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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Research opens new horizons for studies on potentially health promoting foods

Fermented foods can be a primary source of potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the human gut, as is shown in a new international study published in Nature Communications.

25 May 2020

Novel LED irradiation system aims to kill microorganisms with UVC light

A novel LED irradiation system developed by the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut aims to kill microorganisms with ultra-short wave UV light - without side effects. Prototype handed over to the Charité for initial testing.

25 May 2020

Researchers identify a natural amino acid as potential treatment for polyQ diseases

Familial spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), Huntington disease, and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy are inherited neurodegenerative diseases.

25 May 2020

Study uncovers the role of DNA repair in preserving egg quality

A Monash University study has uncovered the role DNA repair plays in preserving egg quality, offering hope for women whose eggs may be damaged through treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.

22 May 2020

Platinum-based chemotherapy may improve outcomes for some metastatic pancreatic cancer patients

Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who had germline or somatic mutations in DNA repair genes had better clinical outcomes after platinum-based chemotherapy, as compared with patients without these mutations.

22 May 2020

Improving IVF Treatments by Imaging Sperm Cells

News-Medical spoke to Professor Natan Shaked about his new sperm cell imaging technique that could be used to help improve the outcomes of IVF treatments.

22 May 2020

Revolutionary air disinfection system protects dentists against COVID-19

Eschmann Technologies has launched a revolutionary air disinfection system developed by Novaerus to help protect dentists against the spread of airborne viruses such as COVID-19.

22 May 2020

Changes in antibodies and RNA shedding during early SARS-CoV-2 infection

As the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching implications continue to unfold globally and disrupt our normal way of life, scientists and researchers are racing to find an appropriate vaccine or therapeutic drug. This process involves understanding how the virus interacts with the host cell, the dynamics of the host immune response, and the eventual outcome.

22 May 2020

Researchers analyze data on RNA structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus

Researchers from Sechenov University together with colleagues from several Russian institutes analyzed data on the RNA structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

22 May 2020

Distribution of human tumor mutations more similar to that of chimpanzees, gorillas

A new study by researchers from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), a joint centre of UPF and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), shows that, surprisingly, the distribution of mutations in human tumours is more similar to that of chimpanzees and gorillas than that of humans.

21 May 2020

Scientists create a detailed map of how carcinogens trigger breast cancer development

In the most comprehensive review to date of how breast cancer develops, scientists have created a detailed map that describes the many ways in which environmental chemicals can trigger the disease.

21 May 2020

Research demonstrates self-synthesis and assembly of 30S subunit of ribosome

As the cell's protein factory, the ribosome is the only natural machine that manufactures its own parts. That is why understanding how the machine, itself, is made, could unlock the door to everything from understanding how life develops to designing new methods of drug production.

21 May 2020

LLNL engineers address shortage of nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19

In this era of COVID-19, tracking the disease adequately enough to allow state and local officials to lift shelter-in-place orders and return to a semblance of normalcy in the absence of a vaccine will require widespread testing, according to medical experts.

21 May 2020

Study finds hundreds of new links between people's DNA and the heart's electrical activity

Hundreds of new links have been found between people's DNA and the heart's electrical activity, according to a study of almost 300,000 people led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

21 May 2020

Saliva testing allows quick, accurate and non-invasive SARS-CoV-2 detection

Saliva is one of the ways people can transmit the novel coronavirus to others, but it may also help combat coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Scientists are now looking into using saliva to test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent for COVID-19 disease.

20 May 2020

New technique reveals potentially treatable mutations in subset of prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer patients who do not respond well to PSMA-targeted therapy often have potentially treatable mutations in their DNA damage-repair genes, according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

20 May 2020

Family environment and socioeconomic status affect brain development during adolescence

Childhood environment and socioeconomic status affect cognitive ability and brain development during adolescence independently of genetic factors, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report in a new study published in the journal PNAS.

20 May 2020

New computer model predicts the age of the human brain

Scientists have trained a computer to analyze different types of brain scan and predict the age of the human brain, according to a new study in the open-access journal eLife.

20 May 2020

Study could help identify more targeted treatments for ovarian cancer

The rogue cellular engine that drives a majority of ovarian cancers remains frustratingly difficult to disable. A new study comparing cancerous tissue with normal fallopian tube samples advances important insights about this machinery and confirms biological hallmarks of survival.

20 May 2020

Understanding why pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is so aggressive

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a deadly cancer, killing patients within a year. CSHL Professor Christopher Vakoc and his former postdoc Timothy Somerville discovered how pancreatic cells lose their identity, acquire a deadly new identity, and recruit nearby cells to help them grow, promote inflammation, and invade nearby tissues.

19 May 2020