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Hyperactivity in reticular thalamic nucleus drives autism-like behaviors in mice

Stanford Medicine scientists investigating the neurological underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder have found that hyperactivity in a specific brain region could drive behaviors commonly associated with the disorder.

20 Aug 2025

Ciliary Hedgehog signaling controls the fate of fat precursor cells

Too much fat can be unhealthy: how fat cells, so-called adipocytes, develop, is crucial for the function of the fat tissue.

20 Aug 2025

Somatic mutations drive vascular aging and muscle weakness over time

Two new studies from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have investigated how mutations that occur in muscles and blood vessels over time can affect aging.

20 Aug 2025

SNAP25 identified as key to sour taste perception and cell survival

The tongue contains numerous taste buds-tiny sensory organs responsible for detecting taste. Taste buds consist of specialized cells that translate chemical stimuli into neural signals.

19 Aug 2025

Impaired blood flow alters immunity and fuels tumor progression

Cutting off blood flow can prematurely age the bone marrow, weakening the immune system's ability to fight cancer, according to a new study from NYU Langone Health.

19 Aug 2025

Researchers investigate how citrus bioflavonoid naringin could reduce inflammation and heart risk

Researchers reviewed 62 studies on naringin, a citrus flavonoid, and found strong preclinical evidence for its cardioprotective effects, including improved endothelial function, reduced oxidative stress, and protection against myocardial injury.

18 Aug 2025

Missing messenger RNA fragments unlock new immunotherapy targets in pediatric brain tumors

A new study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), identified tiny pieces of messenger RNA that are missing in pediatric high-grade glioma tumors but not in normal brain tissues.

18 Aug 2025

Respiratory viruses awaken dormant breast cancer cells and raise relapse risk

Respiratory viruses such as influenza and COVID-19 can reactivate dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs, raising the risk of metastasis. The process is driven by IL-6–induced cell changes and immune suppression, with the highest recurrence risk soon after infection.

14 Aug 2025

Artificial intelligence enables discovery of novel compounds to fight drug-resistant bacteria

With help from artificial intelligence, MIT researchers have designed novel antibiotics that can combat two hard-to-treat infections: drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

14 Aug 2025

Gene editing restores hearing and balance in adult mice with DFNA41 deafness

Zheng-Yi Chen, DPhil, associate scientist at the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, and Ines and Fredrick Yeatts Chair in Otolaryngology, at Mass Eye and Ear, is the senior and co-corresponding author of a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, "Single Dose Genome Editing Therapy Rescues Auditory and Vestibular Functions in Adult Mice with DFNA41 Deafness."

14 Aug 2025

Microbes found to play a key role in shaping early brain development

New research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and vital body functions.

13 Aug 2025

New mouse model reveals key role of osteocytes in osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) refers to a group of rare genetic bone disorders that results in the formation of fragile bones. In patients with OI, the matrix that makes up the bone has been found to be abnormal, leading to an increased risk of fractures.

13 Aug 2025

Old Parkinson's medication offers new hope for tuberculosis treatment

A medication developed in the 1950s to treat Parkinson's disease may offer a powerful new tool in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

12 Aug 2025

Natural gut molecule reverses liver damage and repairs gut lining

UC Davis Health researchers have discovered that a natural molecule made by gut bacteria can reverse liver damage and repair the gut lining after aflatoxin exposure.

12 Aug 2025

Breakthrough approaches enhance RNA delivery while minimizing inflammation

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are tiny fat bubbles that are used to deliver medicines, genes, and RNA into cells. However, in some cases LNPs can cause harmful inflammation as a result of the process of RNA delivery.

11 Aug 2025

Lauric acid could be a key cancer-fighting compound in coconut oil

Virgin coconut oil and lauric acid show promise in inhibiting cancer cell growth and mitigating chemotherapy toxicity, paving the way for future therapies.

11 Aug 2025

New insights into how MYOD controls muscle repair and regeneration

For more than 30 years, scientists have studied how the myogenic determination gene number 1 (MYOD) protein binds DNA to modify the gene expression of muscle stem cells.

8 Aug 2025

CRISPR screening uncovers microproteins involved in fat storage

The obesity rate has more than doubled in the last 30 years, affecting more than one billion people worldwide.

7 Aug 2025

Scientists link brain lithium loss to early Alzheimer’s changes

Researchers have discovered that naturally occurring lithium in the brain is depleted early in Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the prefrontal cortex, and that restoring physiological levels with lithium orotate in mice can prevent brain damage and memory loss. The findings suggest lithium deficiency may be a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

7 Aug 2025

New antibody delivery system boosts Alzheimer's treatment in mice

A newly engineered antibody transport vehicle targeting the transferrin receptor enables enhanced delivery of anti-amyloid antibodies to the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, researchers report.

7 Aug 2025