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Hospital sink drains found to harbor dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria

We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such 'healthcare-associated infections' (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets.

14 Feb 2025

Interferon pathway activation identified as key driver in OPLL pathogenesis

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a progressive spinal disease characterized by ectopic bone formation in the spine, leading to severe neurological symptoms due to spinal cord compression. This condition is more prevalent in Asian countries and has been associated with various genetic and hormonal factors.

14 Feb 2025

Engineering safe and effective vaccinia virus vectors for next-generation vaccines

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Vaccinia virus (VACV) confers cross-protective immunity against the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, and has therefore been extensively exploited as a preventive vaccine. Despite the global eradication of smallpox in the 1980s, research efforts involving VACV have continued due to the potential threat of the variola virus being used as a bioweapon, which poses grave risks to human health.

14 Feb 2025

Researchers identify genetic cause of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor Genetics and collaborating institutions provided a long-awaited and rare genetic diagnosis in a child with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a type of developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), associated with a severe, complex form of epilepsy and developmental delay.

14 Feb 2025

New insight into gut stem cell aging

A recent study led by Associate Professor Takuya Yamamoto and Researcher May Nakajima-Koyama has revealed that maintaining a delicate balance between interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling is essential for preserving the intestinal stem cell population during aging.

13 Feb 2025

New biomarker can accurately predict outcomes in meningiomas and breast cancers

Using a new technology and computational method, researchers from Fred Hutch Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a biomarker capable of accurately predicting outcomes in meningioma brain tumors and breast cancers.

13 Feb 2025

Discovery of gene silencer offers hope for autosomal dominant leukodystrophy

A team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health geneticists has shown, for the first time, that a gene "silencer" that resides in junk DNA is directly sparing people from a devastating and fatal progressive neurological disease.

13 Feb 2025

New atlas reveals aging’s impact on breast tissue and cancer risk

Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks-including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer.

13 Feb 2025

Study reveals key mechanisms behind cancer cells adapting to extra chromosomes

Cancer cells have special adaptation mechanisms that allow them to proliferate despite changes in their genetic makeup.

13 Feb 2025

Guardian molecule found to prevent cancer cells from changing identity

A guardian molecule ensures that liver cells do not lose their identity. This has been discovered by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Hector Institute für Translational Brain Research (HITBR), and from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

13 Feb 2025

Study identifies novel enhancers linked to neuropsychiatric disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. Given their complex and multifactorial pathogenesis, there is an urgent need for effective and targeted therapies that can improve patients' quality of life.

13 Feb 2025

Brain aging linked to neuronal hyperactivation, not decline, study finds

A study of nematodes by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has found that aging-related decline in brain function is caused by the excessive activation of certain neurons over time, rather than a decline in neuronal activity.

13 Feb 2025

Huntsman Cancer Institute improves access for rural cancer patients

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah has received a federal contract award that will broaden access to specialized cancer care for Utah's rural and frontier patients.

13 Feb 2025

New insights could help prevent peripheral neuropathy or slow disease onset

An increase in high-fat, high-fructose foods in people's diets has contributed to a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes.

12 Feb 2025

Blood test can predict preterm preeclampsia with 80% accuracy

A new blood test has an 80% accuracy in predicting preterm preeclampsia, according to a study published today, Feb. 12, in the journal Nature Medicine.

12 Feb 2025

Electrical activity drives aggression in small cell lung cancer

Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute have found that some particularly aggressive lung cancer cells can develop their own electric network, like that seen in the body's nervous system.

12 Feb 2025

Groundbreaking malaria vaccine provides high-level protection with just one dose

Scientists at Sanaria and Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR) have unveiled a groundbreaking malaria vaccine, Sanaria® PfSPZ-LARC2 Vaccine, designed to provide high-level protection with just one dose.

12 Feb 2025

EMBL researchers reveal new structural insights into minor spliceosome function

In human cells, only a small proportion of the information written in genes is used to produce proteins. How does the cell select this information? A large molecular machine called the spliceosome continuously separates the coding and non-coding regions of our genes – and it's doing this even as you read these lines.

12 Feb 2025

Machine learning tool predicts cancer treatment response based on genetic mutations

A groundbreaking study led by USC Assistant Professor of Computer Science Ruishan Liu has uncovered how specific genetic mutations influence cancer treatment outcomes-insights that could help doctors tailor treatments more effectively.

11 Feb 2025

UCLA study reveals key role of mismatch repair genes in Huntington’s disease

A new UCLA Health study has discovered in mouse models that genes associated with repairing mismatched DNA are critical in eliciting damages to neurons that are most vulnerable in Huntington's disease and triggering downstream pathologies and motor impairment, shedding light on disease mechanisms and potential new ways to develop therapies.

11 Feb 2025