Related Science News

April 28, 2021

Researcher investigates possible link between obesity and colon cancer

Obesity is associated with an increased risk for a broad spectrum of tumors, including colon cancer. And once cancer develops, statistics show that overweight or obese individuals are at higher risk of cancer recurrence and have a decreased chance of survival. The underlying mechanisms for this are unclear. One of […]
April 27, 2021

HPV Fuels Uptick in Head and Neck Cancers in Taiwan, Study Finds

The human papillomavirus is fueling an epidemic of head and neck cancer globally, with 100,000 new cases worldwide each year. A new study suggests Taiwan may be in the same spot the United States was a few decades ago when this trend first emerged. But in Taiwan, HPV’s impact is obscured […]
April 27, 2021

Study Helps Unravel Why Young, Pregnant Women Develop Heart Failure Similar to That of Older Patients

Researchers at Penn Medicine uncover more genetic mutations that predispose women to peripartum cardiomyopathy, with implications for the future of increased genetic testing. Researchers at Penn Medicine have identified more genetic mutations that strongly predispose younger, otherwise healthy women to peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare condition characterized by weakness of […]
April 27, 2021

Study evaluates biomarker criteria for assessing Alzheimer’s risk

One of the biggest challenges in Alzheimer’s research is to identify biomarkers that can determine who is at risk of developing dementia. Such biomarkers could be used to screen people so they might be helped before they develop dementia. Researchers have focused primarily on three such biomarkers. Two are Alzheimer’s-related proteins, amyloid and […]
April 27, 2021

Cap-Independent Translation of mRNA as a Common Mechanism of Longevity

Researchers here show that increased levels of cap-independent translation (CIT) of messenger RNA (mRNA) take place in a diverse set of interventions known to modestly slow aging in mice, suggesting it to be a common phenomenon in these shifts of metabolism towards a slower pace of aging. CIT is a […]
April 26, 2021

Irregular work schedule damages immune system

If you’ve ever experienced shift work, you know it can be extremely taxing on your overall wellbeing. On the other hand, in some places it is simply unavoidable – you have to keep some factories and healthcare institutions running. Now scientists at the University of Waterloo found that irregular work […]
April 26, 2021

Is a calorie always a calorie? Not when it comes to almonds, U of T researchers find

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that a calorie labelled is not the same as a calorie digested and absorbed when the food source is almonds. The findings, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, should help alleviate concerns that almonds contribute to weight gain, which persist despite the widely […]
April 26, 2021

CPR and COVID-19 – When is it safe to save a life?

Imagine you’re walking your dog down the street when you see someone ahead of you collapse. Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, you’d rush to their side, check to see if they are breathing, feel for a heartbeat. Unable to detect either, you’d begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with chest compressions […]
April 26, 2021

Immune system, not COVID virus, may pose greatest risk to pregnant women

For reasons not yet clear, pregnant women infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 are more likely to experience preterm births, pre-eclampsia, and other neonatal problems than non-infected women. A team of Yale scientists decided to investigate whether the virus could be affecting the placental tissue of infected expectant mothers. […]
April 26, 2021

Body’s Natural Pain Killers Can Be Enhanced

Fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine—these substances are familiar to many as a source of both pain relief and the cause of a painful epidemic of addiction and death. Scientists have attempted for years to balance the potent pain-relieving properties of opioids with their numerous negative side effects—with mostly mixed results. Work by John […]
April 26, 2021

Researchers find drug that enables healing without scarring

Researchers have identified the mechanisms of scar formation in skin and demonstrated in mice a way to make wounds heal with normal skin instead of scar tissue. A simple question from a mentor — Why do we scar after an injury or surgical incision? — set Michael Longaker, MD, on a […]
April 26, 2021

Feeling confinement in the gut

Resolving a missing link of research, Canadian researchers find significant microbiome changes in crew who spent 520 days in isolation to simulate a mission to Mars Crew members who took part in the Mars500 experiment showed significant changes in their gut microbiota from their 520 days in confinement, according to […]
April 26, 2021

