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How lifestyle and health shape your dementia risk

New RAND research identifies early predictors of cognitive impairment and dementia using a nationally representative U.S. dataset, highlighting the role of modifiable factors and baseline cognitive health in prevention and intervention strategies.

9 Dec 2024

Scientists uncover genetic code driving tumor formation and spread

A group of scientists at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has revealed a new genetic code that acts like a cancer ringleader, recruiting and deploying a gang of tumor cells to incite a biological turf war by invading healthy organs and overpowering the normal cells.

9 Dec 2024

Study provides the first evidence of genetic predisposition to breast cancer metastasis

Ninety percent of cancer deaths are due to the spread of cancer, not complications from the original tumor.

9 Dec 2024

Novel drug combination shows promise for CLL treatment

A novel, fixed-duration drug combination - consisting of a second-generation BTK inhibitor, called acalabrutinib, plus a BCL-2 inhibitor (venetoclax), with or without a third blood cancer drug - shows deep and durable responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigator Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD, reports at the 66th American Society for Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, on behalf of the trial investigators.

9 Dec 2024

Study identifies potential risk factor for aortic aneurysms in Loeys-Dietz syndrome

Studying the cells of people and genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have uncovered a potential reason why patients with Loeys-Dietz syndrome, an inherited connective tissue disorder, are especially prone to developing aneurysms at the root of the aorta, the major artery that carries blood away from the heart and to the rest of the body.

9 Dec 2024

X-chromosome study reveals hidden genetic links to Alzheimer’s disease

A groundbreaking study explores the overlooked X-chromosome’s role in Alzheimer’s disease, revealing seven genetic loci linked to neurodegenerative decline and cognitive reserve.

9 Dec 2024

New guidelines developed for the diagnosis and management of premature ovarian insufficiency

New guidelines on the diagnosis and management of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) – developed by the Centre for Research Excellence in Women's Health in Reproductive Life (CRE-WHiRL) at Monash University, and key international women's health organizations with an international team of experts including women with lived experience – will be published today (TBC) simultaneously in three leading journals.

9 Dec 2024

Simple dietary supplement may provide new approach to boost CAR T cell cancer-fighting power

A simple dietary supplement may provide a new approach to boost CAR T cell function, according to a study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center.

9 Dec 2024

New discovery reveals how exercise boosts muscle energy production

While it is common knowledge that physical exercise is good for us, a lot of the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be identified.

9 Dec 2024

Breakthrough treatment improves survival rates for children with B-ALL

Just days before his fourth birthday, Santiago was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common cancer in children.

9 Dec 2024

Pioneering study discovers new genetic links to pancreatic cancer in Brazil

Pancreatic cancer has recently been included in the list of diseases about which Brazil's National Cancer Institute (INCA) periodically publishes statistics.

9 Dec 2024

Single mutation in (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus could increase human transmission risk

A single modification in the protein found on the surface of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus currently circulating in U.S. dairy cows could allow for easier transmission among humans, according to new research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published today in the journal Science.

9 Dec 2024

Two studies show potential for newborn genetic screening

Two studies published today in the American Journal of Human Genetics show the potential for genomic screening in newborns to address high rates of infant hospitalization and mortality in the United States.

9 Dec 2024

Developing climate-resilient crops is essential for global food security

Increasing heat, droughts, floods, and salinization caused by climate change are lowering the amount of edible food produced by our staple crops.

9 Dec 2024

Bovine H5N1 influenza shows potential for human adaptation through key mutations

Recent study reveals H5N1 mutations enhancing human receptor binding, highlighting pandemic risks and the need for vigilant surveillance of influenza strains.

9 Dec 2024

Depression genes amplify women's heart disease risk

Study reveals a sex-specific link between genetic risks for psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with women showing a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and heart failure linked to genetic predisposition to major depression. Menopause and modifiable factors like BMI and smoking amplify these risks.

8 Dec 2024

Genetic factors increase prostate cancer risk for African men

Early testing is key to addressing the rise in cases of prostate cancer in Africa - and it doesn't have to be an invasive procedure.

6 Dec 2024

Breakthrough discovery in BK polyomavirus replication offers hope for kidney transplant protection

BK polyomavirus, or BKPyV, is a major cause of kidney transplant failure. There are no effective drugs to treat BKPyV.

6 Dec 2024

New insights into the mechanisms of "Niemann-Pick type C" in children

In the journal "Science Translational Medicine", scientists from DZNE and LMU Hospital report on new insights into the mechanisms of "Niemann-Pick type C" (NPC), a rare neurodegenerative disease associated with dementia that can manifest as early as childhood.

6 Dec 2024

International experts set framework for microbiota diagnostics

The gut microbiota might perhaps one day become a routine tool for the early diagnosis of many diseases and to guide treatment, but at present there is a lack of solid scientific evidence to support these claims.

6 Dec 2024