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New study links hepatic inflammation to western diet

A new study in The American Journal of Pathology reports that mice fed a Western diet, which is high in fat and sugar, resulted in hepatic inflammation, especially in males. Moreover, liver inflammation was most pronounced in Western diet-fed male mice that also lacked farnesoid x receptor (FXR), a bile acid receptor.

12 Jul 2017

Researchers uncover novel mechanism of beta-blockers in preventing progression of heart failure

Beta-blocker drugs serve a key role in the treatment of heart failure, preventing bombardment of the heart by catecholamines - substances like epinephrine and norepinephrine - which overexcite and stress the heart.

4 Jul 2017

Engineers take closer look at mechanical and chemical attributes of heart defect

Elastin and collagen serve as the body's building blocks. They provide tensile strength and elasticity for a number of organs, muscles and tissues. Any genetic mutation short-circuiting their function can have a devastating, and often lethal, health impact.

28 Jun 2017

Study emphasizes importance of molecule in maintaining balanced immune system in the gut

A healthy gut requires a molecule called gp96 to train the immune system to tolerate food and normal microbes, report researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in the May 19, 2017 issue of Scientific Reports.

14 Jun 2017

Cancer treatment may be effective therapy for psoriasis

HDAC inhibitors, already widely used to treat cancer, may be an effective therapy for psoriasis as well, scientists report.

31 May 2017

Scientists reveal new control mechanism for gene that causes Opitz syndrome

Opitz G/BBB (Opitz) syndrome is a hereditary disorder that affects people in different ways, causing malformations in medial (midline) organs and structures, intellectual disability and developmental disorders.

18 May 2017

Study findings suggest how progranulin deficiency causes frontotemporal dementia

In a recent study in Human Molecular Genetics, researchers from VIB and KU Leuven led by prof. Philip Van Damme, reveal a novel function for progranulin in lysosomes: it acts as chaperone of the lysosomal protease cathepsin D. The results were obtained in collaboration with Prof. Paul Saftig from the University of Kiel.

8 May 2017

Novel mechanism of antidepressant action may benefit patients unresponsive to SSRI treatment

Antidepressants treat symptoms of depression by increasing levels of brain signaling molecules such as serotonin, as with the most widely used type of antidepressant, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

25 Apr 2017

Study reveals potential therapeutic target for kidney fibrosis

When the kidneys - vital organs for filtering the body's entire blood supply - become injured, it can set in motion an unfortunate chain of events that leads to a decline in health.

20 Apr 2017

'Human knockouts': Genetics in families reveals basic biology and possible therapeutics for disorders

More than 1,800 individuals carrying loss-of-function mutations in both copies of their genes, so-called "human knockouts," are described in the first major study to be published in Nature this week by an international collaboration led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues.

12 Apr 2017

Study identifies CD38 gene to be essential for postnatal glial cell development

Cells in the brain are categorized roughly into two; neurons and the others, namely, glial cells. It is essential for sound development of the brain that both neurons and glial cells develop in a normal and adequate manner not only at fetal but also postnatal stages.

7 Apr 2017

Research unravels how cytokines prevent multi-organ damage during parasitic infection

Cytokines are proteins secreted by several types of immune cells in response to infection, inflammation, or injury. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is one such cytokine that causes inflammation, by controlling the production of other cytokines and mobilizing a type of white blood cell (neutrophil) that fights infections.

3 Apr 2017

OTUD6B gene mutations linked to physical and intellectual deficits

An international team of researchers from institutions around the world, including Baylor College of Medicine, has discovered that mutations of the OTUD6B gene result in a spectrum of physical and intellectual deficits.

24 Mar 2017

Dietary anti-cancer compound from broccoli may work by influence on long non-coding RNAs

Researchers have discovered one of the reasons why broccoli may be good for your health.

16 Mar 2017

Research shows pNaKtide can attenuate development of NAFLD and atherosclerosis

Building on their recent research focusing on a peptide, pNaKtide, designed to block the oxidant amplifying function of the cellular sodium-potassium pump, researchers at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine have successfully demonstrated that pNaKtide, can attenuate the development of experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherosclerosis.

15 Mar 2017

Researchers discover 'Developmental Split-Brain syndrome' caused by biallelic mutations in DCC gene

In a study published in Nature Genetics, Dr Saumya Jamuar, co-founder of Global Gene Corp and a visiting scientist at Harvard Medical School, under the supervision of Prof Christopher Walsh and A/Prof Timothy Yu of Harvard Medical School, reports on a new disease entity that they discovered in their quest to map novel human disorders related to brain development.

3 Mar 2017

Study provides new insights into side effects of antipsychotics

After much deliberation and anxiety, the family finally sought psychiatric help for their son. And the results were in a way, a relief.

28 Feb 2017

UAB researchers show how GARP2 protein accelerates retinal degeneration in mice

In the retina of the eye, rod and cone cells turn light into electrical signals, the first step toward human vision.

16 Feb 2017

Researchers create first animal model of rare disease linked to problem of adrenal glands

The name of the gene is Armc5, for Armadillo repeat containing 5. Until now, its function was unknown. After 10 years of research, a team at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centrehas succeeded in deleting this gene in experimental mice and discovered that its loss gives rise to a heretofore unidentified syndrome.

7 Feb 2017

Researcher uncovers secret life of Dab2 protein

Sometimes proteins do a lot more than we expect. Dab2, for example, has long been linked to cancer.

10 Jan 2017