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Researchers study how cells adapt to stressful and complex environments

Imagine the life of a yeast cell, floating around the kitchen in a spore that eventually lands on a bowl of grapes. Life is good: food for days, at least until someone notices the rotting fruit and throws them out.

16 Oct 2023

Tirzepatide boosts weight loss in lifestyle intervention patients, but comes with a catch

In a groundbreaking 84-week-long study, researchers found that tirzepatide, a medication initially designed for treating type 2 diabetes, significantly bolstered weight loss in overweight and obese patients already on intensive lifestyle programs. While the drug showed promise in further reducing body weight and improving cardiometabolic factors, mild to moderate gastrointestinal side effects were the most common drawback.

16 Oct 2023

Cracking the code: How egg consumption and genetics team up to affect heart disease risk

Egg consumption and genetic factors synergistically increase the risk of coronary artery disease, according to a large prospective study. The findings may lead to personalized dietary guidelines for those at greater genetic risk for heart disease.

16 Oct 2023

Lab-grown skin organoids help scientists understand monkeypox infection

Skin organoids offer a powerful platform for drug discovery in the ongoing fight against the virus formerly known as monkeypox.

16 Oct 2023

Study sheds light on early life risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis

Having older siblings and childhood tonsil removal are linked to a heightened risk of ankylosing spondylitis, a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis, finds a large study published in the open access journal RMD Open.

16 Oct 2023

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Ghana confined to clinical settings

Calland, J. K., et al. (2023). Population structure and antimicrobial resistance among Klebsiella isolates sampled from human, animal, and environmental sources in Ghana: a cross-sectional genomic One Health study. The Lancet Microbe. doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00208-2.

16 Oct 2023

Falling folate levels sound alarm for urgent UK food fortification

A study from the University of Cambridge used UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey data from 2008-2019 to examine folate levels, particularly in females of reproductive age. The study found a significant decline in both RBC and serum folate concentrations across all age groups, emphasizing the need for mandatory folic acid fortification in the UK.

16 Oct 2023

Genomic revolution may not be necessary for all species conservation efforts

In the world of threatened and endangered species conservation, the genomic revolution has raised some complicated questions: How can scientists justify assessing species genetic diversity without consulting entire genomes now that they can be sequenced?

16 Oct 2023

Medicaid plays critical role in the health and well-being of adults with Down syndrome

Life expectancy has increased substantially for people in the United States with Down syndrome, from a median age of 4 years old in the 1950s to 57 years old in 2019.

16 Oct 2023

Scientists uncover key enzymes involved in bacterial pathogenicity

Gram-negative bacteria cause a variety of infectious diseases in plants and animals alike. Outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli infections often make headlines due to their severity, and people have to resort to allopathic as well as natural remedies, increasing the burden on the healthcare system.

16 Oct 2023

Is your happiness hardwired? New study dives into the genetics of joy

The study reveals that the genetic basis for happiness is consistent across various age groups and ancestral backgrounds, influencing well-being measures like confidence and calmness. It also finds that this genetic predisposition affects specific brain structures related to psychological and cognitive health.

15 Oct 2023

What's really behind the male infertility crisis? New study seeks answers

This comprehensive study in Nature Reviews Urology tackles critical questions in male infertility, from its diagnosis and treatment to its impact on overall health. The review calls for a deeper understanding of male reproductive issues, better diagnostic methods, and improved public and medical awareness of the topic.

15 Oct 2023

Research suggests potential connection between gut bacteria and onset of colorectal lesions and cancers

New research has identified significant variations in the gut microbiome of individuals who developed pre-cancerous colonic lesions, suggesting a potential connection between gut bacteria and the onset of colorectal lesions and cancers.

15 Oct 2023

European Union needs action plan to provide better diagnoses, treatment for rare diseases

At its conference in Bilbao, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) urged the European Union to launch a European action plan stepping up cooperation between national health systems.

14 Oct 2023

Investigational drug restores calcium levels in rare genetic disorder

An investigational drug, encaleret, restored calcium levels in people with autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1), a rare genetic disorder marked by an imbalance of calcium in the blood and urine, as well as abnormally low levels of parathyroid hormone, which regulates blood calcium levels.

13 Oct 2023

Study reveals molecular mechanism behind new DOT1L-related disorder

A study from the laboratory of Dr. Hugo J. Bellen, a distinguished service professor at Baylor College of Medicine and a principal investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, has discovered that gain-of-function variants in the DOT1L gene cause a new disorder.

13 Oct 2023

UCLA receives grant to improve liquid biopsy for early lung cancer detection

A team of investigators from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UCLA School of Dentistry received a five-year $4.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop and improve liquid biopsy technologies for the early detection of lung cancer - the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S.

13 Oct 2023

Experts call for action as male infertility increases worldwide

Infertility now affects one in six couples of reproductive age according to the World Health Organisation. About half the time, it originates from men.

13 Oct 2023

Nongenetic mechanisms play a role in lung cancer treatment resistance

In a recent study led by Ravi Salgia, M.D., Ph.D., the Arthur & Rosalie Kaplan Chair in Medical Oncology, a team of researchers from City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and other institutions found that nongenetic mechanisms are important in lung cancer patients who develop a resistance to one cancer therapy.

13 Oct 2023

Invasive mosquito species may be spreading new form of malaria in East Africa

Turkana County in northwestern Kenya was supposed to be the land that malaria forgot. An arid, windy region abutting Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, its climate was thought to be too dry for the mosquitoes that harbor malaria-causing parasites, and thus it has been excluded from national efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

12 Oct 2023