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Activating gene that helps excite neurons reverses depression in male mice

Directly activating a gene important to exciting our excitatory neurons and associated with major depression may help turn around classic symptoms like social isolation and loss of interest, at least for males, scientists report.

18 Feb 2019

Study finds genetic vulnerability to use of menthol cigarettes

A genetic variant found only in people of African descent significantly increases a smoker's preference for cigarettes containing menthol, a flavor additive.

15 Feb 2019

Vapers develop cancer-related gene deregulation as cigarette smokers

If you think vaping is benign, think again. A small USC study shows that e-cig users develop some of the same cancer-related molecular changes in oral tissue as cigarette smokers, adding to the growing concern that e-cigs aren't a harmless alternative to smoking.

15 Feb 2019

Scientists implicate hidden genes in the severity of autism symptoms

Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have implicated a largely hidden part of the human genome in the severity of autism symptoms, a discovery that could lead to new insights into the disorder and eventually to clinical therapies for the condition.

15 Feb 2019

New method for improved visualization of single-cell RNA- sequencing data

Like going from a pinhole camera to a Polaroid, a significant mathematical update to the formula for a popular bioinformatics data visualization method will allow researchers to develop snapshots of single-cell gene expression not only several times faster but also at much higher-resolution.

15 Feb 2019

New study seeks to understand how colibactin causes cancer

For more than a decade, scientists have worked to understand the connection between colibactin, a compound produced by certain strains of E. coli, and colorectal cancer, but have been hampered by their inability to isolate the compound.

15 Feb 2019

Moffitt researchers shed light on how CAR T cells function mechanistically

The scientific community has made great strides over the past decade in the development of a new class of cancer therapy called immunotherapy, a treatment that activates a patient's own immune system to target cancer cells.

15 Feb 2019

Researchers study animal venoms to identify new medicines for treating diseases

Animal venoms are the subject of study at research center based at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo. But in this case, the idea is not to find antidotes, but rather to use the properties of the venoms themselves to identify molecular targets of diseases and, armed with that knowledge, develop new compounds that can be used as medicines.

15 Feb 2019

Bio-Rad launches new digital PCR system and kit for monitoring treatment response in CML patients

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, today announced that its QXDx AutoDG ddPCR System, which uses Bio-Rad's Droplet Digital PCR technology, and the QXDx BCR-ABL %IS Kit are the industry's first digital PCR products to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance.

15 Feb 2019

Genetic variations in a fourth gene associated with higher ALL risk in Hispanic children

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified genetic variations in a fourth gene that are associated with an increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Hispanic children. The research appears today in the journal Blood.

15 Feb 2019

Cell manipulation could soon halt or reverse aging

Researchers have shown that tweaking the tiny inner parts of a cell could prevent the damage caused due to aging.

15 Feb 2019

Scientists shed light on damaging cell effects linked to aging

Some of the damaging cell effects linked to aging could be prevented by manipulating tiny parts of cells, a study shows.

14 Feb 2019

Longer-lived sperm produces offspring with healthier lifespans

Sperm that live for longer before fertilising an egg produce healthier offspring – according to new research from the University of East Anglia and Uppsala University in Sweden.

14 Feb 2019

Study shows how neuroactive steroids inhibit activity of pro-inflammatory proteins

For the first time, scientists discovered how neuroactive steroids naturally found in the brain and bloodstream inhibit the activity of a specific kind of protein called Toll-like receptors, which have been known to play a role in inflammation in many organs, including the brain.

14 Feb 2019

Researchers comprehensively sequence the human immune system

For the first time ever, researchers are comprehensively sequencing the human immune system, which is billions of times larger than the human genome. In a new study published in Nature from the Human Vaccines Project, scientists have sequenced a key part of this vast and mysterious system -- the genes encoding the circulating B cell receptor repertoire.

14 Feb 2019

Discovery of a 'master switch' within the immune system

Researchers Professor Graham Lord, from The University of Manchester and colleagues have found that a specific part of the immune system could have the tools that may help in the therapy of some major diseases such as diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and other autoimmune diseases.

14 Feb 2019

Breast pumps could be transmitting asthma-causing bacteria in babies, finds study

Mothers across the world use breast pumps to pump put the milk that is fed to their babies. A new study has revealed that these pumps may not be safe and may be contaminated with bacteria that can cause asthma in the babies later in life. The results of this study were published in the latest issue of the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

13 Feb 2019