Robot – Page 126 – Innovita Research
April 22, 2021

Gut bacteria "talk" to horse's cells to improve their athletic performance

Study linking gut bacteria to more efficient energy generation in the cells of horses paves the way for dietary supplements that enhance their performance. A horse's gut microbiome communicates with its host by sending chemical signals to its cells, which has the effect of helping the horse to extend its […]
April 21, 2021

Cancer cells soften as they metastasize, study suggests

When cancer cells metastasize, they often travel in the bloodstream to a remote tissue or organ, where they then escape by squeezing through the blood vessel wall and entering the site of metastasis. A study from MIT now shows that tumor cells become much softer as they undergo this process. […]
April 21, 2021

Light up your mind: A novel light-based treatment for neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers review growing knowledge on the methods and applications of light therapy in treating neurodegenerative diseases. A lot about the human brain and its intricacies continue to remain a mystery. With the advancement of neurobiology, the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases (ND) has been uncovered to a certain extent along […]
April 21, 2021

Epidural use at birth not linked to autism risk, study finds

Having an epidural during childbirth is not associated with a greater risk of autism in the child, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of Manitoba. The study, which was published online in JAMA Pediatrics, helps resolve questions raised by an […]
April 21, 2021

New Urine-Based Test Holds Promise for Detecting Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have developed a new urine-based, multi-biomarker test to detect aggressive prostate cancer that performed better than existing biomarker tests in initial preclinical evaluations. The Urine Prostate Seq test, or UPSeq for short, uses next-generation genomic sequencing to analyze urine collected from men following a digital […]
April 21, 2021

Penn Researchers Uncover Link Between Racial, Gender and Socioeconomic Factors and Likelihood of Getting Proven Treatment for Diabetes

A new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found significant disparities in the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a class of drugs proven to treat type 2 diabetes, with usage remaining low with Black, Asian, and lower-income groups despite an […]
April 21, 2021

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia

Like a stern bodyguard for the central nervous system, the blood-brain barrier keeps out anything that could lead to disease and dangerous inflammation—at least when all is functioning normally. That may not be the case in people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders, suggest new findings from a team led […]
April 21, 2021

Improving drug efficacy against prostate cancer and related bone growths

Published in the Advanced Functional Materials, University of Minnesota researcher Hongbo Pang led a cross-institutional study on improving the efficacy of nucleotide-based drugs against prostate cancer and bone metastasis. In this study, Pang and his research team looked at whether liposomes, when integrated with the iRGD peptide, will help concentrate antisense oligonucleotides […]
April 21, 2021

Nutrient compound shows promise for halting mother-to-fetus Zika transmission

Before COVID-19, there was another public health crisis that captured headlines around the world: the Zika virus outbreak of 2015-16, which became an epidemic as it spread through Brazil and the Americas. The mosquito-borne virus was perhaps best known for causing significant birth defects, most prominently microcephaly, which can cause an […]
April 21, 2021

Nicotinamide Riboside Supplementation Beginning in Mid-Life Slows Osteoporosis in Mice

In today's open access paper, researchers report that long-term supplementation with nicotinamide riboside in mice, starting from mid-life and continuing into old age, slows the pace of osteoporosis. The extracellular matrix of bone tissue is constantly remodeled over time, broken down by osteoclasts and built up by osteoblasts. Osteoporosis is […]
April 20, 2021

Distinct Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms Tied to Different Brain Pathways

Identification of neural circuits clarifies motor vs. cognitive symptoms, aiding efforts to improve treatments. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is well known as a debilitating disease that gradually worsens over time. Although the disease’s progression has been largely tied to the loss of motor functions, non-motor symptoms, including the loss of cognitive […]
April 20, 2021

New Blueprint of Brain Connections Reveals Extensive Reach of Central Regulator

Map of basal ganglia connectivity uncovers key links with implications for range of disorders. Thousands of our daily activities, from making coffee to taking a walk to saying hello to a neighbor, are made possible through an ancient collection of brain structures tucked away near the center of the cranium. […]
April 20, 2021

Understudied Mutations Have Big Impact on Gene Expression

Variable number tandem repeats modulate genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, cancer and other conditions. An international team of researchers led by computer scientists at the University of California San Diego have identified 163 variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) that actively regulate gene expression. In a paper published in Nature […]
April 20, 2021

How Brain Tumors Turn Immune Cells into Cancer-Growing Hostages

Brain tumors known as glioblastomas are among the most aggressive and malevolent forms of cancer. Median survival time without treatment is just nine months; with standard of care surgery and chemoradiation, it’s 15 to 16 months. Patients rarely survive more than a few years. In only a very small subset […]
April 20, 2021

