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Case Western Reserve University researchers studying human prions—misfolded proteins that cause lethal and incurable diseases—have, for the first time, identified surface features responsible for the replication of prions in the brain. The ultimate goal of their research is to design a strategy to stop prion disease in humans—and, ultimately, to […]

The risk of severe illness and death from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is extremely low in children and teenagers, according to the most comprehensive analyses of public health data, led by researchers at UCL, University of Bristol, University of York and the University of Liverpool. However, catching Covid-19 […]

Researchers at McGill University have shown that a brain cell structure previously thought to be pathological in fact enhances cells’ ability to transmit information and correlates with a better learning on certain tasks. In a study published in Nature Communications, the team investigated swellings that occur in the axons of Purkinje […]

Part of Dennis Plenker’s daily job, as a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) research investigator, is growing cancer. And a variety of different ones, too. Depending on the day and the project, different tumours may flourish. They might be aggressive breast cancers. They might be glioblastomas, one of the deadliest […]

Most countries have not introduced nationwide prostate cancer screening, as current methods result in overdiagnoses and excessive and unnecessary biopsies. A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, which is published in The New England Journal of Medicine, indicates that screening by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and targeted […]

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in the United States, but identifying type 1 or type 2 diabetes patients at high risk for progressive kidney disease has never had a sure science behind it. Historically, assessing kidney function meant looking at estimated glomerular filtration rate, a calculation that determines […]

A research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified potential new treatment targets for Alzheimer’s disease, as well as existing drugs that have therapeutic potential against these targets. The potential targets are defective proteins that lead to the buildup of amyloid in the brain, contributing […]

Acute kidney injury, or acute renal failure, can occur suddenly from a variety of causes, including the systemic blood infection sepsis, which causes changes in oxygen flow to and metabolism in the kidneys. Researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of […]

Children who eat slower are less likely to be extroverted and impulsive, according to a new study co-led by the University at Buffalo and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The research, which sought to uncover the relationship between temperament and eating behaviors in early childhood, also found that kids who were […]

Dogs are often referred to as “man’s best friend,” but for some military veterans, these four-legged accomplices also take on the role of therapist and confidant in the battle against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). When combined with traditional, evidence-based interventions, the human-animal bond has proven to be an effective, […]

The protein actin is ubiquitous and essential for life. In mammals, every cell expresses two of its forms, beta-actin and gamma-nonmuscle-actin. Despite having distinct roles, the two forms are nearly identical, sharing 99% of their amino acid sequence. Research by Anna Kashina of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues has shown that, […]

Studying drug effects on human muscles just got easier thanks to a new “muscle-on-a-chip,” developed by a team of researchers from Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and Inha University in Incheon, Korea. Muscle tissue is essential to almost all of the body’s organs, however, diseases such as cancer and diabetes […]

Researchers discovered that a large amount of enterobacteria in the gut microbiota is related to long-term mortality risk in Finnish adult population. The study conducted by the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare together with an international research team is so far the largest population-level […]

Researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, showed that the antibody treatment reactivates the immune defense in patients with advanced-stage cancer. The treatment alters the function of the body’s phagocytes and facilitates extensive activation of the immune system. The immune defense is the body’s own defense system equipped to combat […]

Significant amounts of atherosclerotic plaque have been found in the coronary arteries of people with HIV, even in those considered by traditional measures to be at low-to-moderate risk of future heart disease, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. This finding emerged from the global REPRIEVE (Randomized Trial to […]

Aspirin can reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular events such as ischemic stroke and heart attack in patients with pneumonia, according to new research. Serious cardiovascular complications are common in cases of pneumonia and are strongly associated with long-term mortality. A study by Dr Fergus Hamilton and colleagues at the University of Bristol looked […]

A new study has pinpointed a small group of cells in the brain which could be crucial to understanding how Alzheimer’s disease begins and how to slow its progression. This discovery could help research into treatment for the disease by focusing on this key group of cells in the brain. […]

Ultrasound can overcome some of the detrimental effects of ageing and dementia without the need to cross the blood-brain barrier, researchers at The University of Queensland have found. Professor Jürgen Götz from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) led a multidisciplinary team who showed low-intensity ultrasound effectively restored cognition without opening the barrier in mice models. The findings […]

Saturated fatty acid levels unexpectedly rise in the brain during memory formation, according to University of Queensland research, opening a new avenue of investigation into how memories are made. Dr Tristan Wallis, from Professor Frederic Meunier’s laboratory at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), said traditionally, polyunsaturated fatty acids were considered important to health and […]

A genetic map of an aggressive childhood brain tumour called medulloblastoma has helped researchers identify a new generation anti-cancer drug that can be repurposed as an effective treatment for the disease. This international collaboration, led by researchers from The University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute and WEHI in Melbourne, could give parents hope in the fight […]

Researchers from the Turku PET Centre and Technical University of Munich have discovered a new mechanism controlling satiation. According to the recently published study, the hormone secretin induces satiation by activating brown adipose tissue. Brown adipose tissue is known for its ability to generate heat in response to cold exposure. […]

The LSL60101 compound, a specific ligand of the I2-IR receptors in the brain, could shed light on the development of future strategies against Alzheimer's disease. This is stated in the recent studies by the Research Group on Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases of the University of Barcelona, published […]

After receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, many experience mild yet common symptoms, such as headache, fatigue and muscle pain – side effects reported by more than 100,000 Australians to date in a national survey. These vaccine side effects have led to hesitancy in some younger people, who may have more symptoms following a […]

Adults with ADHD are at higher risk of a wide range of physical conditions, including nervous system, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases, according to a large register-based study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Lancet Psychiatry. “Identifying co-occurring physical diseases may have important implications for treating adults with ADHD and […]

Research ID's immune cells that sculpt inhibitory neurons, regulate brain wiring. From the bark of a puppy to the patter of rain against the window, our brains receive countless signals every second. Most of the time, we tune out inconsequential cues—the buzz of a fly, the soft rustle of leaves […]

A transplant of healthy gut microbes followed by fibre supplements benefits patients with severe obesity and metabolic syndrome, according to University of Alberta clinical trial findings published in Nature Medicine. Patients who were given a single-dose oral faecal microbial transplant followed by a daily fibre supplement were found to have better […]

The COVID vaccines currently being deployed were developed with unprecedented speed, but the mRNA technology at work in some of them is an equally impressive success story. Because any desired mRNA sequence can be synthesized in massive quantities, one of the biggest hurdles in a variety of mRNA therapies is […]

Patients who had their wisdom teeth extracted had improved tasting abilities decades after having the surgery, a new Penn Medicine study published in the journal Chemical Senses found. The findings challenge the notion that removal of wisdom teeth, known as third molars, only has the potential for negative effects on taste, and represent one of […]

Our cells have abilities that go far beyond the fastest, smartest computer. They generate mechanical forces to propel themselves around the body and sense their local surroundings through a myriad of channels, constantly recalibrating their actions. The idea of using cells as medicine emerged with bone marrow transplants, and then […]

Researchers studying COVID-19 patients have found a metabolic pathway that is highly correlated with immune responses only in male patients, a group known to be more likely to suffer severe cases and die of the disease, representing a potential target for therapeutic intervention. In a study published in the journal […]