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Immunotherapy may be better than chemotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma

The first study of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab as the initial treatment for patients with a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma reports better responses and longer survival than expected with conventional chemotherapy.

11 Feb 2019

Researchers identify genes that make Staphyloccocus bacteria resistant to treatment

A Rutgers-led team has discovered two genes that make some strains of harmful Staphyloccocus bacteria resistant to treatment by copper, a potent and frequently used antibacterial agent.

11 Feb 2019

When genomic sequencing fails to diagnose a rare disease

Routine sequencing has given unprecedented insight into the genetics of rare diseases, but genomics fails to diagnose up to half of patients who are tested. That's the problem German scientists tackled in a recent study in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

11 Feb 2019

New measurable indicator could prove instrumental in fight against HIV

George Mason University's Yuntao Wu is the lead scientist on a research team that has identified a measurable indicator that could prove instrumental in the fight against HIV.

11 Feb 2019

"Zombie Deer" disease scare

Chronic wasting disease of the deer or CWD has been nicknamed “Zombie deer disease”. It has been affecting deer across Pennsylvania and has also been noted in Lancaster County.

11 Feb 2019

Alzheimer's disease protection from exercise hormone irisin

Irisin is found to be protective against Alzheimer’s disease finds a new study. The results of the new study were published in the journal Nature Medicine.

11 Feb 2019

OHSU research uncovers new target to prevent, treat alcoholism

New research conducted at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, identifies a gene that could provide a new target for developing medication to prevent and treat alcoholism.

11 Feb 2019

Collaborative material research could advance self-assembling nanomaterials

Collaboration between material scientists, biologists and chemists could advance the development of self-assembling nanomaterials, called nanoarchitectonics, argues a review in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

11 Feb 2019

Study reveals how exercise may protect against Alzheimer's disease

Athletes know a vigorous workout can release a flood of endorphins: "feel-good" hormones that boost mood. Now there's evidence that exercise produces another hormone that may improve memory and protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to a study co-led by Ottavio Arancio, MD, PhD, a researcher at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain.

11 Feb 2019

New research opens the way for tailored cancer drugs

New research on how cancer mutations influence a certain type of receptor on the cell membrane opens the way for the development of tailored drugs for certain cancers, such as rectal cancer and lung cancer.

11 Feb 2019

Metabolic plasticity helps metastatic cancer cells survive hostile environments

When metastatic cancer cells need to avoid a threat, they simply reprogram themselves. Rice University scientists are beginning to get a handle on how they survive hostile environments.

8 Feb 2019

Novel protein sensor allows researchers to observe nicotine's movements in cells

When a person takes a puff on a cigarette, nicotine floods into the brain, latching onto receptors on the surface of neurons and producing feelings of happiness. But nicotine does not simply stay on the surface of cells--the drug actually permeates into neural cells and alters them from the inside out.

8 Feb 2019

Therapy derived from parasitic worms helps protect against one of chemotherapy's side effects

A therapy derived from the eggs of parasitic worms helps to protect against one of chemotherapy's debilitating side effects by significantly downregulating major proinflammatory pathways and reducing inflammation, indicates the first transcriptome-wide profiling of the bladder during ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

8 Feb 2019

RNAs are involved in protein aggregation and neurodegenerative diseases, research reveals

New research reveals RNAs, which are crucial for cells to produce proteins, are also involved in protein aggregation, where proteins do not fold properly and 'clump' together into aggregates. If cells cannot clear these away, they become toxic and prevent cells working properly.

8 Feb 2019

New simulations offer insights on vital atomic-scale drug-cardiac cells interactions

To unravel the mysterious mechanisms of drug potency for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, a group of researchers at UC Davis have developed novel simulations that provide insights on vital atomic-scale drug-cardiac cells interactions.

8 Feb 2019

Cloning-free Nested CRISPR uses long DNA fragments for efficient gene editing

CRISPR is a technique that is revolutionizing biomedical research through high-precision genome editing. However, even though it allows the creation or correction of mutations consisting of a single or few nucleotides with relative ease, it still possesses limitations upon introducing larger fragments of DNA in the genome.

8 Feb 2019

Interaction between two immune cells may play key role in fight against dengue virus

Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School have demonstrated for the first time a physical interaction between two types of immune cells that plays an important role in the early fight against dengue virus infection.

8 Feb 2019

Experts explore involvement of the gut in Parkinson's disease

There is growing evidence that at least in some patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the disease may begin in the gut. Writing in a special supplement to the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, experts explore the last two decades of research about the gut-brain axis in PD and look ahead at the possible development and impact of these research areas in the next two decades.

8 Feb 2019

Study shows precision medicines could aid more breast cancer patients via RNA-targeting

When women or men receive the worrisome diagnosis of breast cancer, that news comes with an important piece of information, namely, whether their cancer is HER2-positive or HER2-negative.

8 Feb 2019

Protein supplement L-norvaline may lead to neurodegenerative diseases

People taking the protein supplement L-norvaline should be aware of its potential for harm, scientists say. L-norvaline is an ingredient widely used in body building supplements and is promoted as a compound that can boost workouts and aid recovery.

8 Feb 2019