of coffee consumed among several hundred thousand individuals was associated with a 3 percent lower risk of any arrhythmia […]
July 26, 2021

Long-Term Prognosis for Some Patients With Severe Brain Injury Better Than Expected

New research adds to a body of evidence indicating decisions about withdrawing life-sustaining treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) should not be made in the early days following the injury. In the study published in JAMA Neurology, researchers led by UC San Francisco, Medical College of Wisconsin […]
July 26, 2021

Putting the brakes on immune reactions

When we are exposed to a pathogen, the immune system’s B cells swarm to our lymph nodes, spleens, and tonsils. There, those cells mutate in germinal centers—microscopic boot camps that rush the B cells through volleys of mutations to produce the most potent antibodies for neutralizing the infectious agent. As […]
July 26, 2021

Hunting for TB's most vulnerable genes

Developing drugs to combat tuberculosis, or TB, can be frustrating business. A gene essential to the bacteria’s lifecycle is discovered, scientists rush to develop drugs that inhibit the target, and then—disappointment. Volleys of compounds hurled at the essential gene target have little impact on microbial growth. The bacteria live on. […]
July 26, 2021

‘Good cholesterol’ may protect liver

The body’s so-called good cholesterol maybe even better than we realize. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that one type of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has a previously unknown role in protecting the liver from injury. This HDL protects the liver by blocking inflammatory signals […]
July 26, 2021

Delay Tactics

Elevated levels of three specific circulating proteins are associated with protection against kidney failure in diabetes, according to new research from Harvard Medical School researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center published in Science Translational Medicine. “As well as acting as biomarkers for advancing kidney disease risk in diabetes, the proteins may also […]
July 26, 2021

Fasting and behavior

Over the last decade, investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have been at the forefront of the effort to identify the small population of neurons deep within the brain that causes hunger. But precisely how these cells and the unpleasant feeling of hunger they cause actually drive an animal to […]
July 26, 2021

Lead in Drinking Water: Unsafe at Any Level

No amount of lead in drinking water is safe for people with kidney disease, study shows Despite advances in reducing the amount of lead in drinking water, low levels of contamination remain widespread throughout the United States. This may be especially dangerous for the 30 to 40 million Americans living […]
July 25, 2021

Changes in gut microbiome in longitudinal study of infants precede onset of celiac disease

By implementing a long-term, prospective approach to the development of celiac disease, a collaborative group of researchers has identified substantial microbial changes in the intestines of at-risk infants before disease onset. Using advanced genomic sequencing techniques, MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) researchers, along with colleagues from institutions in Italy and […]