Related Science News

December 1, 2020

Engineering a viral solution to cancer

While doctors can successfully treat some types of skin cancer at the surface with human-engineered viruses, scientists have yet to find a way to inject these types of viruses to seek and destroy other cancers in the body, such as lung cancer. But medical researchers at Case Western Reserve University […]
December 1, 2020

Potential Cellular Target for Eliminating Bone Breakdown in Osteoporosis Found

New research has discovered a cell type that governs the way bones form and maintains themselves, opening up a potential target for future therapies for bone disorders like osteoporosis. Led by faculty from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, a rodent study showed that bone marrow […]
November 30, 2020

Study Reveals Connection Between Gut Bacteria and Vitamin D Levels

Our gut microbiomes — the many bacteria, viruses and other microbes living in our digestive tracts — play important roles in our health and risk for disease in ways that are only beginning to be recognized. University of California San Diego researchers and collaborators recently demonstrated in older men that […]
November 30, 2020

Cocoa flavanols boost brain oxygenation, cognition in healthy adults

The brains of healthy adults recovered faster from a mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if the participants consumed cocoa flavanols beforehand, researchers reported in the journal Scientific Reports. In the study, 14 of 18 participants saw these improvements after ingesting the flavanols. Previous studies have shown […]
November 30, 2020

Team uses copper to image Alzheimer's aggregates in the brain

A proof-of-concept study conducted in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease offers new evidence that copper isotopes can be used to detect the amyloid-beta protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with – or at risk of developing – Alzheimer’s. Several types of isotopes give off positively […]
November 30, 2020

A by­pass route for the coron­ary ves­sels in the heart?

When the heart develops, some of its coronary blood vessels develop from cells lining the inner surface of the heart’s ventricular chambers (endocardium). Novel findings suggest that new blood vessel growth in the heart can be stimulated with the VEGF-B growth factor from the same source after myocardial infarction to […]
November 30, 2020

Michael Antonov to Match Next $600,000 of Donations to SENS Research Foundation to support Work on Rejuvenation Therapies

Michael Antonov is one of a number of high net worth individuals who are interested in accelerating progress towards a first generation of comprehensive rejuvenation therapies, targeting all of the mechanisms of aging in order to cure age-related disease and extend healthy life spans. The SENS Research Foundation remains one […]
November 30, 2020

Excessive Mitochondrial Point Mutations Do Not Lead to Obvious Metabolic Dysfunction

Every cell contains a herd of hundreds of mitochondria, organelles descended from ancient symbiotic bacteria. The primary purpose of mitochondria is to package the chemical energy store molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that is needed to power cellular processes. Each mitochondrion contains one more copies of a small circular genome, the […]
November 30, 2020

World's first research programme to identify scarring gene launched

A world-leading £1.5 million research programme that aims to achieve scar-free healing within a generation has been launched by The Scar Free Foundation, the only medical research charity which focuses solely on scarring. The five-year research study led by the University of Bristol will identify the gene(s) that causes scarring […]
November 30, 2020

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and adverse health outcomes

Shihua Sun has investigated the associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific adverse outcomes including asthma and premature death. In his thesis, Shihua included four studies to clarify the magnitude and aetiology of the associations, as well as potential effects from medication treatment that may prevent poor prognosis. ADHD is […]
November 30, 2020

A Look at the Damage Done by Senescent T Cells in the Aged Immune System

Cells become senescent and cease replication in response to damage, a toxic environment, or reaching the Hayflick limit. Such cells near all self-destruct or are destroyed by the immune system. In later life, however, they begin to linger and accumulate. This is an issue, as the secretions of senescent cells […]
November 30, 2020

Gilberto Fisone receives grant for international collaboration within personalised medicine for neurodegenerative diseases (JPND)

Gilberto Fisone has been awarded a three-year research grant from the Swedish Research Council within the program Novel Imaging and Brain Stimulation Methods and Technologies (JPND) for a project entitled “Phage-based targeted neural stimulation in neurodegenerative diseases”. ”Parkinson’s Disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases with major social […]
November 30, 2020

How we learn words and sentences at the same time

How people work out the meanings of new words has been revealed by Lancaster University researchers, who say this is similar to the way in which young children learn the language. The research published in Cognition is by Professor Patrick Rebuschat and Professor Padraic Monaghan, who said: “Have you ever caught yourself […]
November 28, 2020

