General

Repeated measurements of the biomarker FIB-4 in the blood every few years can predict the risk of developing severe liver disease, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the Journal of Hepatology. The risk of liver cirrhosis increases if the levels of this biomarker rise between two […]

A new study reveals that the common asthma drug salbutamol may offer potential as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 47 million people worldwide and its prevalence is expected to triple to more than 130 million cases by 2050. No effective […]

The article, published in Brain Pathology, describes how SAFB1 expression occurs in both spinocerebellar ataxias and Huntington's disease and may be a common marker of these conditions, which have a similar genetic background. SAFB1 is an important protein controlling gene regulation in the brain and is similar in structure to other […]

USC researchers peering deep inside a living cell have discovered something surprising: Its system for preventing genetic damage linked to diseases can fail so badly that the cell would be better off without it. It’s a paradoxical finding because it challenges the idea that tiny protein guardians of cell division […]

Scientists from the USC Stem Cell laboratories of Neil Segil and Justin Ichida are whispering the secrets of a simpler way to generate the sensory cells of the inner ear. Their approach uses direct reprogramming to produce sensory cells known as “hair cells,” due to their hair-like protrusions that sense sound waves. The study was published […]

Aging sucks. Your entire body starts deteriorating and it’s sad. There is nothing good about aging. But probably the worst part is the decline of cognitive abilities. Losing the sharpness of your mind is truly heartbreaking, but millions and millions of people are facing the inevitability of dementia. However, scientists […]

Companies often outsource some of their activities. It means that some parts of their work are done by other organizations, typically where labour is cheaper or there are other incentives. But humans outsource some of their activities too. Scientists from the University of Queensland found that children begin outsourcing thinking […]

Pretty much half of us is going to get cancer. This is part and parcel of our stressful lifestyle as well as aging. Some substances around us are very efficient in causing cancer. But why is that? Why some chemicals are able to cause cancer, which occurs when errors happen […]

In a series of experiments co-funded by the National Science Foundation, scientists at Johns Hopkins have used light as a trigger to make quick, precise cuts in the genomic material of human cancer cell lines. The researchers cut the DNA within seconds using a molecular scalpel known as CRISPR and were able to […]

Using an enzyme inhibitor in meniscus cells, a Penn team was able to soften their nucleus and promote access to previously impassible areas. By softening a cell’s nucleus so that it can squeeze its way through dense connective tissues, a group of researchers believes they’ve demonstrated a new way to […]

Exercise can slow or prevent the development of macular degeneration and may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, new research suggests. A study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine found that exercise reduced the harmful overgrowth of blood vessels in the eyes of […]

A new approach in ophthalmology that offers a revolutionary alternative to corneal transplantation has just been developed by researchers and clinicians in North America, Europe, and Oceania. The team was co-led by May Griffith, a researcher at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, which is affiliated with Université de Montréal and is […]