General

As new technology allows researchers to plunge deeper into the genome and exome, a new class of RNA called circRNA, or circular RNA, may play an intriguing role. Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have cataloged circular RNA in multiple cancers. Their initial research suggests these stable structures could […]

Many older adults who have major surgery experience postoperative delirium in the days after their operations. Previous research has suggested that closely monitoring the brain during surgery and making adjustments to protect the brain from too much anesthesia could reduce risk of postoperative delirium. But in a new study of […]

Time wears differently on women’s and men’s brains. While the brain tends to shrink with age, men’s diminish faster than women’s. The brain’s metabolism slows as people grow older, and this, too, may differ between men and women. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis […]

Though separated by a world of ocean, and unrelated to each other, two fish groups – one in the Arctic, the other in the Antarctic – share a surprising survival strategy: They both have evolved the ability to produce the same special brand of antifreeze protein in their tissues. A […]

Researchers from the University of Alberta may have found a way to make chemotherapy more effective at treating cancer while blocking its harmful side-effects on the heart. While chemotherapy can be an effective treatment for cancer, the aggressive attack on cancer cells often cause damage to other cells throughout the […]

A new Tel Aviv University study finds that fibromyalgia syndrome — a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties — may be a consequence of post-traumatic physical and psychological distress associated with childhood sexual abuse. The research suggests that survivors of childhood sexual abuse who develop fibromyalgia may be […]

UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes. Replacing these cells, which are lost in patients with T1 diabetes, has long been a dream of regenerative […]

Scientists seeking to regrow damaged kidneys have discovered that blocked kidneys in newborns have a remarkable ability to repair themselves after the obstruction is removed. The finding offers insights into how that happens and could eventually help doctors regenerate kidneys in adults. The new research, from the University of Virginia […]

A new study found that an HIV drug significantly reduces age-related inflammation and other signs of aging in mice. “This holds promise for treating age-associated disorders including Alzheimer’s,” said John Sedivy, professor of medical science and biology at Brown University. “And not just Alzheimer’s but many other diseases: Type 2 […]

You know that dizzy feeling you get when, after lying down for an extended period, you stand up a little too quickly? That feeling is caused by a sudden reduction of blood flow to the brain, a reduction of around 30 percent. Now imagine living every minute of every day […]

Human body is very adaptable to various changes that occur during your lifetime. You notice that when some functions of your body become impaired. For example, those who lose limbs learn o get around without them very quickly. Now scientists from UCL and the University of Oxford found that detailed […]

When metastatic cancer cells need to avoid a threat, they simply reprogram themselves. Rice University scientists are beginning to get a handle on how they survive hostile environments. Members of Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) and cancer metabolism researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have created a basic framework of […]

People who inherit a faulty copy of the so-called “breast cancer genes” BRCA1 and BRCA2 are at high risk of cancer. About 10 percent of breast cancer cases and 15 percent of ovarian cancers can be traced back to a flaw in one of these genes. A class of drugs known as PARP inhibitors […]

Researchers have found that treating psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, with biologic drugs that target immune system activity can reduce the early plaque buildup that clogs arteries, restricts blood flow, and leads to heart attacks and stroke. The findings highlight how immunotherapies that treat inflammatory conditions might play a […]

Research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in animal models and patient tissues has identified a new molecular pathway in the liver that suggests a commonly used anti-rejection medication could be repurposed to treat certain liver cancers. “What we’ve found is that liver cancers with a specific mutation in the […]

Tissues and organs in the human body are shaped through forces generated by cells, that push and pull, to “sculpt” biological structures. Thanks to a new tool developed at McGill University, scientists will now be able to watch, and map these forces. Christopher Moraes, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department […]

The production of sperm — otherwise known as spermatogenesis — generates more than 1,000 sperm per second in normal males. This productivity comes, in part, from a special cell type called the spermatogonial stem cell. The staying power of this stem cell has allowed many celebrities, including Robert DeNiro and […]

MicroRNAs can weaken cancer cells in advance of standard therapy in preclinical models, study shows. In the quest for new cancer therapies, microRNAs—tiny strings of nucleotides churned out inside cells—have been a source of both excitement and disappointment. While preclinical studies have found that microRNAs play an important role in […]

Researchers have discovered how specific cells in the guts of mice slow down metabolism and eventually contribute to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. The findings, scientists say, could have important implications for the prevention and treatment of these kinds of metabolic diseases in humans. The study was funded by the […]

A new study reveals that approximately 1 in 5 individuals may experience mental health symptoms up to six months after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), suggesting the importance of follow-up care for these patients. Scientists also identified factors that may increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or […]

An international team of researchers has identified a gene responsible for the onset of pigmentary glaucoma, which may lead to new therapies for the condition. “People who traditionally we wouldn't think of having glaucoma—young males in their 20s and 30s—are at particular risk for this form of the disease and […]

One of the big challenges in neurobiology is cell classification, a problem compounded by the fact that the same cell type can look different depending on the method of analysis used to classify it — whether by cell shape, gene expression profile, electrophysiological firing pattern, or selective vulnerability to certain […]

The wonder-material graphene could hold the key to unlocking the next generation of advanced, early stage lung cancer diagnosis. A team of scientists from the University of Exeter has developed a new technique that could create a highly sensitive graphene biosensor with the capability to detect molecules of the most […]

Damage to nerves during surgery or after an injury such as a slipped disc can lead to long-term pain. An international collaboration of scientists, led by Alexander Davies and Simon Rinaldi from the University of Oxford, has found that specialised cells within the body’s immune system – Natural Killer cells […]

Two distinct parts of the human brain – the neocortex and the hippocampus (a part of the brain involved in higher-order brain functions) – have been shown to help protect our memories from interfering with one another. Researchers from the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging at the University of Oxford […]

MIT cancer biologists have discovered a new mechanism that lung tumors exploit to promote their own survival: These tumors alter bacterial populations within the lung, provoking the immune system to create an inflammatory environment that in turn helps the tumor cells to thrive. In mice that were genetically programmed to […]

Search for a description of “p53” and it becomes clear that this human protein is widely known for its cancer-fighting benefits, leading to its renown as “the guardian of the genome.” Scientists at the University of California San Diego have published a new study challenging that description. Studying the “wild type” version […]

Computer simulations show for the first time that when a patient has history of an enlarged prostate, tumors in the prostate barely grow at all. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For men older than about 60, an enlarged prostate means feeling the urge to make a pit stop way too often […]

A new compound based on Iridium, a rare metal which landed in the Gulf of Mexico 66 M years ago, hooked onto albumin, a protein in blood, can attack the nucleus of cancerous cells when switched on by light, University of Warwick researchers have found. The treatment of cancer using […]

Human embryo research is a controversial topic that often pits the necessity of biomedical investigation against the moral commitment to protect early human life. A new series of research papers from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is discussing human embryos and the related ethical, policy and scientific issues […]