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Researchers identify DNA activation code using artificial intelligence

Scientists have long known that human genes spring into action through instructions delivered by the precise order of our DNA, directed by the four different types of individual links, or "bases," coded A, C, G and T.

10 Sep 2020

New method could advance efforts to find drugs that kill breast cancer cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Oxford say they have found a new way to kill some multiplying human breast cancer cells by selectively attacking the core of their cell division machinery.

10 Sep 2020

Scientists solve decades old mystery of key molecule that fuels mitochondria

Penn Medicine researchers have solved a decades old mystery around a key molecule fueling the power plant of cells that could be exploited to find new ways to treat diseases, from neurodegenerative disorders to cancer.

10 Sep 2020

Sex-differential COVID-19 responses are mediated by kynurenic acid

Now, a new study by a research team from Yale University, USA, Edith Cowan University, Australia, and the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that kynurenic acid is the underlying factor which is responsible for these differences.

9 Sep 2020

Study uncovers genetic vulnerability in breast cancers tumors

The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, has uncovered a genetic vulnerability present in nearly 10% percent of all breast cancers tumours, and found a way to target this vulnerability and selectively kill cancer cells.

9 Sep 2020

Fungi can develop drug resistance without genetic changes

The management of fungal infections in plants and humans could be transformed by a breakthrough in understanding how fungi develop resistance to drugs.

9 Sep 2020

Common diabetes drug controls aspects of inflammation in mice

The diabetes drug metformin--derived from a lilac plant that's been used medicinally for more than a thousand years--has been prescribed to hundreds of millions of people worldwide as the frontline treatment for type 2 diabetes.

9 Sep 2020

Gut microbiota composition and function not related to onset of gestational diabetes

Maternal overweight and obesity increase the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Gut microbiota composition has recently been associated with both overweight and a range of metabolic diseases.

9 Sep 2020

Scientists shed new light on gene regulatory pathways activated by stress hormone

Scientists have long known that chronic stress experienced early in life, or even chronic prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones in the womb, can shorten lifespan and contribute to age-related chronic diseases like arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even mental illness later in life -- long after the source of stress has been removed.

9 Sep 2020

Scientists explain why men are at higher risk from COVID-19

Published in the journal PLOS Biology, the study aimed to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that drive the varying responses of the infected individuals among different patient demographics, including sex and age.

9 Sep 2020

Researchers discuss the role of chemical senses in disease and social interactions in humans, animals

Across 5 days in August (3rd-7th), scientists from around the world gathered virtually to present and discuss new information on the role of the chemical senses in disease, nutrition, and social interactions in humans and animals.

9 Sep 2020

Acne drug could be a potential treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of heart failure, affecting 1 in 250 people. The disease is characterised by an increase in size of the left ventricle of the heart.

8 Sep 2020

PI3K/mTOR and topoisomerase inhibitors suggested as candidates to reduce expression of ACE2

A recent study published in the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that the already approved drug families called P13K/mTOR and topoisomerase inhibitors may be useful in reducing individual susceptibility to the virus.

7 Sep 2020

Viruses play a key evolutionary role in mammals' ability to reproduce and survive

As the world scrambles to control the growing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, new research in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology shows viruses also play a key evolutionary role in mammals' ability to reproduce and survive.

7 Sep 2020

Study shows how mutations in DNA packaging machines can drive cancer development

Like wrenches made of Legos, SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes tighten or loosen DNA in our cells to control how genes are turned on and made into proteins.

7 Sep 2020

Novel RNA vaccine from Arcturus Therapeutics protects mice against SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 reports a novel RNA vaccine platform that shows robust protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in mice and performs much better than a conventional mRNA vaccine. This could allow single-dose immunization, allowing progress towards global vaccination.

6 Sep 2020

Seasonal influenza and COVID-19 risk

In a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv, researchers from Laval University and McGill University in Canada reviewed evidence from 18 relevant studies on a possible interaction between influenza vaccines on non-influenza respiratory disease (NIRD).

6 Sep 2020

Patient priorities for optimal transplant and living donor advocacy during COVID-19 and beyond

In a newly published paper, the authors first paint the vision of what optimal patient advocacy can do to overcome the challenges described by kidney transplant patients and donors and then describe how to make that vision a reality, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Sep 2020

Activation of fatty acid receptor causes masculinization of Japanese rice fish

A research collaboration based at Kumamoto University (Japan) has found that activation of PPARα, a fatty acid receptor that detects fatty acids in cells and regulates physiological functions, causes masculinization of Japanese rice fish (medaka).

5 Sep 2020