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Researchers identify circuit that links cigarette smoking and risk of developing diabetes

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a circuit in rats that links cigarette smoking and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study featured on the cover of the October 17 issue of Nature.

16 Oct 2019

ALS patients with commonly inherited genetic variation may experience more severe symptoms

A discovery made several years ago in a lab researching asthma at Wake Forest School of Medicine may now have implications for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease with no known cure and only two FDA-approved drugs to treat its progression and severity.

16 Oct 2019

Epigenetic changes can lead to development of GISTs, other cancers

Most cases of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a type of soft-tissue cancer (sarcoma), are caused by mutations in genes that can be effectively targeted with drugs that inhibit the activity of rogue cancer-promoting enzymes.

16 Oct 2019

Scientists harness the power of immune system to test novel cancer treatment

The field of immunotherapy has revolutionized the way people with incurable cancers are treated, saving the lives of many people whose disease would have otherwise been seen as a death sentence. Despite its success in treating people with deadly forms of leukemia and lymphoma, there are still many people who do not benefit from the treatment or eventually experience a relapse of their cancer.

16 Oct 2019

New discovery paves way for better treatment of diabetes

Insulin, a hormone essential for regulating blood sugar and lipids, is normally produced by pancreatic β cells. In many people with diabetes, however, pancreatic cells are not (or no longer) functional, causing a chronic and potentially fatal insulin deficiency that can only be controlled through daily insulin injections.

16 Oct 2019

Australian researchers discover link between itchy skin and gut pain

This is big news for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients: 11 percent of the world's population suffers from IBS, but the fight against chronic pain has taken a major step forward with scientists identifying receptors in the nervous system which cause the condition in the hope of developing effective treatments.

16 Oct 2019

Scientists decipher assembly line of glutamate receptors

Rapid communication of neurons in the brain, as well as the ability to learn, fundamentally rely on neurotransmitter receptors located in the contact sites of neurons, the synapses. The most important receptors in the mammalian brain are glutamate receptors of the AMPA-type that generate the electrical signal required for fast communication between neurons.

16 Oct 2019

Good news for IBS sufferers as researchers identify “gut itch”

Researchers have identified receptors that cause the pain experienced in cases of irritable bowel syndrome.

16 Oct 2019

Scientists discover how malaria switched host from African gorillas to humans

Researchers have revealed the series of events that probably led to the world’s deadliest form of malaria being able to jump from ancient great apes to humans.

16 Oct 2019

Inactive receptor prevents cancer drugs from reactivating the immune system

The aim of immunotherapies is to enable the immune system once again to fight cancer on its own. Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors are already in clinical use for this purpose.

15 Oct 2019

Drug-light combination could offer better control over CAR T-cell treatments

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego are a step closer to making CAR T-cell therapy safer, more precise and easy to control.

15 Oct 2019

Committee calls for cheese products to display warning about breast cancer

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has called for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to push for cheese manufacturers to place breast cancer warning labels on their products.

14 Oct 2019

Rotavirus plays role in development of type 1 diabetes

A new article published in the journal PLOS Pathogens on October 10, 2019, claims that the common rotavirus may be responsible for the occurrence of type 1 diabetes, a form of diabetes which occurs in children and is due to destruction of the pancreatic islet cells that produce the hormone insulin to normalize blood glucose levels.

13 Oct 2019

Research finds drugs for better long-term treatment of poorly controlled asthma

The waning effectiveness of drugs over time continues to be a major challenge in treating diseases, including asthma.

11 Oct 2019

Structural biology reveals 3D structure of asthma-linked receptor

A new study has laid bare the structure of a protein receptor called the CysLT1 receptor that is implicated in a range of allergic and cardiovascular conditions as well as some types of cancer. Published in Science Advances, the paper shows how the researchers used structural biology techniques to accomplish this feat.

10 Oct 2019

RTKI drugs may not significantly improve survival rates of patients during radiotherapy

Taking certain cancer-fighting drugs while undergoing radiation therapy may not increase survival for patients, but may, instead, increase side effects, according to a team of researchers. The drugs, however, may be beneficial for patients who are not undergoing radiation therapy.

10 Oct 2019

‘Sticky’ gene may boost the nerve calming effects of Valium

Between 1999 and 2017, the United States experienced a 10-fold increase in the number of people who died from overdoses of Valium and other benzodiazepines.

10 Oct 2019

β-blockers could regenerate infant heart muscle, mitigate effects of congenital heart disease

Surgery can mend congenital heart defects shortly after birth, but those babies will carry a higher risk of heart failure throughout the rest of their lives. Yet, according to a Science Translational Medicine study published today by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh researchers, β-blockers could supplement surgery to regenerate infant heart muscle and mitigate the lasting effects of congenital heart disease.

9 Oct 2019

Unique immune cell linked to remission in patients with triple negative breast cancer

A unique type of immune cell has been discovered in human breast tissue, and breast cancer patients with more of these cells are more likely to survive, finds new research from the Francis Crick Institute and King's College London.

From The Francis Crick Institute 9 Oct 2019

Dupilumab provides clinical benefit to adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis

Results from a phase IIa open-label trial and a subsequent phase III open-label extension trial reinforce findings from an earlier short-term trial that adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, or eczema, can experience significant improvements with dupilumab.

9 Oct 2019