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UMSOM researchers determine role of protein in development of hearing hair cells

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in the development of hair cells.

12 Sep 2020

Middle-aged adults may be in a perpetual state of H3N2 flu virus vulnerability

Penn Medicine researchers have found that middle-aged individuals -- those born in the late 1960s and the 1970s -- may be in a perpetual state of H3N2 influenza virus susceptibility because their antibodies bind to H3N2 viruses but fail to prevent infections, according to a new study led by Scott Hensley, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

12 Sep 2020

Exploring sex differences in gene expression

Males and females share the vast majority of their genomes. Only a sprinkling of genes, located on the so-called X and Y sex chromosomes, differ between the sexes. Nevertheless, the activities of our genes--their expression in cells and tissues--generate profound distinctions between males and females.

12 Sep 2020

Study identifies gene that could decrease chances of developing alcoholic cirrhosis

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are learning more about how a person's genes play a role in the possibility they'll suffer from alcoholic cirrhosis with the discovery of a gene that could make the disease less likely.

12 Sep 2020

Study uncovers the locus of male sexual desire in the brain

The locus of male sexual desire has been uncovered in specific regions of brain tissue where a key gene named aromatase is present, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study in mice.

12 Sep 2020

Yale researchers identify possible treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers at Yale have identified a possible treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disease for which there is currently no cure or treatment, by targeting an enzyme that had been considered "undruggable."

12 Sep 2020

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators can experience permanent nerve damage

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators are placed in a prone (face down) position because it's easier for them to breathe and reduces mortality.

12 Sep 2020

Veterinary college scientists pinpoint genes that drive ovarian cancer

High-grade serious ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women in the United States, yet little is known about the origins of this disease.

12 Sep 2020

Switching antiseptics halves the risk of infection after surgery

Surgeons could dramatically reduce the risk of infection after an operation by simply changing the antiseptic they use.

12 Sep 2020

Mother's high-fat diet may lead to more sweet-taste receptors in offspring

Cornell food scientists show in animal studies that a mother's high-fat diet may lead to more sweet-taste receptors and a greater attraction to unhealthy food in their offspring - resulting in poor feeding behavior, obesity in adulthood.

12 Sep 2020

Study demonstrates new method to synthesize gold nanoparticles in cancer cells

Dipanjan Pan, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering at UMBC, and collaborators published a seminal study in Nature Communications that demonstrates for the first time a method of biosynthesizing plasmonic gold nanoparticles within cancer cells, without the need for conventional bench-top lab methods.

12 Sep 2020

Federal program to reduce hospital readmission for COPD patients may increase mortality rates

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that while the 30-day readmission rate for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has decreased, the mortality rate has increased.

12 Sep 2020

Scientists elucidate cause for Parkinson's disease and identify potential treatments

In a seven-year research effort, an international team of scientists has clarified the cause for certain genetic forms of Parkinson's disease, and has identified potential pharmacological treatments.

12 Sep 2020

Antiviral effects of honeysuckle decoction affected in SIDT1poly population

Previously, Chen-Yu Zhang's group have identified SID1 transmembrane family member 1 (SIDT1) as a critical membrane protein mediating dietary miRNAs absorption, which is abolished in SIDT1 deficient mice.

11 Sep 2020

Heat and gut microbiota promote stronger bones

Osteoporosis, a bone disease linked to ageing, is characterized by a loss of bone density, micro-architectural deterioration of the bones and an increased risk of fractures.

11 Sep 2020

Making gyms safer: Why the virus is less likely to spread there than in a bar

After shutting down in the spring, America’s empty gyms are beckoning a cautious public back for a workout. To reassure wary customers, owners have put in place — and now advertise — a variety of coronavirus control measures.

11 Sep 2020

New review explores the role of antibodies and T-cells towards an effective COVID vaccine

More than 100 companies have rushed into vaccine development against COVID-19 as the U.S. government pushes for a vaccine rollout at "warp speed" -- possibly by the end of the year -- but the bar set for an effective, long-lasting vaccine is far too low and may prove dangerous, according to Marc Hellerstein of the University of California, Berkeley.

11 Sep 2020

Study may expedite the process to cure blindness and macular degeneration

While there is no cure for blindness and macular degeneration, scientists have accelerated the process to find a cure by visualizing the inner workings of the eye and its diseases at the cellular level.

11 Sep 2020

Safety-net practices in poor areas have lower rates of payment bonuses, shows MIPS performance data

A team of researchers led by Kenton Johnston, Ph.D., an associate professor of health management and policy at Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice, conducted a study to investigate how outpatient clinicians that treated disproportionately high caseloads of socially at-risk Medicare patients (safety-net clinicians) performed under Medicare's new mandatory Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)

11 Sep 2020

New collaboration aims to support health-tech innovations and entrepreneurs

The Health and Technology District in Surrey, B.C. is partnering with Halo Health, Canada's first angel network for healthcare, on a new collaboration to expand and support health-tech innovations and entrepreneurs.

11 Sep 2020