General

For patients with Parkinson’s disease, early signs of a certain part of the brain being broken down has been shown to have a negative impact on the course of the disease. The results of a study which researchers from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital are behind can potentially alter […]

Our immune system is programmed to destroy cancer cells. Sometimes it has trouble slowing disease progression because it doesn’t act quickly or strongly enough. In a study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) revealed the genetic signature of this […]

For some people with Parkinson’s disease, Levodopa is a wonder drug, capable of eliminating almost overnight the tremors and movement difficulties that characterize the neurodegenerative disorder. Other patients are not so lucky – the drug is either much less effective, or its power seems to wane after just a few […]

A pioneering new study led by Florida State University biologists could fundamentally change our understanding of how embryonic stem cells differentiate into specific cell types. The research, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, calls into question decades of scientific consensus about the behavior of embryonic stem cells as they […]

For many pregnant women, a diagnosis of preeclampsia can come as a shock. While more common among women carrying multiples and those with chronic high blood pressure, the condition can occur in healthy women without any symptoms. Preeclampsia resolves after a mother gives birth, but women who have had preeclampsia […]

In a study published in the journal Nature, researchers identified 27 new genomic variants associated with conditions such as blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cigarette use and chronic kidney disease in diverse populations. The team collected data from 49,839 African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian, Native American and people who identified […]

University of Alberta-led research is revolutionizing the way health professionals assess the decision-making capacity of seniors in Edmonton and across the province. The model led to a 60 per cent drop in referrals to geriatricians and an 80 per cent drop in the number of capacity interviews required when it […]

Excessive napping may be an early warning sign of age-related cognitive decline in older men, according to a 12-year study by UC San Francisco scientists. The researchers used wrist-mounted sensors to track sleep–wake habits over five days in nearly 3,000 men over the age of 65 living in community housing […]

Researchers at Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University have found a possible counterpunch to the drug resistance of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. The findings, published in the journal Molecular Carcinogenesis, are important because in the United States alone, almost 100,000 new melanoma cases will […]

Genetically engineered trees that provide fire-resistant lumber for homes. Modified organs that won’t be rejected. Synthetic microbes that monitor your gut to detect invading disease organisms and kill them before you get sick. These are just some of the exciting advances likely to emerge from the 20-year-old field of engineering […]

Using the genome-editing system CRISPR, researchers at MIT and in China have engineered macaque monkeys to express a gene mutation linked to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in humans. These monkeys show some behavioral traits and brain connectivity patterns similar to those seen in humans with these conditions. Mouse studies […]

Having diabetes is a risk factor for many other health conditions, including stroke. “Every 40 seconds an American has a stroke,” says Frederick Korley, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Michigan Medicine. “To be successful at preventing strokes from occurring, we first need to accurately identify those who […]

Higher levels of a customary gut bacteria enhanced by breastfeeding in early infancy were found to be coupled with an improved response to vaccines in infants through two years of age, according to a first-of-its-kind study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their colleagues. Infants in the study, who […]

Research supported by the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) on Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (RA/SLE) provides new insights into tissue damage for these autoimmune conditions. Findings include the identification of novel molecular signatures related to immune system signaling in kidney cells that may reflect their active role in disease process; […]

The human immune system relies on a delicate balance of finely tuned cell types that keep germs and cancerous cells in check. In cancer and chronic infections this balance can be disrupted, resulting in immune system dysfunction or “exhaustion.” An important protein called TOX, which varies in amount in different […]

It is likely that in the not-distant future wounds will heal faster with the help of an electrical pulse that promotes rapid cell growth. The same type of pulse may be used for more efficient and effective delivery of drugs to fight disease. Such treatments rely on a process known […]

What causes the immune system, designed to protect us, to turn on the body and attack healthy cells? Common bacteria that reside in the human gut may be partly to blame, say Yale researchers, who studied the origins of a serious autoimmune disease that frequently affects young women. For their […]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Mostly chemoresistant, PDAC so far has no effective treatment. Understanding the connective tissue, called stroma, that surrounds, nurtures, and even protects PDAC tumors, is key to developing effective therapeutics. “PDAC patients are diagnosed really late, so […]

An anti-inflammatory drug called ketorolac, given before surgery, can promote long-term survival in animal models of cancer metastasis, a team of scientists has found. Furthermore, so-called “pro-resolution” therapies can also trigger the immune system to eliminate metastatic cells. The research also suggests that flanking chemotherapy with anti-inflammatory drugs can unleash […]

Using sound vibrations and pulses of near-infrared light, a Rutgers University scientist has developed a new “virtual biopsy” device that can quickly determine a skin lesion’s depth and potential malignancy without using a scalpel. The ability to analyze a skin tumor non-invasively could make biopsies much less risky and distressing […]

Immunotherapy is going to be the next big thing in cancer treatment. Someday cancer will be stopped at its tracks by drugs that could be essentially called vaccines. Scientists at the University of Helsinki developed porous silicon and adenovirus-based biohybrid nanovaccines that are safe, well tol­er­ated, and effective. Immunotherapy is […]

Our modern world is moving at an incredible pace. This means that we also have to hustle. Many people are waking up with a sound of an alarm clock, sometimes incredibly early. But is it healthy? Scientists from UCL conducted a study looking at sleep and mortality from across different […]

New research from Harvard Medical School researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that insulin resistance in mice increases the proportion of dysfunctional aged beta cells. Such an increase in aged beta cells could lead to type 2 diabetes. The researchers then confirmed a similarly increased proportion of aged beta […]

A new study shows that the complement system, part of the innate immune system, plays a protective role to slow retinal degeneration in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease. This surprising discovery contradicts previous studies of other eye diseases suggesting that the complement system worsens retinal […]

New research has identified a novel approach to staving off the detrimental effects of aging, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study suggests that a protein that is abundant in the blood of young mice plays a vital role in keeping mice […]

New research may explain why an antioxidant that protects the brain is also associated with deterioration in areas susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease. The antioxidant, superoxide dismutase or SOD1, improves cognition by fighting off free radicals that cause oxidative damage in the brain. However, an Iowa State University research team found […]

Clinicians, administrators and policymakers should consider ways to support the mental health and well-being of older adults as they go through residential transitions, according to a University of Michigan study that looked at deaths by suicide among people 55 and older. The study focuses on suicides among adults who were […]

Armed with $1.2 million in funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are searching to understand the cause of a rare airway disease in hopes of developing better treatments. Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is an unexplained narrowing of the windpipe just […]

White coat hypertension, a condition in which a patient’s blood pressure readings are higher when taken at the doctor’s office compared to other settings, was originally attributed to the anxiety patients might experience during medical appointments. However, over the years, research has suggested the elevated readings might be a sign […]

An elderly woman balances on one leg while watching a television display. What do you think she’s doing? She’s actually in the midst of using virtual reality (VR) technology for slow training. While Japan is leading the world in terms of a superaging society, the problem is the big gap […]