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A weighty new study shows that CRISPR therapies can cut fat without cutting DNA. In a paper published in the journal Science, UC San Francisco researchers describe how a modified version of CRISPR was used to ramp up the activity of certain genes and prevent severe obesity in mice with genetic mutations […]

There’s a reason so many children are prescribed methylphenidate, better known by the trade name Ritalin: it helps kids quell attention and hyperactivity problems and sit still enough to focus on a school lesson. The drug keeps more of the neurotransmitter dopamine loose among brain cells, enhancing cell-to-cell transmission of […]

Neurons in the brain and spinal cord don’t grow back after injury, unlike those in the rest of the body. Cut your finger, and you’ll probably be back to using it in days or weeks; slice through your spinal cord, and you likely will never walk again. Now, working in […]

Researchers have identified another reason to limit red meat consumption: high levels of a gut-generated chemical called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), that also is linked to heart disease. Scientists found that people who eat a diet rich in red meat have triple the TMAO levels of those who eat a diet […]

African-Americans with moderate or severe sleep apnea are twice as likely to have hard-to-control high blood pressure when their sleep apnea goes untreated, according to a new study funded mainly by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings, which researchers […]

It’s a simple message, but as screening recommendations for colorectal and other cancers become more complicated, what happens when the message becomes “maybe get screened” or even “stop screening”? A new study in JAMA Network Open finds nearly one-third of veterans who underwent recommended screening colonoscopies were uncomfortable with the idea of […]

Genetics may play a larger role in pancreatic cancer than previously thought, an expert panel has found. It’s led to the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommending that genetic testing be offered to anyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The goal: to help identify family members who might be at greater risk. “It […]

A new computational model developed by researchers from The City College of New York and Yale gives a clearer picture of the structure and mechanics of soft, shape-changing cells that could provide a better understanding of cancerous tumor growth, wound healing, and embryonic development. Mark D. Shattuck, professor of physics at City […]

An insulin injection can manage diabetes symptoms, but actually curing the disease would mean healing cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in blood. One promising approach may be to stimulate the regeneration of those cells with drugs. But there’s a major […]

Millions of people in the United States alone have submitted their DNA for analysis and received information that not only predicts their risk for disease but, it turns out, in some cases might also have influenced that risk, according to a recent study by researchers at Stanford University. The team, […]

Like Zika, infection with Rift Valley fever virus can go unnoticed during pregnancy, all the while doing irreparable – often lethal – harm to the fetus. The results of a new study, led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research (CVR), underscore the importance of disease prevention for […]

How does cancer spread? While studying human brain tumour cells, a team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) found some answers to this crucial, yet so far unanswered question. They looked at a gene called EGFRvIII, which is present in patients with glioblastoma – […]

The neurodegenerative disease ALS causes motor neuron death and paralysis. However, long before the cells die, they lose contact with the muscles as their axons atrophy. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now devised a new method that radically improves the ability to study axons and thus to better understand the […]

Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that breast cancer tumors boost their growth by recruiting stromal cells that originate in bone marrow. While the recruitment of bone marrow-derived fibroblasts lowers the odds of surviving breast cancer, the study suggests that targeting these cells with new therapies could be an effective way […]

High temperatures, sore throats and infections during childhood can increase the risk of also suffering from a mental disorder as a child or adolescent. This is shown by the first study of its kind to follow all children born in Denmark between 1 January 1995 and 30 June 2012. The […]

At just two-and-a-half years old, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Human Stem Cell Gene Editing Service is already contemplating expansion. The increased demand has tracked the growth of research projects on campus using a new gene editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9. The service derives and genetically engineers pluripotent stem cell lines for […]

After reading studies that showed aerobic exercise can improve cognition in healthy adults, School of Nursing researcher Fang Yu wondered how exercise could affect people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. For the last 15 years, Yu has been exploring that question from a variety of perspectives. She thinks non-pharmacological […]

Aggressive treatment of hypertension in stroke patients could do more harm than good in the long term, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Georgia. Sixty percent of stroke patients admitted to U.S. emergency rooms have elevated blood pressure, and many studies say that having high blood […]

A new computational model clarifies the structure and mechanics of soft, shape-changing cells, potentially giving scientists a better understanding of cancerous tumor growth, wound healing, and embryonic development. Led by Corey O’Hern, a Yale professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, physics, and applied physics, the researchers developed an efficient computational […]

Real world data from a large Nordic study shows that use of liraglutide, a drug for type 2 diabetes, is associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death. The study, led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, is published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. The […]

Researchers at Cardiff University are exploring how digital technologies, such as wearable fitness trackers, can be used to help people with Huntington’s disease (HD) manage their symptoms. As part of a £16 million collaboration to address the health and social care of people with diseases of the brain, Professor Monica […]

Machine-learning and neuroimaging techniques have been used to accurately distinguish between individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and healthy individuals, on the basis of their brain structure, in new research part funded by the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre and published in The British Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers performed MRI (magnetic resonance […]

Researchers have discovered that a hormone, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), is extremely elevated in mice with liver disease that mimics the same condition in patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), a serious genomic disorder. Based on this finding, medical teams treating patients with MMA will be able to measure FGF21 levels to […]

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a new tool described as a “flight data recorder” for developing cells, illuminating the paths cells take as they progress from one type to another. Scientists hope to one day be able to take skin cells from a […]

The discovery of three biomarkers that detect mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s has the potential to lead to the development of a saliva test to diagnose the chronic neurodegenerative disease. University of Alberta scientists Liang Li and Roger Dixon examined saliva samples from three sets of patients: those with Alzheimer’s, those with mild cognitive […]

The idea of a cancer vaccine is something researchers have been working on for over 50 years, but until recently they were never able to prove exactly how such a vaccine would work. Now, a team of researchers at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at Université de […]

The venom of insects such as wasps and bees is full of compounds that can kill bacteria. Unfortunately, many of these compounds are also toxic for humans, making it impossible to use them as antibiotic drugs. After performing a systematic study of the antimicrobial properties of a toxin normally found […]

Newborns with vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of schizophrenia later in life, a team of Australian and Danish researchers has reported. The discovery could help prevent some cases of the disease by treating vitamin D deficiency during the earliest stages of life. The study, led by Professor John McGrath from The […]

Postmenopausal women with higher levels of body fat have a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer even if they have a normal body mass index (BMI), according to a study published Dec. 6 in JAMA Oncology. BMI is a measure of body mass based only on height and weight; […]

Older adults who added hazelnuts to their diet for a few months significantly improved their levels of two key micronutrients, new research at Oregon State University indicates. In the study, 32 people age 55 and older ate about 57 grams of hazelnuts – 2 ounces or about one-third cup – […]