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Scientists solve first 3-D structure of DNAzyme

DNA does not always adopt the form of the double helix which is associated with the genetic code; it can also form intricate folds and act as an enzyme: a deoxyribozyme. A researcher from Spain and other scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Germany) have solved the first three-dimensional structure of this biomolecule that has proved much more flexible than previously thought.

3 Mar 2016

Common blood test could help predict risk of second stroke

A new discovery about ischemic stroke may allow to doctors to predict a patient's risk of having a second stroke using a commonly performed blood test and their genetic profile.

3 Mar 2016

Researchers find Achilles' heel of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have found the Achilles' heel of one of the most aggressive forms of leukemia that affects both children and adults. They have also identified a possible new treatment that exploits this fatal weakness.

2 Mar 2016

Depression may be a systemic disease, say researchers

An international team of researchers lead by the University of Granada has scientifically proven, for the first time, that depression is associated with important alterations of the oxidative stress, so it should be considered a systemic disease.

2 Mar 2016

New findings about prostate cells may identify future strategies for treating aggressive prostate cancer

A study that revealed new findings about prostate cells may point to future strategies for treating aggressive and therapy-resistant forms of prostate cancer.

1 Mar 2016

P. gingivalis could be a novel risk factor for esophageal cancer

University of Louisville School of Dentistry researchers have found a bacterial species responsible for gum disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is present in 61 percent of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

27 Feb 2016

WRAIR researchers publish results from Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine study

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research researchers recently published the results of testing a Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine candidate in a human challenge model.

27 Feb 2016

Radiotherapy plus panobinostat more effective for aggressive, recurrent brain cancer

Radiotherapy effectively damages brain tumors but the cancer cells can repair themselves in order to live on. Now, researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center have tested a strategy that combines radiotherapy with a drug that shuts down the ability of tumor to mend themselves.

27 Feb 2016

Researchers find way to inhibit enzyme responsible for Alzheimer's disease

For decades, intensive research has been conducted on drugs all over the world to treat Alzheimer's patients. Although major progress has been made in diagnostics (the disease can be detected increasingly early and accurately), the therapeutic options remain limited.

27 Feb 2016

Penn State researchers develop self-powered enzyme pumps

A new way to use the chemical reactions of certain enzymes to trigger self-powered mechanical movement has been developed by a team of researchers at Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh. A paper describing the team's research, titled "Convective flow reversal in self-powered enzyme micropumps," is published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

27 Feb 2016

Study finds no evidence of lactase deficiency specific to autistic children with GI symptoms

Children with autism have no unique pattern of abnormal results on endoscopy or other tests for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, compared to non-autistic children with GI symptoms, reports a study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

26 Feb 2016

NUS scientists formulate recipe for making healthier bread

A team of food scientists from the National University of Singapore has successfully formulated a recipe for making healthier bread by adding a natural plant pigment, called anthocyanin, extracted from black rice. This new bread option gets digested at a slower rate - hence improving blood glucose control - and is high in antioxidants, among other health benefits.

26 Feb 2016

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Life-threatening heart damage is an adverse side effect of the cancer drug doxorubicin, damage that also limits the use of newer chemotherapeutic agents such as trastuzumab and imatinib. The ability to protect the heart from these side effects would benefit patients, including cancer survivors who are at risk of developing heart damage years later, and it also could allow safer use of these drugs at higher doses.

26 Feb 2016

Japanese bioengineers tweak E. coli genes to pump out morphine precursor

A common gut microbe could soon be offering us pain relief. Japanese bioengineers have tweaked Escherichia coli genes so that they pump out thebaine, a morphine precursor that can be modified to make painkillers. The genetically modified E. coli produces 300 times more thebaine with minimal risk of unregulated use compared to a recently developed method involving yeast.

26 Feb 2016

New anti-ageing therapy may be effective against aplastic anaemia

Aplastic anaemia is a rare, and potentially fatal, disease of the blood, by which the bone marrow is unable to generate blood cells at the appropriate pace. Many forms of aplastic anaemia share an important link with the ageing process: the shortening of telomeres, structures that protect the ends of chromosomes.

25 Feb 2016

Cells with higher fat content live longer than lean cells

Cells with higher fat content outlive lean cells, says a new study from Michigan State University.

24 Feb 2016

Researchers Pinpoint Potential Enzyme For T-Cell Leukemia Treatment

For the first time, researchers at Boston University have shown that T-cell leukemia cells use a particular cycle, called the TCA or Kreb cycle, to support their growth and survival.

23 Feb 2016

Pitt experts lead gene therapy clinical trial in Parkinson's disease patients

Experts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are leading the second arm of a clinical trial using gene therapy to relieve the symptoms of tremor and mobility impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease.

23 Feb 2016

Study identifies new mechanism for controlling HIV replication

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that HIV infection of human immune cells triggers a massive increase in methylation, a chemical modification, to both human and viral RNA, aiding replication of the virus.

23 Feb 2016

EPFL researchers develop portable microfluidic diagnostic device to detect different diseases

When remote regions with limited health facilities experience an epidemic, they need portable diagnostic equipment that functions outside the hospital. As demand for such equipment grows, EPFL researchers have developed a low-cost and portable microfluidic diagnostic device. It has been tested on Ebola and can be used to detect many other diseases.

22 Feb 2016