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Mice that sleep fitfully could help researchers unravel the mystery of insomnia. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied mice genetically modified to mimic the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which is associated with sleep problems. They found that the animals, like some people with […]

African-Americans may be twice as likely as Caucasian Americans to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but nobody knows why because studies investigating the underlying causes of illness have historically drawn from a nearly all-white pool of research participants. Consequently, little is known about how the neurodegenerative disease arises and progresses in people […]

Longevity is heritable, but that primarily applies to persons from families where multiple members are among the top 10 percent survivors of their birth cohort. The key to a long life can probably be found in the genes of these families. These are the conclusions of researchers at Leiden University […]

Blood levels of a special protein found only in the inner ear spike after exposure to loud noise, UConn Health researchers report. The findings point the way to blood tests that could warn people at risk of hearing loss before they suffer serious damage. Hearing loss can sneak up on […]

A research team from Imperial College London, led by Dr Ben Almquist, has developed a new molecule based on so-called traction force-activated payloads (TrAPs) which allow materials to talk to the body‘s natural repair systems and thereby activate healing processes. “Creatures from sea sponges to humans use cell movement to […]

New clinical trial is evaluating a next-generation approach to replacing damaged knee cartilage with healthy cartilage cultivated from a patient’s own cells. Cartilage, the slippery tissue on the ends of and between bones, provides cushioning and shock absorption. Specifically, in the knee, the articular cartilage at the end of the […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab have developed a new method of analysis that maps the location of proteins in the cell. The information has been compiled in a database that is accessible to researchers around the world. The method of analysis, which has been published in the journal Molecular Cell, […]

HIPEC, a procedure that combines surgery and heated chemotherapy, gave one patient peace of mind after hundreds of cysts were removed from her abdomen. Melissa Hough considers herself to be patient No. 154. That’s how unusual her condition is. In June, she was diagnosed with cystic mesothelioma. It’s a noncancerous […]

A new study by an international research team including Harvard Medical School faculty has compiled an “atlas” of genetic factors associated with estimated bone mineral density, one of the most clinically relevant factors in diagnosing osteoporosis. The paper, published online in Nature Genetics, identifies 518 genome-wide loci, including 301 newly discovered […]

As genomic sequencing becomes increasingly common in the clinic, questions linger about its use and role in newborn medicine. Can sequencing provide actual actionable insights? How common is it to find something important to a child’s future health? What are the benefits and other consequences of such findings for families? […]

A new study suggests that people over age 65 who are newly diagnosed with heart failure can continue to drink moderate amounts of alcohol without worsening their condition. The study, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, showed a survival benefit for moderate drinkers compared with those who […]

Little more than fifty years after the German ornithologist Wolfgang Makatsch published his book entitled “No egg is like another” (Kein Ei gleicht dem anderen), new research at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and the University of Hohenheim reveals exactly […]

An atlas of genetic markers may hold the key to unlocking new treatments for osteoporosis, thanks to University of Queensland researchers. The team identified more than 500 genetic markers which determine bone mineral density, one of the strongest risk factors for osteoporosis. Researchers hope the atlas will lead to the development of […]

New research from the University of Liverpool and Mars Petcare’s WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition reveals overweight dogs are more likely to have shorter lives than those at ideal body weights. Results from the study, conducted retrospectively across two decades and published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, revealed the lifespan of […]

For decades, scientists have recognized that more males get cancer and die of the disease than females. This is true for many types of cancer, including the deadly brain tumor glioblastoma. Now, a team of researchers led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified distinct molecular […]

Researchers at the University of Toronto and UC San Francisco have discovered that the intestine is the source of immune cells that reduce brain inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and that increasing the number of these cells blocks inflammation entirely in a preclinical model of the disease. The […]

Age-related dementia is a terrible debilitating condition, which affects millions around the globe. It is one of the reasons why so many of us are afraid of getting old. Scientists say that dementia is actually a growing problem – the global burden of dementia has doubled since 1990, according to […]

A higher intake of vitamin C is crucial for metabolic syndrome patients trying to halt a potentially deadly cycle of antioxidant disruption and health-related problems, an Oregon State University researcher says. That’s important news for the estimated 35 percent of the U.S. adult population that suffers from the syndrome. “What […]

A jagged little protein appears to be key to how cancer stem cells differentiate and enable metastasis, according to researchers at Rice University and the Duke University School of Medicine. Rice scientists who have formed several theories on how cancer grows and spreads connected the dots for a more complete […]

Melanoma is an extremely dangerous cancer, which spreads quickly and is relatively hard to treat. One of the more effective strategies would be to stop cancer from spreading, making its presence a bit more local and, therefore, easier to treat. But how do you achieve that? Scientists from the University […]

Writing in the journal Cancer Cell, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that detection of “copy editing” by a stem cell enzyme called ADAR1, which is active in more than 20 tumor types, may provide a kind of molecular radar for early detection of malignancies and […]

Stopping melanoma from spreading to other parts of the body might be as simple as cutting off the blood supply to the cancer, according to researchers. Scientists from The University of Queensland’sDiamantina Institute have discovered stem cells which form blood vessels in tumours, and have identified how to ‘switch the cells off’. […]

As amyloid beta peptides bind to prion proteins, a cascade of events, which include the accumulation of plaques, abnormal immune responses and damage to synapses, is triggered, eventually leading to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Fortunately, researchers have been working hard on a variety of treatment avenues. In one of […]

Professor Kimitaka Nakazawa built a career studying neurological rehabilitation after spinal cord injury. He had long been interested in sports physiology and when he moved to the University of Tokyo in 2009, he had the academic freedom to add studies of dancers and baseball pitchers to his research. It wasn't […]

Using a common type of brain scan, researchers programmed a machine-learning algorithm to diagnose early-stage Alzheimer’s disease about six years before a clinical diagnosis is made – potentially giving doctors a chance to intervene with treatment. No cure exists for Alzheimer’s disease, but promising drugs have emerged in recent years […]

Yale researchers have identified a drinkable cocktail of designer molecules that interferes with a crucial first step of Alzheimer’s and even restores memories in mice, they report n the journal Cell Reports. The binding of amyloid beta peptides to prion proteins triggers a cascade of devasting events in the progression of […]

A team of neuroscientists and engineers has developed a tiny, implantable device that has potential to help people with bladder problems bypass the need for medication or electronic stimulators. The team — from Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign — developed a […]

When people are in the early stages of an undiagnosed disease, immediate tests that lead to treatment are the best first steps. But a blood draw — usually performed by a medical professional armed with an uncomfortably large needle — might not be quickest, least painful or most effective method, […]

Baby‘s birth is always an exciting moment, but it can also be hugely stressful. In fact, in certain cases natural birth is not even an option and parents are encouraged to choose caesarean section. It is a medical procedure that can save baby‘s and mother‘s lives in certain situation. Now […]

For the first time, engineers have demonstrated an electronic device to closely monitor beating heart cells without affecting their behavior. A collaboration between the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Women’s Medical University and RIKEN in Japan produced a functional sample of heart cells with a soft nanomesh sensor in direct contact […]