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Microglia are innate immune cells of the central nervous system, responsible for clearing harmful molecular waste, tracking down pathogens, and a range of other supporting roles in the function and tissue maintenance of the brain. Unfortunately microglia are known to become dysfunctional with age: notable more inflammatory, and less capable […]

In cancer research, it’s a common goal to find something about cancer cells — some sort of molecule — that drives their ability to survive, and determine if that molecule could be inhibited with a drug, halting tumor growth. Even better: The molecule isn’t present in healthy cells, so they […]

Researchers have discovered a specific brain region underlying ‘goal-directed behaviour’ – that is, when we consciously do something with a particular goal in mind, for example going to the shops to buy food. The study, published in the journal Neuron, found that marmoset monkeys could no longer make an association between […]

Research has shown that the communities of bacteria that live in a mouse's gut are essential for the animals to exhibit normal social behavior with other mice. Mice that have been bred to be germ-free, without a gut microbiome, display significant antisocial behaviors, such as avoiding a stranger mouse rather […]

Chronic pain is a major global public health challenge that causes significant disability. A new research consortium and national chronic pain data hub could improve outcomes for the many people living with painful and debilitating conditions, such as fibromyalgia, lower back pain, headaches and migraines, thanks to a joint £14 […]

The vast majority of American adults eat a dietary pattern that falls short of meeting national dietary guidelines for cancer prevention, a new study shows. When researchers analyzed the dietary intake of more than 30,000 American adults according to body mass index (BMI), the results also showed that people with […]

The number of people who live past the age of 100 has been on the rise for decades, up to nearly half a million people worldwide. There are, however, far fewer “supercentenarians,” people who live to age 110 or even longer. The oldest living person, Jeanne Calment of France, was 122 […]

The University of Manchester, together with Health Innovation Manchester and its Academic Health Science Centre, are launching a joint venture with the Morningside Group to trial a series of new diagnostics and interventions in clinical and digital health. The venture will look at novel digital health innovations and trial a […]

First generation stem cell therapies, such as those using cells derived from fat tissue, have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation. This effect is produced as a result of signaling from the transplanted cells, which near entirely die rather than surviving to integrate into tissues and perform useful work. Improvements […]

A clinical trial conducted at the University of Louisville has shown for the first time that heart failure treatments using cells derived from the patient’s own bone marrow and heart resulted in improved quality of life and reduced major adverse cardiac events for patients after one year. “This is a […]

Many neurodevelopmental disorders share similar symptoms, such as learning disabilities or attention deficits. A new study from MIT has uncovered a common neural mechanism for a type of cognitive impairment seen in some people with autism and schizophrenia, even though the genetic variations that produce the impairments are different for […]

Not only animals and humans host a complex community of microorganisms – plants do this as well. Researchers at ETH Zurich have recently published two new studies that shed light on fundamental aspects of these close – and often overlooked – relationships. Hundreds of different bacterial species live in and […]