Related Science News

November 26, 2019

Cellular origins of pediatric brain tumors identified

Researchers make a breakthrough by identifying that several aggressive pediatric brain tumors are the result of stalled development in embryonic cells. A research team led by Dr. Claudia Kleinman, an investigator at the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, together with Dr. Nada Jabado, of the Research Institute […]
November 26, 2019

Tendon stem cells could revolutionize injury recovery

The buildup of scar tissue makes recovery from torn rotator cuffs, jumper’s knee, and other tendon injuries a painful, challenging process, often leading to secondary tendon ruptures. New research led by Carnegie’s Chen-Ming Fan and published in Nature Cell Biology reveals the existence of tendon stem cells that could potentially […]
November 25, 2019

Using Artificial Intelligence to determine whether immunotherapy is working

Scientists from the Case Western Reserve University digital imaging lab, already pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict whether chemotherapy will be successful, can now determine which lung-cancer patients will benefit from expensive immunotherapy. And, once again, they’re doing it by teaching a computer to find previously unseen […]
November 25, 2019

Shared Vulnerability: Alzheimer's disease and delirium

Gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease plays indirect role in risk for delirium, study finds. Delirium is the most common post-surgical complication in older adults. Marked by acute temporary confusion, disorientation and/or agitation, it strikes as many as half of adults over 65 who undergo high-risk procedures such as cardiac surgery […]
November 25, 2019

Analyzing characteristics of fine particles in the air from space

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, […]
November 25, 2019

New Approach to Treating Incurable Leukemia in Children Discovered

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 […]
November 25, 2019

A new study confirms – an early removal of slow-growing brain tumours is the way to go

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 […]
November 22, 2019

Rapid evolution: Researchers discover remarkable variation in genetic mechanisms that drive sexual differentiation of frogs

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 […]
November 22, 2019

Non-coding DNA located outside chromosomes may help drive glioblastoma

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 […]
November 22, 2019

Sleep problems in children with genetic condition linked to mental health issues, clumsiness and impaired planning ability

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, […]
November 22, 2019

Researchers discover potential new treatment for rare muscle-wasting disease

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 […]
November 22, 2019

Breastfeeding and Infant Mortality

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 […]
November 22, 2019

New blood test can help catching deadly eye melanoma early

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 […]
November 21, 2019

Wound healing in mucous tissues could ward off AIDS

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 […]
November 21, 2019

Widower’s search for cancer cure takes surprising turn

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 […]
November 21, 2019

Scientists find promising drug combination against lethal childhood brain cancers

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 […]
November 21, 2019

Healthy Longevity Global Grand Challenge

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 […]
November 21, 2019

Arthritis drugs could be repurposed to help prevent breast cancer spreading to the bone, study suggests

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 […]
November 20, 2019

Heart Guard: Why sedentary people have an increased risk for heart disease and strokes?

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 […]
November 20, 2019

Milestone reached in new leukemia drug

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 […]
November 20, 2019

Umbilical cord milking may be linked to higher risk of brain bleeding in preterm infants

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 […]
November 20, 2019

Scientists discover new drugs with potential to treat stubborn cancers

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 […]
November 20, 2019

New Pulsed Electric Field Technology Could Allow for Less Invasive Tumor Molecular Profiling

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), […]
November 20, 2019

Thinking Small. PNNL Focuses on Tiny Particles to Fight Global Problems Like Cancer

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 […]
November 19, 2019

The difference between an expert’s brain and a novice’s

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 […]
November 19, 2019

Coming to a Head: Insights from a Vampire of the Deep

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 […]
November 19, 2019

Mitochondrial Mixing Mechanism Critical for Sperm Production in Mice

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 […]