2021

Have you been eating well during the lockdown? It is likely that you’ve been ordering a lot of junk food, which is not only making you overweight – it is also slowly killing you. Scientists at the University of Toronto found that consuming lots of poor-quality carbohydrates increases the risk […]

There is no stronger risk factor for cancer than age. At the time of diagnosis, the median age of patients across all cancers is 66. That moment, however, is the culmination of years of clandestine tumor growth, and the answer to an important question has thus far remained elusive: When […]

A human genetics investigator discusses new RNA research developments that may aid in treating and preventing rare genetic diseases. Altogether, over 6,800 rare diseases affect an estimated 25 million to 30 million Americans. A rare disease is defined in the U.S. as one that affects less than 200,000 people in […]

One of the most significant genetic risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease is a gene called APOE4, which is carried by almost half of all Alzheimer’s patients. A new study from MIT shows that this gene has widespread effects on brain cells’ ability to metabolize lipids and respond to stress. […]

Berkeley Lab researchers propose model for early pathology of this debilitating disease. Subtle memory deficits are common in normal aging as well as Alzheimer disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia in older adults. This makes AD difficult to diagnose in its early stages. As there is currently no effective […]

Brain cells called astrocytes derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells of patients with bipolar disorder offer suboptimal support for neuronal activity. In a paper in the journal Stem Cell Reports, researchers show that this malfunction can be traced to an inflammation-promoting molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is secreted by astrocytes. The […]

Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases are both very common neurodegenerative disorders affecting millions in our world. These diseases are incurable, debilitating and completely devastating for the patients and their families. They are also in the cards for many, because they are related to the aging process. Now there is a little […]

Scientists have used a technique to grow bile duct organoids – often referred to as ‘mini-organs’ – in the lab and shown that these can be used to repair damaged human livers. This is the first time that the technique has been used on human organs. The research paves the way […]

injury than teens who smoke cigarettes or marijuana, or vape nicotine, a new University of Michigan study suggests. The result challenges conventional wisdom about vaping nicotine, says the study’s principal investigator, Carol Boyd, the Deborah J. Oakley Collegiate Professor Emerita at the U-M School of Nursing. “I thought that e-cigarettes […]

Acetaminophen is the most popular over-the-counter painkiller in the United States. Overdosing on the product can, however, lead to severe health consequences. “Many people are unaware that acetaminophen overdoses are responsible for nearly 46% of all acute liver failure cases throughout the country,” says Lei Yin, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of […]

Recent research led by Katerina Maximova, an adjunct professor in the University of Alberta's School of Public Health and member of the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta, shows that low consumption of fruits and vegetables combined with a higher intake of processed meats is associated with a greater incidence of cancer for Albertans. […]

Even though the use of rhythm control strategies for treating Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a common abnormal heart rhythm, have increased overall in the United States, patients from racial and ethnic minority groups and those with lower income were less likely to receive rhythm control treatment – often the preferred […]

A second study of the injectable anti-obesity medication, semaglutide, has confirmed the large weight losses reported in a study earlier this month, establishing the reliability and robustness of this new drug. With obesity affecting more than 40 percent of American adults, the findings could have a major impact on weight […]

Vaccines are an important tool in fighting porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), but the fast-mutating virus that causes the disease sometimes requires the production of autogenous vaccines tailored to particular variants. The production of autogenous vaccines depends on the ability of scientists to isolate the virus, but sometimes that’s […]

Cancer cells have been described as immortal because, unlike normal cells, they don’t age and die, but instead can continue to multiply without end. In most cases, cancer cells become immortal by invoking a genetic mutation that can trigger the production of an enzyme, known as telomerase, which prevents telomeres from […]

Using high-resolution imaging and 3D computer modelling, a University of Oregon research team has found that the branching arms of neurons weave through space in a way that balances their need to connect to other neurons with the costs of doing so. The discovery about how these dendrites behave came […]

Screening for predictive factors of drug resistance and tailored therapies can improve outcomes in patients with refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. White blood cells or lymphocytes are the soldiers of our immune system that patrol the body via the lymphatic system. While their primary role is to protect the body […]

People who already had COVID-19 develop an immune response, which protects them from repeated infections. This raises a question during the current ongoing vaccination programme – do these people need to be vaccinated? Scientists from UCL 51 UK healthcare workers, around half of whom had a previous laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet show how a certain type of immune cells, macrophages, can be recruited into breast cancer tumors, where they are reprogrammed to support and drive tumor growth. In a study published in the scientific journal PNAS, they describe that low levels of the tumor suppressor protein TAp73 […]

Long thought a vestigial part of human cells, new genetic analysis of the primary cilium shows that it may be tied to common conditions like diabetes and kidney failure. Until recently, scientists believed that the primary cilium – an antenna-like structure found on the surface of most human cells – […]

University of Alberta researchers have found a new, more effective way to measure future heart disease and diabetes risk in youth. By testing the blood for remnant cholesterol (RC), made by the body during the day as food is consumed, researchers were able to show that this non-fasting type of […]

A diet high in poor-quality carbohydrates – known as a high glycemic diet – leads to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and death, a large study of people living on five continents has found. White bread, rice, and some potatoes have a high glycemic index, while most fruits, […]

In a new commentary for the journal Science, an associate vice president for research at The University of Texas at Arlington argues that emerging protein-based immunotherapies could lead to highly effective “off-the-shelf” cancer treatments for more patients. Jon Weidanz, who also is a professor in the College of Nursing and Health […]

Regular meat consumption is associated with a range of diseases that researchers had not previously considered, according to a large, population-level study conducted by a team at the University of Oxford. The results associate regular meat intake with a higher risk of various diseases, including heart disease, pneumonia and diabetes, […]

The liver has a rare superpower among body organs – the ability to regenerate, even if 70% of its mass is removed. It also keeps up its metabolic and toxin-removing work during the process of regeneration, thanks to a subset of cells that expand their workload while the rest focus […]

An experimental treatment can essentially reverse type 1 diabetes in certain types of laboratory mice, according to a series of studies led by University of Utah Health scientists. An injection of the therapeutic agent converts cells that normally control glucose production into ones that generate insulin. The researchers say giving […]

Grafting neurons grown from monkeys’ own cells into their brains relieved the debilitating movement and depression symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison reported today. In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, the UW team describes its success with neurons made from induced pluripotent stem […]

Postmenopausal women who ate high levels of plant protein had lower risks of premature death, cardiovascular disease death, and dementia-related death compared with women who ate less plant protein, according to new research from the University of Iowa College of Public Health investigators. Previous research has shown an association between […]

Oregon State University research has revealed a crucial mechanism behind one of humankind’s most deadly physiological processes: the movement of malignant cells from one part of the body to another. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study led by OSU biophysicist Bo Sun shows the […]

A new Northwestern Medicine study showed cognitive SuperAgers have resistance to the development of fibrous tangles in a brain region related to memory and which are known to be markers of Alzheimer’s disease. The tangles are made of the tau protein which forms structures that transport nutrients within the nerve […]