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Gene editing silences mutant microRNA, restores hearing in adult mice

Researchers have used gene editing to restore hearing in adult mice with a type of inherited hearing loss. They showed that shutting down a damaged copy of a gene called a microRNA (miRNA) enabled the animals to regain hearing. The approach by a research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported in Science Translational Medicine, may eventually lead to potential treatments for inherited hearing loss in people.

13 Jul 2024

Testing the effectiveness of youth activism as a mental health intervention

Three hundred Black and Latinx teens in Chicago will be recruited to participate in the first clinical trial to measure the potential health benefits of youth-driven racial justice activism. The five-year study, funded by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, will assess whether activism can lower depression symptoms in minoritized teens, as well as alter physiological factors known to be increased with exposure to racism, such as blood pressure and markers of stress and inflammation in the blood.

13 Jul 2024

Revolutionary AI model improves early dementia diagnosis

Cambridge scientists have developed an artificially-intelligent tool capable of predicting in four cases out of five whether people with early signs of dementia will remain stable or develop Alzheimer’s disease.

13 Jul 2024

Groundbreaking mRNA vaccine administered to captive elephant to fight EEHV

Colossal, the de-extinction company, announces that the mRNA vaccine it helped to provide research support and acceleration funding for has been administered to the first elephant in captivity.

13 Jul 2024

Simple measures can help address malnutrition in elderly care

As many as half of all patients admitted to hospital and other healthcare facilities are malnourished. This has serious consequences for the individual in terms of unnecessary suffering, poorer quality of life and mortality.

12 Jul 2024

ECHO study sheds light on how neighborhood environment influenced child's well-being amid pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily life and has raised concerns about its impact on children's well-being.

12 Jul 2024

WISDOM project leverages AI and data to combat chronic immune-mediated diseases in Europe

Integrating medical and research data, ensuring secure data sharing, and using advanced AI models offer immense possibilities to mitigate the impact of chronic immune-mediated diseases (CIMDs) affecting 10% of Europeans.

12 Jul 2024

Over-the-counter nasal sprays cut respiratory infections by 20%, study finds

Widely available over-the counter nasal sprays could keep upper respiratory tract infections - like colds, chest infections, flu, sore throat, and sinus infections - at bay, and prevent full-blown symptoms from developing, one of the largest trials to date to test their effectiveness finds.

12 Jul 2024

Researchers develop a simple new way to store, identify, and share phages

The great promise of bacteriophages is that they naturally destroy bacteria, often in situations where antibiotics fail.

12 Jul 2024

Neighborhood disadvantage linked to higher expression of stress-related genes in prostate tumors

Those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have significantly higher activity of stress-related genes, new research suggests, which could contribute to higher rates of aggressive prostate cancer in African American men.

12 Jul 2024

Study reveals potential cognitive benefits of antidiabetic drugs

Investigators analyzing the potential cognitive effects of antidiabetic medications in records of more than 1.5 million patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) found risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) were significantly lower in patients treated with metformin and sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) compared to other antidiabetic drugs.

12 Jul 2024

Discovering the cerebellum's new role in thirst modulation

The cerebellum, often referred to as the 'little brain', has captivated researchers for centuries due to its unique structure and cellular complexity, as one of the most ancient brain regions in evolutionary terms.

12 Jul 2024

UQ study offers insights into how Haemophilus influenzae manipulates the immune system

Researchers from The University of Queensland have identified how a common bacterium is able to manipulate the human immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent illness.

12 Jul 2024

Accelerate Your Research: Dispen3D Harnesses the Power of 3D Models

Dispen3D is setting new standards in single-cell biology, enabling researchers to conduct high-precision experiments that drive advancements in drug discovery, personalized medicine, and regenerative therapies.

From SEED Biosciences 12 Jul 2024

States set minimum staffing levels for nursing homes. Residents suffer when rules are ignored or waived.

For hours, John Pernorio repeatedly mashed the call button at his bedside in the Heritage Hills nursing home in Rhode Island.

12 Jul 2024

Covid-19 mortality 46% higher among migrants, new research shows

Refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants were exposed to significantly higher health risks during the Covid-19 pandemic than other population groups. A new study shows a 84 per cent higher risk of infection and a 46 per cent higher mortality rate among migrants compared to the general population.

12 Jul 2024

Study finds early, unnecessary opioid prescriptions for teen surgery

A multi-institutional study found that 1 in 6 youths fill an opioid prescription prior to surgery, and 3% of patients were still filling opioid prescriptions three to six months after surgery, indicating persistent opioid use and possible opioid dependence.

12 Jul 2024

Cellular immunotherapy offers hope for solid tumors

Early findings from a small clinical trial provide evidence that a new cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective in treating metastatic solid tumors. In the trial, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) genetically engineered normal white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, from each patient to produce receptors that recognize and attack their specific cancer cells.

12 Jul 2024

AI model boosts cancer gene prediction and patient prognosis

The artificial intelligence (AI) model GPT-4, known from its application in ChatGPT, shows impressive capabilities in biomedical research and can be used in many ways for simulations. A simulator developed at MedUni Vienna and based on GPT-4 shows increased accuracy in classifying the importance of genes in cancer cells, as well as in the prognosis of cancer patients. The results of the study were published in the journal Computers in Biology and Medicine.

12 Jul 2024

Tiny force sensors in embryos pave way for new birth defect treatments

A group of scientists at UCL have successfully created mechanical force sensors directly in the developing brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos, which they hope will improve understanding and prevention of birth malformations such as spina bifida.

11 Jul 2024