General

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people (such as the unexpected near fatal cardiac arrest suffered by the-then 23 year old footballer Fabrice Muamba), but the microscopic heart muscle abnormalities behind these tragic events can only be picked up in a post-mortem. Now, in […]

Eating too much fat and sugar makes you overweight and unhealthy – even young children know that. But why is that, and is there anything we can do about it? In a study published in the journal Cell, Prof. Jens Brüning's research group at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism […]

Men whose mothers were exposed to stressful life events during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy may have reduced sperm counts when they become adults, according to a new study led by The University of Western Australia. The research, published in Human Reproduction, reveals the first few months of pregnancy […]

Fragile X Syndrome is a debilitating condition, which occurs when a particular gene is disrupted causing disturbed communication between brain cells. This is why is is one of the most common genetic reasons for mental disability, including such conditions as autism, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Now scientists […]

Yoga is a very popular physical activity, emphasizing breathing and flexibility. Believe it or not, many professional athletes, including MMA fighters, partake in yoga to improve their physical condition. Now scientists at The University of Edinburgh discovered that yoga for older adults helps maintaining better mental and physical health. Yoga […]

Aging-related inflammation can drive the decline of a critical structural protein called lamin-B1, which contributes to diminished immune function in the thymus, according to research from Carnegie’s Sibiao Yue, Xiaobin Zheng, and Yixian Zheng published in Aging Cell. Each of our cells is undergirded by a protein-based cellular skeleton. And […]

Advertising has a long history of targeting people with fantastic promises. From the perfect cream that will zap wrinkles before they even form to the workout gadget that will tone your entire body in 10 days, we are told of problems we didn’t know we had—and the solutions we need […]

The University of Washington in Seattle is among eight U.S. research sites undertaking a study to confirm whether brain imaging can detect signs of autism spectrum disorder in infants. The National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding the multicenter research with a five-year, […]

In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the rate of disease growth varies widely. In a new study from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Washington, scientists report that CLL growth is apt to follow one of three […]

Nearly 90 per cent of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survive, yet the same treatments that save their life can adversely affect their quality of life and cardiorespiratory fitness health.  In fact, the cardiorespiratory fitness of ALL survivors can be significantly worse than a sample of healthy Canadians, despite […]

A multicenter research team led jointly by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a five-year, $9.5 million grant to further evaluate whether brain imaging can help detect very high risk of autism spectrum disorder in early infancy. […]

Tumors arise when cells shake off their restraints and start to multiply out of control. But how fast a tumor grows does not depend solely on how quickly the cancer cells can divide, a new study has found. By examining brain tumors in mice, researchers at Washington University School of […]

Your heart procedure was a success, and cardiac rehabilitation is going strong. That, of course, is great news. But there’s more to do to keep your mind and body healthy in the long run, says Susan Ryskamp, a dietitian at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center. One key factor: food. […]

DNA assembled into nanostructures such as tubes and origami-inspired shapes could someday find applications ranging from DNA computers to nanomedicine. However, these intriguing structures don’t persist long in biological environments because of enzymes called nucleases that degrade DNA. Now, researchers have designed DNA nanostructures that can heal themselves in serum. […]

Are some flavors of vape liquid more harmful than others? A UA scientist says yes, based on the results of a novel research project that used stem cells to study the effects of vaping on endothelial cells. Your favorite vape flavor may be more harmful than the nicotine itself. Using […]

Unregulated cell division is a hallmark of cancer, and one of the key proteins involved in controlling cell division is called FoxM1. Abnormal activation of FoxM1 is a common feature of cancer cells and is correlated with poor prognosis, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. Now researchers at UC Santa Cruz […]

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered a specialised population of skin cells that coordinate tail regeneration in frogs. These ‘Regeneration-Organizing Cells’ help to explain one of the great mysteries of nature and may offer clues about how this ability might be achieved in mammalian tissues. It has long […]

Mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ that produce our energy, interact with the cell’s nucleus in subtle ways previously unseen in humans, according to research published in the journal Science. The study, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, suggests that matching mitochondrial DNA to nuclear DNA could be important when selecting […]

Researchers report that a protein known to be important to protein synthesis also influences muscle regeneration and regrowth in an unexpected manner. The discovery, reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could one day lead to new methods for treating disorders that result in muscle weakness and loss of muscle […]

Your body’s cellular structure is programmable, making it possible for it to be changed into other kinds of cells. And today, already a number of scientific studies have found at least a couple of ways to reprogram certain types of human cells. Using these methods, the body can potentially become […]

Pain is an unpleasant sensation that is part of the body’s protective mechanism designed to give a warning of potential or actual tissue damage. When pain is not managed effectively, it can persist and become debilitating, resulting in an overwhelming burden of suffering and poor quality of life. Due to […]

The immune system is programmed to rid the body of biological bad guys—like viruses and dangerous bacteria—but its precision isn’t guaranteed. In the tens of millions of Americans suffering from autoimmune diseases, the system mistakes normal cells for malicious invaders, prompting the body to engage in self-destructive behavior. This diverse […]

In a study that highlights racial disparities in the everyday impact of eczema, new research shows Hispanic and black children are more likely than white children to miss school due to the chronic skin disease. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania examined more than a […]

Long-term exposure to ambient ozone appears to accelerate arterial conditions that progress into cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to a new University at Buffalo study. It’s the first epidemiological study to provide evidence that ozone might advance subclinical arterial disease — injuries that occur to the artery walls prior to […]

As we age, many of us experience minor changes to memory, language and decision-making. These changes may represent mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an intermediate stage between age-related cognitive changes and the more serious condition of dementia. A number of behavioral interventions have shown promise to slow the advancement of MCI to dementia […]

An international team of scientists is getting closer to perfecting molecule-sized motors that drill through the surface of cancer cells, killing them in an instant. Researchers at Rice University, Durham (U.K.) University and North Carolina State University reported their success at activating the motors with precise two-photon excitation via near-infrared light. Unlike […]

Cardiomyopathy is a heart condition involving abnormalities of the muscle fibers, which contract with each heartbeat. Nearly half of children with this type of heart disease either undergo a heart transplant or die within two years of being diagnosed. That somber statistic is part of an American Heart Association (AHA) […]

New research from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet shows that viruses interact with proteins in the biological fluids of their host which results in a layer of proteins on the viral surface. This coat of proteins makes the virus more infectious and facilitates the formation of plaques characteristic of neurodegenerative […]

Sleep is very important for you physical and mental health. Sleeping too little is one of the most prevalent poor health habits of our times. But did you know that sleeping too little or too much may have a negative effect on your memory? Scientists from UCL found that sleeping […]

Tiny channels between nerve cells are involved in a newly discovered mechanism of how Parkinson’s disease can spread throughout the brain. Researchers from LiU demonstrate that harmful protein aggregates can “hitch a lift” with channel-forming proteins, and in this way spread to healthy cells. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s […]