General

It is well known that fine particulates in the air are associated with cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. What are not yet known are the different types of pollution that contribute to this fine particulate matter and which are most harmful to human health. Randall Martin, professor of energy, […]

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of cancer affecting children in Switzerland and, unfortunately, is often incurable. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Children’s Hospital Zurich have now found a way to stop the driving force behind this type of leukemia at a molecular level […]

Low-grade glioma is a slow-growing brain tumour. Although it develops very slowly, it is still deadly. Worse still, it drastically limits people’s independence and quality of life, because it causes seizures. But advancements in medicine and new treatment practices drastically improved the prognosis for people with the low-grade glioma. Back […]

Researchers have discovered striking variation in the underlying genetic machinery that orchestrates sexual differentiation in frogs, demonstrating that evolution of this crucial biological system has moved at a dramatic pace. A team of biologists examined more than two dozen species of Pipidae, a family of frog found in tropical South […]

Extra DNA scooped up and copied alongside cancer-causing genes helps keep tumors going—elements that could represent new drug targets for brain tumors and other cancers notoriously difficult to treat. One of the ways a cancer-causing gene works up enough power to turn a normal cell into a cancer cell is […]

The researchers found nearly two thirds (60%) of the group aged 17 and under experienced insomnia or restless sleep and in turn, a higher proportion of these had conditions such as ADHD, anxiety disorders and conduct disorder. Furthermore, those with sleep problems were also more likely to have movement problems, […]

A team of Cardiff University researchers has uncovered a potential new way to treat a very rare genetic disorder that causes muscles in the arms and legs to become increasingly weak. GNE myopathy is a debilitating condition that affects young adults in their 20s or 30s, typically leaving them in […]

A new study published by The Journal of Pediatrics shows increased rates of implementation of hospital-based breastfeeding initiatives are associated with decreased rates of infant deaths in the first six days after birth, dispelling speculation that such practices might increase infant death. The authors of the study examined trends in the percentage of births […]

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. It is not easy to notice, because people are not paying attention. You have to look after your moles and skin pigmentation – this is the only way to catch melanoma early. However, it is even more difficult to recognize and identify […]

Wound-repair capabilities preserve tissue integrity during early infection and might prevent inflammation that underlies immune exhaustion. Wound healing events in mucous tissues during early infection by Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, or SIV, guard some primate species against developing  AIDS, a recent study has learned.  The research looked at why certain species […]

When his wife died of a rare ovarian cancer 10 years ago, Powel Crosley vowed to find a cure. Despite a lack of scientific training at the time, he is now within sight of the first ever clinical test for a treatment. The 66-year-old will graduate tomorrow with a master’s […]

Researchers have devised a new plan of attack against a group of deadly childhood brain cancers collectively called diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), thalamic glioma and spinal cord glioma. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, Stanford University, California, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, identified […]

By 2030, for the first time in recorded history, the old will begin to outnumber the young. This demographic shift poses significant social, economic, and health challenges, but also presents an unprecedented opportunity for accelerating research, innovation, and entrepreneurism in the field of healthy longevity – thereby building more vibrant […]

Drugs commonly used to treat arthritis may help to prevent breast cancer spreading to the bone, where it is incurable, new research suggests. In a major new study published in Nature Communications, scientists propose that NHS arthritis drugs anakinra, canakinumab and sulfasalazine could in future be repurposed to help treat breast […]

Harvard Medical School researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified a previously unknown biological pathway that promotes chronic inflammation, a discovery that may help explain why sedentary people have an increased risk for heart disease and strokes. Reporting in Nature Medicine, the researchers at Mass General and several other institutions […]

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists, with chemists and cancer biologists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), have developed a new therapy that extended the survival of mice with acute myeloid leukemia. The scientists are the first to demonstrate the anti-cancer effect of blocking the Salt-Inducible Kinase 3 (SIK3) pathway in leukemia […]

Milking the umbilical cord — gently squeezing the cord and pushing the contents into the newborn’s abdomen before clamping the cord — could increase the risk for severe intraventricular hemorrhage, or bleeding into the brain’s fluid-filled cavities, in extremely preterm infants, according to results of a study funded by the […]

Adults with Type 2 diabetes may have more to gain by participating in physical activity and exercise than healthy adults, but they may also have more to lose, according to University of Alberta exercise and diabetes physiology researchers. “Exercise can improve one’s glucose levels, which can help slow the progression […]

Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new class of drugs with the potential to make cancer treatment safer and more effective by preventing cancer cells from repairing themselves. “For patients with resistant cancer, these drugs could rescue them by rendering their cancer once again treatable,” said U […]

Current cancer treatment courses often begin with tissue biopsies. Biopsies, however, which involve the physical resection of a small tissue sample, can lead to localized tissue injury, bleeding, inflammation, and stress, as well as increased risk of metastasis. New technology developed by a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU), […]

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are developing tiny solutions for some of today's largest challenges. From understanding the basic properties of nanomaterials thousands of times thinner than a human hair to developing nanomaterials with unique and useful properties, their research could lead to big outcomes […]

When mice learn to do a new task, their brain activities change over time as they advance from ‘novice’ to ‘expert.’ The changes are reflected in the wiring of cell circuits and the activities of neurons. Using a two-photon imaging microscope and a wealth of genetic tools, researchers from Cold […]

Lamprey is blood-sucking vampire-like fish that attach to and eventually kill game fish, making them the bane of many a fisherman's existences. Like something out of a horror film, these parasites use radial rows of sharp teeth to dig into the skin of their host and extract blood and other […]

Mitochondria, often thought of as the powerhouses of cells, are just one part of a larger living thing, but they are unique among cellular structures in that they have their own DNA that is distinct from that of their parent cells. And just like their parent cells, mitochondria need quality-control […]

NIH-funded study finds higher risks for children of women who took efavirenz during pregnancy. Children born to women on HIV therapy containing the drug efavirenz were 2 to 2.5 times more likely to have microcephaly, or small head size, compared to children born to women on regimens of other antiretroviral […]

Women who are diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) during late pregnancy or within a month following delivery are more likely to experience restored cardiac function and improved outcomes compared to those who are diagnosed later in the postpartum period, according to a new study from Penn Medicine. The findings underscore the […]

One day in the future when you need medical care, someone will examine you, diagnose the problem, remove some of your body’s healthy cells, and then use them to grow a cure for your ailment. The therapy will be personalized and especially attuned to you and your body, your genes, […]

A new Yale study shows that some patients being treated for severe heart failure with a battery-operated pump saw significant improvement after additionally using neurohormonal blockade (NHB) drug therapy. NHB therapy, which includes three broad categories of drugs, including ACE inhibitors, has long been the standard therapy for treating heart […]

Uterine fibroids are a very common condition, and affected women often wonder if their pregnancy challenges are related to their fibroids. In this article, we discuss the ‘classic’ view on how fibroids can affect fertility, and the effects of different fibroid treatment options on fertility. Fibroids It is estimated that […]

Scientists are still grappling with questions as fundamental as how a cell actually grows. Cells are not just water-filled blobs but are chock-full of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and many other types of molecules. When a cell grows, it not only increases in size, it also has to make more […]