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Maternal gut bacteria linked to changes in fetal brain metabolism

The impact of Bifidobacterium breve's presence in the maternal gut during pregnancy on fetal brain metabolism.

23 Aug 2024

New analytical method for identifying cancer cell targets

What are the characteristics of a cancer cell that are recognized by the immune system? Knowledge of the potential target structures for the immune cells is a basic prerequisite for the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the NCT Heidelberg are publishing a highly sensitive method based on mass spectroscopy to identify such tumor-specific "neoepitopes". The analytical method is designed to detect these low-abundance protein fragments and requires minimal amounts of sample material.

23 Aug 2024

Olaparib effective against BRCA2-mutated prostate cancer

The anti-cancer drug olaparib may be effective in treating biochemically recurrent prostate cancer without accompanying hormone therapy for men who have mutations in genes such as BRCA2, according to results of a phase II clinical trial of 51 patients conducted at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and three other sites.

23 Aug 2024

Probiotic offers protection against intestinal damage

There is a critical unmet need to help tighten and maintain a healthy intestinal barrier and treat a leaky gut. Researchers have now found that a unique strain of probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium bifidum BB1, enhances intestinal barrier function and protects against penetration of bacteria and various harmful agents in the intestine. The findings, detailed in an article in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, can help advance the development of novel, targeted, naturally occurring probiotic therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, such as fatty liver disease or alcoholic liver disease, that are associated with a leaky or disordered intestinal barrier.

23 Aug 2024

Promising new approach to treating type 2 diabetes

An estimated 462 million people around the world suffer from Type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease in which the body has problems using sugar as a fuel, leading to a buildup of sugar in the blood and chronic health issues.

23 Aug 2024

Rising IBD incidence highlights need for non-invasive biomarkers in diagnosis

The global burden of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), primarily Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), continues to rise. Recent data show incidence rates of up to 17.8 cases per 100,000 person-years for CD and even higher for UC, reaching 28.4 per 100,000 person-years. These diseases primarily affect older populations and vary geographically, with higher prevalence rates in highly developed countries.

23 Aug 2024

Mosquitoes detect infrared radiation for host seeking

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.

23 Aug 2024

Study sheds light on the dual nature of cellular senescence

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have revealed a new secret regarding senescence, a cellular state similar to sleep that is more likely to affect aged cells.

22 Aug 2024

Long-term low-dose cannabis reverses brain aging in mice

A low-dose long-term administration of cannabis can not only reverse aging processes in the brain, but also has an anti-aging effect.

22 Aug 2024

Asgard archaea's role in eukaryotic immunity revealed

When you get infected with a virus, some of the first weapons your body deploys to fight it were passed down to us from our microbial ancestors billions of years ago.

22 Aug 2024

Research shows predation drives evolution of virulence in bacteria

Opportunistic pathogens are typically benign microbes that can sometimes cause infections in individuals with weakened immune systems or when they gain access to sterile areas of the body.

22 Aug 2024

Study reveals how macrophages affect cardiac fibroblast fate post-myocardial infarction

The research uncovers a previously unappreciated mechanism by which macrophages influence the fate of CFs post-MI.

22 Aug 2024

Potential antitumoral effects of Manuka honey in breast cancer models

Researchers evaluated the antitumor activity of Manuka honey on human breast cancer cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms in both in vitro and in vivo preclinical models.

22 Aug 2024

The critical role of PGK1 in Parkinson's disease

An enzyme called PGK1 has an unexpectedly critical role in the production of chemical energy in brain cells, according to a preclinical study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The investigators found that boosting its activity may help the brain resist the energy deficits that can lead to Parkinson's disease.

21 Aug 2024