2021

A new step has been taken in the understanding of the cancer-fighting molecule UM171: a team led by Université de Montréal haematologist Guy Sauvageau has succeeded in describing the molecule’s mechanism of action. “Finally, we know how UM171 works,” said Sauvageau, commenting the results of a study published in Cell Stem Cell. […]

Women who use marijuana could have a more difficult time conceiving a child than women who do not use marijuana, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Marijuana use among the women’s partners — which could have influenced conception rates — was not studied. The researchers […]

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a unique pathway that initiates islet β cell inflammation—a hallmark of type 2 diabetes—putting them a step closer to developing targeted therapeutics for the disease that affects one in 10 Americans. The article, “RIPK3-mediated inflammation is a conserved β-cell response to ER stress” was published in the journal Science […]

The ability of our skin to protect us from chemicals is something we inherit. Some people are less well-protected which could imply an increased risk of being afflicted by skin disease or cancer. A new study from Karolinska Institutet that has been published in Environmental Health Perspectives shows how the […]

A new study published in Nutrition Research has found that children born to a mother with low intake of Vitamin B12 during pregnancy were at increased risk of adverse development specific to certain speech and mathematical abilities. The study, from Professor Jean Golding and colleagues at the University of Bristol, used data […]

For those trying to live a healthy lifestyle, the choice between sugar and artificial sweeteners such as saccharin can be confusing. A new study led by Ohio State University researchers found the sugar substitute saccharin doesn’t lead to the development of diabetes in healthy adults as previous studies have suggested. […]

An unfortunate truth about the use of mechanical ventilation to save the lives of patients in respiratory distress is that the pressure used to inflate the lungs is likely to cause further lung damage. In a new study, scientists identified a molecule that is produced by immune cells during mechanical […]

When we experience a new event, our brain records a memory of not only what happened, but also the context, including the time and location of the event. A new study from MIT neuroscientists sheds light on how the timing of memory is encoded in the hippocampus and suggests that […]

Almost 18,000 Americans experience traumatic spinal cord injuries every year. Many of these people are unable to use their hands and arms and can’t do everyday tasks such as eating, grooming or drinking water without help. Using physical therapy combined with a non-invasive method of stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord, […]

It used to be the case that one could write up a summary of where the research community stood on the treatment of aging as a medical condition (which was varying shades of “not that far along towards practical applications, but definitely promising if they get their act together”) and […]

Scientists have known for years that mutations in the MLL4 gene can cause Kabuki syndrome, a rare developmental disorder. But a study published in Nature Communications illuminates new details regarding how this occurs. The research suggests that MLL4 controls the production of neurons that secrete growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) in a part […]

A major mystery in Alzheimer’s disease research is why some brain cells succumb to the creeping pathology of the disease years before symptoms first appear, while others seem impervious to the degeneration surrounding them until the disease’s final stages. Now, in a study published in Nature Neuroscience, a team of […]