General

James Cook University scientists say a diet heavy in healthy fats and light on carbs may have significant benefits for people who suffer from some metabolic, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. Professor Zoltan Sarnyai is a neuroscientist with JCU’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine. He led a team examining […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and St Erik Eye Hospital in Sweden have discovered a way to refine the production of retinal cells from embryonic stem cells for treating blindness in the elderly. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, they have also managed to modify the cells so that they can hide […]

People continuously exposed to air pollution are at increased risk of dementia, especially if they also suffer from cardiovascular diseases, according to a study at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Therefore, patients with cardiovascular diseases who live in polluted environments may require additional support from […]

Cerebroatrophic hyperammonemia (CH) is a rare genetic disorder caused by the mutation of the MECP2 gene. The disease is prominent in females and the common clinical signs and symptoms include microcephaly (head circumference is smaller than normal), loss of coordination and normal movement, loss of communication abilities, abnormal hand movements, […]

Researchers are investigating whether hydroxychloroquine, a commonly used anti-malarial, and autoimmune-disease treatment, can prevent COVID-19. A multi-site clinical trial, led by the University of Washington School of Medicine in collaboration with New York University Grossman School of Medicine, aims to definitively determine whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent transmission in people exposed […]

Two Michigan researchers make major inroads into the biology of brown fat and its implications for weight loss and obesity-related diseases In recent years, brown fat has garnered attention as the so-called good fat that can protect against obesity and its associated health risks, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Two […]

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have explored the relationship between parental alcohol consumption — before conception in the case of fathers and during pregnancy in the case of mothers — and offspring development. In a paper published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, the researchers report that when alcohol-exposed male […]

Exercise can only improve strength in muscle-degenerating diseases when a specific type of muscle cell ages, report a Hokkaido University researcher and colleagues with Sapporo Medical University in Japan. Their findings utilizing mice models were published in the journal Nature Communications. Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are rare diseases that cause muscle […]

Though many negative repercussions of human immunodeficiency virus infection can be mitigated with the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), one area where medical advances haven’t made as much progress is in the reduction of cognitive impacts. Half of HIV patients have HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), which can manifest in a […]

Artificial intelligence is not going to replace doctors any time soon. However, it can become a very useful tool for diagnostics and choosing the right treatment. A team of engineers, led by the University of Waterloo, have developed a new powerful technology combines human wisdom and artificial intelligence for faster, […]

Removing a gene from the cells that produce insulin prevents mice from developing Type 1 diabetes by sparing the cells an attack from their own immune system, a new UW–Madison study shows. The cellular sleight of hand may suggest ways to prevent Type 1 diabetes in high-risk individuals, as well […]

A new technique allows researchers to test how the deformation of tiny train track-like cell proteins affects their function. The findings could help clarify the roles of deformed “microtubules” in traumatic brain injuries and in neurological diseases like Parkinson’s. Joint press release by Hokkaido University and the National Institute of […]

It’s a self-perpetuating cycle: Kids with developmental disabilities face challenges in building motor skills, which makes them less able to participate in routine physical activity, which gives them less opportunity to practice those same motor skills. But parents can make a big difference by modeling and supporting physical activity in […]

Old human cells return to a more youthful and vigorous state after being induced to briefly express a panel of proteins involved in embryonic development, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers also found that elderly mice regained youthful strength after their […]

While some of our body’s cells divide in a matter of hours, the process of making sperm, meiosis, alone takes about 14 days from start to finish. And fully six of those days are spent in the stage known as the pachytene when pairs of chromosomes from an individual’s mother […]

There are so many anti-aging products around these days that claim to prevent the aging process. Their effectiveness aside, do you know that the average lifespan of Japanese people has increased by more than 30 years over the past century? Of course, no other living thing has been able to […]

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been a game-changer for blood cancers but has faced challenges in targeting solid tumors. Now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania may have an alternative to T cell therapy that can overcome those challenges. Their research shows genetically […]

An international team of scientists studying lifespans of wild mammals have found that, just like humans, females tend to live significantly longer than their male counterparts. The researchers looked at the lifespans of 101 different species, from sheep to elephants, and found that females lived an average of 18% longer […]

Before scientists develop the bioengineered tissue of tomorrow for treating pulmonary diseases, they need to identify the best methods for growing tissue for artificial trachea and lungs in experiments today. A new Yale analysis does just that, determining which methods produce tissue cells that are most like the natural cells […]

Changes in a specific type of sugarlike molecule, or glycan, on the surface of cancer cells help them to spread into other tissues, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the work could lead to diagnostic tests and new […]

Whether it is a drug-resistant strain of bacteria, or cancer cells that no longer react to the drugs intended to kill them, diverse mutations make cells resistant to chemicals, and “second generation” approaches are needed. Now, a team of Penn State engineers may have a way to predict which mutations […]

Researchers from King’s & Homerton University Hospital have found babies born before 32 weeks’ gestation can rapidly acquire some adult immune functions after birth, equivalent to that achieved by infants born at term. In research published in Nature Communications, the team followed babies born before 32 weeks gestation to identify […]

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have shown that they can give cells a short-term boost of energy through mitochondrial transplantation. The team’s study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests that mitochondrial transplantation could one day be employed to cure various cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative […]

Study shows ripples across a newly fertilized egg are similar to other systems, from ocean and atmospheric circulations to quantum fluids. When an egg cell of almost any sexually reproducing species is fertilized, it sets off a series of waves that ripple across the egg’s surface. These waves are produced […]

Nafamostat mesylate (brand name: Fusan), which is the drug used to treat acute pancreatitis, may effectively block the requisite viral entry process the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) uses to spread and cause disease (COVID-19). The University of Tokyo announced these new findings on March 18, 2020. According to the new research, […]

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have discovered why some prostate cancers are more aggressive, spread to different parts of the body, and ultimately cause death. It is hoped that the discovery could transform patient treatment. The findings come after the same team developed a test that distinguishes between […]

The signaling molecule interleukin-2 (IL-2) has long been known to have powerful effects on the immune system, but efforts to harness it for therapeutic purposes have been hampered by serious side effects. Now researchers have worked out the details of IL-2’s complex interactions with receptor molecules on immune cells, providing […]

Scientists have discovered a possible link between Parkinson’s disease and a gene impacted by a neurotoxin found in blue-green algae. University of Queensland scientist Dr Jacob Gratten said the findings increased the understanding of the environmental risk factors of Parkinson’s disease. “We looked for a link between Parkinson’s and changes in the human […]

Greater physical activity correlates well with lower mortality in later life. Given the way that human data is collected, and the way in which epidemiological studies are carried out, it is hard to determine causation, however. Is it that exercise is protective, or is it that more robust people both live longer and exercise […]

Researchers at the University of Zurich show that different stem cell populations are innervated in distinct ways. Innervation may therefore be crucial for proper tissue regeneration. They also demonstrate that cancer stem cells likewise establish contacts with nerves. Targeting tumour innervation could thus lead to new cancer therapies. Stem cells […]