Using CRISPR as a research tool to develop cancer treatments

CRISPR’s potential to prevent or treat disease is widely recognized. But the gene-editing technology can also be used as a research tool to probe and understand diseases. That’s the basic insight behind KSQ Therapeutics. The company uses CRISPR to alter genes across millions of cells. By observing the effect of […]
April 26, 2021

Large genetic study sheds light on the causes of hemorrhoids

Although haemorrhoids are a common health problem, relatively little is known about the field, possibly because many people find them difficult to talk about. Researchers linked to Karolinska Institutet have been involved in a study that has analysed the genomes of almost a million people and found previously unknown causes […]
April 26, 2021

New drug is gamechanger in psoriasis treatment

A novel drug almost entirely cleared moderate to severe psoriasis in over 60% of the patients who took part in two-phase three clinical trials of a new drug. The University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust led studies on Bimekizumab, both published in the prestigious New England Journal […]
April 26, 2021

The Future of Cryopreservation

The ability to cryopreserve and thaw organs via vitrification, without ice formation and significant tissue damage, allowing for indefinite storage time, would go a long way towards simplifying the logistics and reducing the costs of present organ donation and future tissue engineering of organs for transplantation. Cryopreservation via vitrification also […]
April 25, 2021

Researchers investigate the environment’s role in brain health

It’s common knowledge that our surroundings affect our health — decades of research have linked things like air, water and soil quality to various measures of physical well-being. But much less is known about how the environment changes our brain. Now, a research team at the Keck School of Medicine […]
April 25, 2021

Research shows how a sugary diet early in life could mean memory trouble later

New research shows how drinking sugary beverages early in life may lead to impaired memory in adulthood. The study, published in Translational Psychiatry, also is the first to show how a specific change to the gut microbiome — the bacteria and other microorganisms growing in the stomach and intestines — can […]
April 25, 2021

Do our brains age faster than the rest of our bodies?

If you feel your brain power diminishing as you advance into middle age and beyond, blame your neural stem cells. In a study published in Cell Stem Cell, a team led by USC Stem Cell scientist Michael Bonaguidi demonstrates that neural stem cells—the stem cells of the nervous system—age rapidly. “There is chronological […]
April 25, 2021

ERC Advanced Grant to understand enzyme stability

A new ERC project aims to improve our understanding of enzyme stability and broaden the field of potential applications for biocatalysis. Professor John Woodley from DTU Chemical Engineering has received an Advanced Grant from ERC, the European Research Council. The grant of EUR 2.4 M will for the next five […]
April 25, 2021

Computer model fosters potential improvements to ‘bionic eye’ technology

There are millions of people who face the loss of their eyesight from degenerative eye diseases. The genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa alone affects 1 in 4,000 people worldwide. Today, there is technology available to offer partial eyesight to people with that syndrome. The Argus II, the world’s first retinal prosthesis, […]
April 25, 2021

Immunotherapy Alone Extended Life for Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients with KRAS Mutation

Real-world evidence is suggesting, for the first time, the most beneficial treatment courses that could help extend the lives of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, according to research from the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. In a new study published online in JAMA Oncology, researchers show that […]
April 25, 2021

Targeting Cell Maintenance Processes to Improve Mitochondrial Function and Slow Aging

Many approaches shown to slow aging in animal studies involve an increased efficiency of cell maintenance processes such as the ubiquitin-proteasome system and various types of autophagy. Here researchers discuss the improvement of autophagy in order to slow the age-related decline of mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are the power plants of […]
April 24, 2021

International research teams explore genetic effects of Chernobyl radiation

In two landmark studies, researchers have used cutting-edge genomic tools to investigate the potential health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. One study found no evidence that radiation exposure to parents resulted in new […]
April 23, 2021

Computer-based image analysis of atherosclerosis in the carotid artery opens up opportunities for better stroke prevention and individualized treatment

Patients with atherosclerosis today usually receive preventive treatment only after a heart attack or stroke because diagnostic methods that can identify individuals and atherosclerotic plaques with high risk are lacking. In addition, the choice of treatment, both surgical and medical, is based on large patient studies and the possibilities for […]