Study revealing the secret behind a key cellular process refutes biology textbooks

New research has identified and described a cellular process that, despite what textbooks say, has remained elusive to scientists until now – precisely how the copying of genetic material that, once started, is properly turned off. The finding concerns a key process essential to life: the transcription phase of gene […]
November 27, 2020

Gene analysis may increase the effect of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs

In a new study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have studied CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 genes impact on treatment with antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs. The study shows that control of the patient’s genotype can be used to individualize the drug treatment and lead to a more […]
November 27, 2020

Hot spots identified for colorectal cancer mortality rates among young women

Women diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer have a greater risk of dying from the disease depending upon their county of residence, according to a study published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. The study is the first to define specific geographic areas in the United States where women diagnosed with colorectal cancer […]
November 27, 2020

Big Data Powers Design of ‘Smart’ Cell Therapies for Cancer

Finding medicines that can kill cancer cells while leaving normal tissue unscathed is a Holy Grail of oncology research. In two new papers, scientists at UC San Francisco and Princeton University present complementary strategies to crack this problem with “smart” cell therapies – living medicines that remain inert unless triggered […]
November 26, 2020

Did early life need long, complex molecules to make cell-like compartments?

Protocell compartments used as models for an important step in the early evolution of life on Earth can be made from short polymers. The short polymers, which better approximate the likely size of molecules available on the early Earth, form the compartments through liquid-liquid phase separation in the same manner […]
November 26, 2020

For Teens with Migraines, Sleeping In (a Bit) May Help

Research indicates that starting school later in the morning yields health and academic benefits for high schoolers, whose natural body clock tends toward late-to-bed, late-to-rise habits. While parents raise concerns about drowsy driving, irritation and impaired school performance, a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco suggests another […]
November 26, 2020

A gel for dosage compensation

Male fruit flies have only one X chromosome instead of two like their female counterparts. Therefore, their X chromosome must be twice as active to achieve the same “gene dosage”. If this does not succeed, the animals die. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg […]
November 26, 2020

‘Monster Tumors’ Could Offer New Glimpse at Human Development

Finding just the right model to study human development—from the early embryonic stage onward—has been a challenge for scientists over the last decade. Now, bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have homed in on an unusual candidate: teratomas. Teratomas—which mean “monstrous tumors” in Greek—are tumors made up of […]
November 26, 2020

Sestrin makes fruit flies live longer

Reduced food intake, known as dietary restriction, leads to a longer lifespan in many animals and can improve health in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the positive effects of dietary restriction are still unclear. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing have now found one possible […]
November 26, 2020

Stem cell study identifies enzyme with potential for cancer treatment

Scientists have found a new mechanism responsible for regulating stem cells in fruit flies, with possible implications for cancer therapies. The study, published by University of Alberta biologists, identifies an inhibition mechanism of an enzyme called Myt1 kinase, which manages how stem cells develop and differentiate during organ development in […]
November 26, 2020

The Link Between Obesity and Puberty

Puberty, the transformational period where a child reaches physical and sexual maturity, is a near-universal human experience, yet the fundamental processes behind how and when it starts is still a mystery. For girls, puberty can begin as early as eight years old, with most instances of early puberty linked to […]
November 26, 2020

Why young people use chemical substances

All over the world, chemical products such as stimulants, but also beauty products, (energy) drinks, vitamins and food supplements have become an integral part of young people's daily lives. Many of these products can be potentially harmful. The University of Amsterdam studied why young people use these products and how […]
November 25, 2020

Popular winter beverage may actually make you smarter

Cocoa is the cosy beverage of choice during dark winter evenings. You wrap yourself in a Christmas blanket, turn on an appropriate movie and just sip your hot cocoa. However, it is not just delicious – it is also good for your brain, as this new study from the University […]
November 25, 2020

Regulating the regulators

Tiny microRNAs help destroy unwanted messenger RNAs in cells. New research finds how the body keeps them in check. MicroRNAs are short RNA sequences that maintain a tight control on which genes are expressed and when. They do this by regulating which messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts — the single-stranded templates […]
November 25, 2020

Antibiotic Exposure in Children Under Age 2 Associated With Chronic Conditions

Children under age 2 who take antibiotics are at greater risk for childhood-onset asthma, respiratory allergies, eczema, celiac disease, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a paper written jointly by Mayo Clinic and Rutgers researchers. In a study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the researchers looked at 14,572 children […]