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New technologies accelerate high-resolution imaging of human chromosomes in single cells. The intricate, tightly wound structures of chromosomes condense about two meters of DNA so the complete instruction manual for growing a human can be tucked inside a cell nucleus just 10 microns wide. “This is like fitting something the […]

A new study, which analyzed 40 years of Framingham Heart Study data, found an association between lowered rates of hip fractures and decreases in smoking and heavy drinking. The rates of hip fractures in the United States have been declining over the past few decades. Although some experts attribute this […]

The self-eating process in embryonic stem cells known as chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) and a related metabolite may serve as promising new therapeutic targets to repair or regenerate damaged cells and organs, Penn Medicine researchers show in a new study published online in Science. Human bodies contain over 200 different types of specialized cells. […]

Yale School of Medicine and the biopharmaceutical firm AI Therapeutics have launched a multi-institutional clinical trial of a drug for treating COVID-19. Known as LAM-002A (apilimod), the drug has a proven safety record. Preliminary research has shown it can block cellular entry and trafficking of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause […]

Human pregnancy can easily be taken for granted as a natural and regularly occurring event, but it is the product of the complex, coordinated function of two bodies, mother and baby, that has evolved side by side with other important human adaptations. For the first time, researchers have established how […]

The number of people in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s or dementia is expected to triple by 2050, and the latest research from the Alzheimer’s Association shows that half of the medical providers are not prepared to care for them. Now, new recommendations from a National Institutes of Health working group on […]

When our neurons — the principal cells of the brain — die, so do we. Most neurons are created during embryonic development and have no “backup” after birth. Researchers have generally believed that their survival is determined nearly extrinsically, or by outside forces, such as the tissues and cells that neurons supply with […]

New method to improve the diagnosis of genetic diseases. Breaks and rearrangements in the genome can lead to severe diseases, even if all genes remain intact. Hi-C, a method to map the three-dimensional structure of chromosomes, promises more reliable and accurate diagnoses of such defects, but is not used in […]

Research from The University of Western Australia has found a diet rich in nutrients and antioxidants may prevent or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in Open Biology, found taking a combination of antioxidants at increasing doses was more beneficial at preventing the debilitating disease than any other […]

Early menstruation increases the likelihood of hot flushes and nights sweats decades later at menopause, according to a University of Queensland study. School of Public Health researchers analysed data from more than 18,000 middle aged women across the UK, USA and Australia, as part of the Life course Approach to reproductive health and Chronic […]

As cancer cells evolve, many of their genes become overactive while others are turned down. These genetic changes can help tumors grow out of control and become more aggressive, adapt to changing conditions, and eventually lead the tumor to metastasize and spread elsewhere in the body. MIT and Harvard University […]

The inflammatory molecule interleukin-17A (IL-17A) triggers immune cells that in turn reduce IL-17A’s pro-inflammatory activity, according to a study by the National Eye Institute (NEI) researchers. In models of autoimmune diseases of the eye and brain, blocking IL-17A increased the presence of other inflammatory molecules produced by Th17 cells, immune […]

Proper embryonic development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is governed by patterns of protein activity bequeathed to the fertilized egg by its mother. While the embryo is still a single cell, the maternal cells surrounding it deposit certain proteins inside it at specific locations. This establishes protein gradients that direct the […]

Don’t use it, lose it. This old saying applies to so many areas of life, but also your mental capacity. You need to stimulate your brain in order to protect your cognitive ability from the horrors of aging. And you know what stimulates brain? Human contact – a new UCL-lead […]

Many people with autism experience sensory hypersensitivity, attention deficits, and sleep disruption. One brain region that has been implicated in these symptoms is the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), which is believed to act as a gatekeeper for sensory information flowing to the cortex. A team of researchers from MIT and […]

About 40 percent of children around the globe suffer from anemia because they do not consume enough iron. Now, studies by ETH researchers show that iron deficiency also reduces the protection provided by vaccinations. Despite the fact that global immunization programs are now reaching more people than ever, about 1.5 […]

Normal brain development occurs in part through a process called histone methylation, which controls the expression of the genetic code written in DNA. One of these histones, called H3K4me, is found extensively throughout the brains of mammals, including humans. Errors in the methylation of H3K4me can cause neurodevelopmental disorders and […]

The aberrant buildup of misfolded proteins is a hallmark of a host of disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Aggregates of these toxic proteins wreak havoc on the function of cells, tissues, and organs, and despite intensive research over many decades, there are still no effective means […]

Some of the most promising advances in cancer treatment have centered on immunotherapies that rev up a patient’s immune system to attack cancer. But immunotherapies don’t work in all patients, and researchers have been searching for ways to increase their effectiveness. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in […]

Tel Aviv University researchers have found that the short time period around tumor removal surgery (the weeks before and after surgery) is critical for the prevention of metastases development, which develops when the body is under stress. According to the researchers, patients require immunotherapeutic treatment as well as treatment to […]

A research team from Tel Aviv University's Zimin Institute for Engineering Solutions Advancing Better Lives, led by Prof. Noam Shomron and doctoral student Artem Danilevsky, has developed a method to detect cancer cells in the abdominal cavity in real-time. Following a tumor removal surgery in the abdominal cavity, the team can detect whether all cancer […]

There’s no doubt that you can lose fat by eating less or moving more—yet after decades of research, the biology underlying this equation remains mysterious. What really ignites the breakdown of stored fat molecules are nerves embedded in the fat tissue, and a new study now reveals that these fat-burning […]

Fighting cancer often means employing a suite of techniques to target the tumor and prevent it from growing and spreading to other parts of the body. It’s no small feat — the American Cancer Society predicts roughly 1.8 million new cases of cancer in the country in 2020, underscoring the […]

Scientists from the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn., have demonstrated that a salmonella biofilm protein can cause autoimmune responses and arthritis in animals. Salmonella was previously thought to only form biofilms in the environment, such […]

A research group led by Daniel Aili, associate professor at LiU, has developed a bioink to print tissue-mimicking material in 3D printers. The scientists have developed a method and a material that allow cells to survive and thrive. “Bioprinting is a new and exciting technology to manufacture three-dimensional tissue-mimicking cell […]

Rathke’s cleft cysts are benign, fluid-filled growths that develop in the pituitary gland, a small oval-shaped gland near the underside of the brain. Usually, these cysts don’t cause symptoms.  However, if they become large enough to compress the organ and surrounding tissues, then they can cause problems with vision and […]

Biology is rife with examples of collective behavior, from flocks of birds and colonies of bacteria to schools of fish and mobs of people. In a study with implications from oncology to ecology, researchers from Rice University and the University of Georgia have shown that data science can unlock subtle […]

Rare inherited mutations in the body’s master regulator of the DNA repair system – the TP53 gene – can leave people at a higher risk of developing multiple types of cancer over the course of their lives. Now, for the first time, a team led by researchers in the Basser Center for BRCA at […]

Seniors who can identify smells like roses, turpentine, paint-thinner and lemons, and have retained their senses of hearing, vision, and touch may have half the risk of developing dementia as their peers with marked sensory decline. In a study by UC San Francisco, researchers tracked close to 1,800 participants in […]

A new study reveals intricate details about the biology of the huntingtin protein (HTT), which is responsible for Huntington’s disease. The research focuses on axonal transport — the way in which vital materials travel along pathways called axons inside nerve cells, or neurons. Scientists found that HTT sometimes journeys along these […]