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Researchers shed light on molecular mechanisms of heart valvular disease

About three per cent of the world's population is affected by valvular heart diseases. It is also the most common cause of heart surgery, as no drug-based treatment is available.

20 Nov 2018

Study warns that potential epigenetic therapy may boost lung cancer stem cells

Epigenetic therapies -- targeting enzymes that alter what genes are turned on or off in a cell -- are of growing interest in the cancer field as a way of making a cancer less aggressive or less malignant.

20 Nov 2018

Researchers identify molecule to fight myotubular myopathy

Myotubular myopathy is a severe genetic disease that leads to muscle paralysis from birth and results in death before two years of age. Although no treatment currently exists, researchers from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, - working in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg, France, - have identified a molecule that not only greatly reduces the progression of the disease but also boosts life expectancy in animal models by a factor of seven.

19 Nov 2018

Scientists discover new inhibitor that decreases lung inflammation

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered a new inhibitor which decreases lung inflammation and could hold the key to treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - a life-threatening disease which affects thousands of people in the UK.

18 Nov 2018

New approach allows pathogens to be starved by blocking important enzymes

More and more bacteria are resistant to available antibiotics. A team of chemists from the Technical University of Munich now presents a new approach: they have identified important enzymes in the metabolism of staphylococci. Blocking these enzymes in a targeted manner would allow the pathogens to be starved.

15 Nov 2018

Researchers develop new drug molecule that inhibits inflammation

A multidisciplinary team of researchers led from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed an anti-inflammatory drug molecule with a new mechanism of action.

15 Nov 2018

Inhibition of one protein clears toxic clumps seen in Parkinson's disease, study finds

A defining feature of Parkinson's disease is the clumps of alpha-synuclein protein that accumulate in the brain's motor control area, destroying dopamine-producing neurons.

14 Nov 2018

Speed and error rate of DNA synthesis influenced by DNA structure

The speed and error rate of DNA synthesis is influenced by the three-dimensional structure of the DNA. Using "third-generation" genome-wide DNA sequencing data, a team of researchers from Penn State and the Czech Academy of Sciences showed that sequences with the potential to form unusual DNA conformations, which are frequently associated with cancer and neurological diseases, can in fact slow down or speed up the DNA synthesis process and cause more or fewer sequencing errors.

14 Nov 2018

Meditation, music may change biomarkers of cellular aging and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults

A research team led by Dr. Kim Innes, a professor in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, has found that a simple meditation or music listening program may alter certain biomarkers of cellular aging and Alzheimer's Disease in older adults who are experiencing memory loss.

13 Nov 2018

Researchers discover possible path forward in preventing cancers tied to two viruses

Researchers from the University of Minnesota, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the University of Toronto have discovered a possible path forward in preventing the development of cancers tied to two viruses, including the virus that causes infectious mononucleosis--more commonly known as mono or the "kissing disease"--that infects millions of people around the globe each year.

12 Nov 2018

UCI researchers accelerate and simplify directed evolution bioengineering technique

In a process known as directed evolution, scientists reengineer biomolecules to find ones that perform beneficial new functions. The field is revolutionizing drug development, chemical engineering and other applications, but to realize its promise involves painstaking and time-consuming laboratory work.

9 Nov 2018

Scientists solve 125-year-old mystery of the brain, uncover potential treatment for epilepsy

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have solved a 125-year-old mystery of the brain, and, in the process, uncovered a potential treatment for acquired epilepsy.

9 Nov 2018

Scientists identify ancient light-sensing mechanism in modern mouse retinal cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have identified what may be an ancient light-sensing mechanism in modern mouse retinal cells.

9 Nov 2018

Researchers secure NIH grant to prevent heart disease in chronic kidney disease patients

Researchers at New York Institute of Technology have secured a grant for $391,041 from the National Institutes of Health that may allow for improved understanding of vascular calcification and prevent heart disease in chronic kidney disease patients.

8 Nov 2018

New, naturally low-caffeine option for tea drinkers

Tea drinkers who seek the popular beverage's soothing flavor without its explosive caffeine jolt could soon have a new, naturally low-caffeine option.

8 Nov 2018

Breastmilk and saliva mixtures regulate oral microbiome of newborn babies

A study led by Dr Emma Sweeney and Adjunct Associate Professor Christine Knox, from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, with colleagues at the University of Queensland, showed that the growth of some microbes was inhibited for up to 24 hours following breastmilk and saliva mixing.

8 Nov 2018

Small molecules designed to inhibit activity of enzymes in infectious diseases

A multidisciplinary study by the Computer Biochemistry Research Group of the Universitat Jaume I from Castellón, Spain, in collaboration with groups from universities from Canada and the United Kingdom, have designed small molecules that are able to bond with and inhibit the activity of enzymes in infectious diseases.

8 Nov 2018