Study links prenatal phthalate exposure to altered information processing in infants

Exposure to phthalates, a class of chemicals widely used in packaging and consumer products, is known to interfere with normal hormone function and development in human and animal studies. Now researchers have found evidence linking pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates to altered cognitive outcomes in their infants. Most of the […]
April 20, 2021

New genetic clues point to new treatments for ‘silent’ stroke

Scientists have identified new genetic clues in people who have had small and often apparently ‘silent’ strokes that are difficult to treat and a major cause of vascular dementia, according to research led by the University of Cambridge and published in The Lancet Neurology. Researchers discovered changes to 12 genetic regions […]
April 20, 2021

Artificial intelligence could be used to triage patients suspected at risk of early stage oesophageal cancer

Artificial intelligence ‘deep learning’ techniques can be used to triage suspected cases of Barrett oesophagus, a precursor to oesophageal cancer, potentially leading to faster and earlier diagnoses, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. When researchers applied the technique to analysing samples obtained using the ‘pill on a string’ diagnostic […]
April 20, 2021

Microplastics and human health: exposure to microplastics may alter cellular function

Pollution from miniscule pieces of plastic, or microplastics, have been a growing concern for scientists, public health advocates and environmentalists as these non-degradable items have increasingly made their way into waterways and even the air we breathe.  Now, a team of Florida State University researchers is looking at what inhalation and ingestion […]
April 20, 2021

Study Suggests Those Who Had COVID-19 May Only Need One Vaccine Dose

People who have recovered from COVID-19 had a robust antibody response after the first mRNA vaccine dose, but little immune benefit after the second dose, according to new research from the Penn Institute of Immunology. The findings, published in Science Immunology, suggest only a single vaccine dose may be needed to produce […]
April 20, 2021

Gene Therapy Shows Promise in Initial Trial for Patients with Childhood Blindness

New gene therapy for one of the most common forms of congenital blindness was safe and improved patients’ vision, according to initial data from a clinical trial led by researchers at the Scheie Eye Institute in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The therapy delivers working […]
April 20, 2021

Scientists discover a new gene regulation mechanism

A team of scientists from Russia studied the role of double-stranded fragments of the maturing RNA and showed that the interaction between distant parts of the RNA can regulate gene expression. The research was published in Nature Communications. At school, we learn that DNA is double-stranded and RNA is single-stranded, but […]
April 20, 2021

Supplement treats schizophrenia in mice, restores healthy “dance” and structure of neurons

A simple dietary supplement reduces behavioral symptoms in mice with a genetic mutation that causes schizophrenia. After additional experiments, including visualizing the fluorescently stained dancing edge of immature brain cells, researchers concluded that the supplement likely protects proteins that build neurons’ cellular skeletons. The supplement betaine was first isolated from […]
April 20, 2021

New Algorithm Uses Online Learning for Massive Cell Data Sets

The method enables researchers to analyze millions of cells with the amount of memory found on a standard computer. The fact that the human body is made up of cells is a basic, well-understood concept. Yet amazingly, scientists are still trying to determine the various types of cells that make […]
April 20, 2021

Specialized technique captures unique protein structures in neuropathy disorders

Charcot Marie Tooth and Dejerine-Sottas syndrome are groups of diseases that involve the breakdown of the myelin sheath covering nerve axons. As this myelin sheath breaks down, people who have these disorders suffer nerve damage in the arms and legs—those with Dejerine-Sottas disease may never walk or may lose the […]
April 20, 2021

Omega-3 supplements do double duty in protecting against stress

A high daily dose of an omega-3 supplement may help slow the effects of ageing by suppressing damage and boosting protection at the cellular level during and after a stressful event, new research suggests. Researchers at Ohio State University found that daily supplements that contained 2.5 grams of omega-3 polyunsaturated […]
April 20, 2021

COVID-19 Data Shows the Importance of Thymic Atrophy in Aging

The decline of the immune system is of great importance in aging. Vulnerability to infection, a decreased surveillance of senescent cells and cancerous cells, and growing chronic inflammation all take their toll. A sizable fraction of this problem stems from the diminished supply of new T cells of the adaptive […]
April 20, 2021

Crew-2 Astronauts Head to Space Station to Conduct Microgravity Science

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on Earth Day, April 22. The four include NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and, a first for the Commercial Crew Program, two international partners, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and […]
April 19, 2021

Cancer cells may evade chemotherapy by going dormant

Cancer cells can dodge chemotherapy by entering a state that bears similarity to certain kinds of senescence, a type of “active hibernation” that enables them to weather the stress induced by aggressive treatments aimed at destroying them, according to a new study by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine. These findings […]