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The terms “colon cancer” and “colorectal cancer” tend to be used interchangeably. But there are important differences between colon and rectal cancers. Less common and potentially more dangerous, rectal cancer calls for special expertise to properly diagnose and treat it. Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., surgical director of the Rogel Cancer Center’s Multidisciplinary […]

Eating a calcium-rich diet or taking calcium supplements does not appear to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the findings of a study by scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI). AMD is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among people age 65 and […]

In research that casts cells as curators of their own history, Harvard Medical School researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered that adult tissues retain a memory, inscribed on their DNA, of the embryonic cells from which they arose. The discovery led to one even more intriguing find—that the memory […]

Sperm is an incredibly good swimmer for its size. It needs quite a bit of strength to break through the cervical mucus barrier. But where does that strength come from? Scientists from the universities of York and Oxford say that the secret is the outer-layer which coats the tails of […]

One in three childhood cancer survivors is at risk of becoming infertile due to chemotherapy or radiation, and since their sperm or eggs have not matured, assisted reproduction using those sperm or eggs is not an option when they become adults. Now in a major first, researchers at the University of […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found that type IgG antibodies play an unexpected role in atherosclerosis. A study on mice shows that the antibodies stabilise the plaque that accumulates on the artery walls, which reduces the risk of it rupturing and causing a blood clot. It is hoped that the results, […]

Enlarged perivascular spaces, which are commonly seen on brain MRIs in older adults, have important associations with worse cognitive performance, particularly information processing speed and executive function, according to a new study that challenges historical consideration that perivascular spaces are a harmless imaging marker. Enlarged perivascular spaces are fluid-filled spaces […]

A single allergic reaction during pregnancy prompts sexual-development changes in the brains of offspring that last a lifetime, new research suggests. Female rats born to mothers exposed to an allergen during pregnancy acted more characteristically “male” – mounting other female rodents, for instance – and had brains and nervous systems […]

Direct observations of the structure and catalytic mechanism of a prototypical kinase enzyme—protein kinase A or PKA—will provide researchers and drug developers with significantly enhanced abilities to understand and treat fatal diseases and neurological disorders such as cancer, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis. Kinases are a large group of hundreds of […]

Eisai Co., Ltd. announced that a global Phase III clinical study (Clarity AD/Study 301) of BAN2401, an anti-amyloid beta protofibril antibody, in patients with early Alzheimer's disease has been initiated. BAN2401 is being jointly developed by Eisai and Biogen Inc. Clarity AD is a global placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, randomized study […]

Professor Otger Campàs receives 2019 Elizabeth D. Hay New Investigator Award from the Society for Developmental Biology. How do we develop from a mass of undifferentiated cells into organisms of tissues and organs with specific three-dimensional morphologies and architectures? That question has been one of the perennial mysteries at the […]

A delicate operation that involved placing a gene into the brain was found to reduce the severity of motor symptoms in patients with moderately advanced Parkinson’s disease, whose symptoms were no longer controlled by their medications. In a phase I gene therapy trial led by UC San Francisco, 15 patients […]

Chemistry researchers at Oregon State University have developed a method for making anti-leukemia compounds that until now have only been available via an Asian tree that produces them. The synthesis of cephalotaxine and homoharringtonine (HHT) paves the way toward less-expensive, more readily available leukemia drugs whose production is not subject […]

Immunotherapy, using the body’s own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, is one of the most promising frontiers in cancer research, but many patients do not respond to the therapies for reasons not fully understood. Scientists at the Yale Systems Biology Institute have taken a step closer to understanding how […]

A team of worldwide researchers including engineers from the University of Utah have received a $9.7-million grant to design and develop a new implantable device and surgical procedure for the deaf that hopefully will cut through the noise and produce much more detailed sound than traditional hearing-loss treatments. This new […]

“Space pants” are part of a clinical trial researching heat therapy as a treatment option for peripheral artery disease. The countdown and final checklist review happen every morning for Stephen Scott. He gets up in the early morning hours to make his coffee. He turns on the TV. He channels […]

“Why does it feel that the time passes faster as we get older? What is the physical basis for the impression that some days are slower than others? Why do we tend to focus on the unusual (the surprise), not on the ever present?,” asks Adrian Bejan, the J.A. Jones […]

Aging affects every living organism, but the molecular processes that contribute to aging remain a subject of debate. While many things contribute to the aging process, one common theme in animal aging is inflammation—and this may be amplified by a class of selfish genetic elements. The human genome is littered […]

Not all cancer cells are created equal. Only a small number of cells in a patient’s initial tumor may have the power to travel through the blood, cross the protective membrane known as the blood-brain barrier, and directly attack the brain. But which cells? What makes them special? How can […]

Even premature babies carry anti-viral antibodies transferred from the mother, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in a paper on maternal antibodies in newborns, published in the journal Nature Medicine. The results should change our approach to infection sensitivity in newborns, they say. Antibodies are transferred from the mother’s blood […]

For the first time, researchers have evidence that fibromyalgia can be reliably detected in blood samples – work they hope will pave the way for a simple, fast diagnosis. In a study that appears in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers from The Ohio State University report success in identifying biomarkers of […]

Green tea cut obesity and a number of inflammatory biomarkers linked with poor health in a new study. Mice fed a diet of 2 percent green tea extract fared far better than those that ate a diet without it, a finding that has prompted an upcoming study of green tea’s […]

RNA transcribed from genes that seem not to code for anything may play an important role in regulating cancer, a new study suggests. A number of these noncoding RNA fragments lie next to known cancer genes, the study found. Understanding how they interact with those cancer genes could open new […]

An approved drug normally used to treat fungal infections could also do the job of a protein channel that is missing or defective in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, operating as a prosthesis on the molecular scale, says new research from the University of Illinois and the University […]

Scientists at the University of Illinois have found that free fatty acids in the blood appear to boost proliferation and growth of breast cancer cells. The finding could help explain obese women’s elevated risk of developing breast cancer after menopause. “When taken up by estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer cells, these […]

Researchers from DTU and the University of Copenhagen are now pointing out that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease. This may be important to future treatment of this chronic disorder. Between 2,500 and 3,000 Danes suffer from the sleep disorder narcolepsy—which is characterized by a sudden and overwhelming urge to sleep. […]

Scientists have long known that the protein p53, when mutated, is a critical factor in the onset of many different kinds of cancer. In its unmutated form, however, it is known to protect against cancer. These dueling qualities make the p53 protein and the gene that makes it among the […]

Scientists puzzled for two decades over this seemingly unnecessary withholding. Now researchers at Princeton University have shown that the inhibiting mechanism, controlled by an enzyme known as RNR, is key to the embryo’s survival. Too much material early on leads to disaster for the fledgling lifeform. “This study shows us […]

The jawbone is not typically connected to the rib bone, but it might be in an emergency. Rice University bioengineers and their colleagues have developed a technique to grow live bone to repair craniofacial injuries by attaching a 3D-printed bioreactor — basically, a mold — to a rib. Stem cells and blood vessels from […]

It was surprisingly simple. University of California, Berkeley, scientists inserted a gene for a green-light receptor into the eyes of blind mice and, a month later, they were navigating around obstacles as easily as mice with no vision problems. They were able to see motion, brightness changes over a thousandfold […]