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Chagas disease presents real public health problem to Canadians

Believe it or not, a tropical blood parasite native to Latin America could be harmful to Canadians. Infectious diseases like malaria or Zika may have dominated recent headlines but Chagas - the "Kissing Bug" disease - is in the spotlight following the publication of a new case study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

13 Dec 2017

Human ‘common cold’ virus kills healthy chimpanzees in Uganda

In the wild, chimpanzees face any number of dire threats, ranging from poachers to predators to deforestation.

13 Dec 2017

Study reveals impact of diabetes during pregnancy on baby's heart

A new study conducted at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA discovered how increased glucose levels caused either by diabetes or other factors keep heart cells from maturing normally.

13 Dec 2017

Researchers discover new way to attack drug-resistant prostate cancer cells

In most cases, prostate cancer is cured by surgical removal of the tumor and/or by radiotherapy. However, 20% of patients will need treatment to remove tumor cells but this treatment ceases to be effective after two or three years and the cancer develops further.

13 Dec 2017

Study identifies potassium as key to circadian rhythms in red blood cells

An innovative new study from the University of Surrey and Cambridge's MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, has uncovered the secrets of the circadian rhythms in red blood cells and identified potassium as the key to unraveling the mystery.

12 Dec 2017

Texas Biomed scientists develop new animal model that mimics key features of Zika infection

An alternative animal model that mimics key features of the Zika virus infection, including its lingering presence in bodily fluids, has been developed at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio.

12 Dec 2017

New scientific yardstick released to help early detection of Alzheimer's disease

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre released a new scientific yardstick, in the form of a certified reference material, to help early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Dec 2017

Researchers identify promising solution for improving cystic fibrosis treatments

Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre have identified a promising solution to improving treatments offered to patients with cystic fibrosis.

12 Dec 2017

Newly discovered molecular chaperones may soon be part of therapies for Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disease. It is always fatal. The disease is caused by a defect in the Huntingtin gene. To this day, no therapy will put a stop to the insidious disintegration of brain cells.

12 Dec 2017

Researchers find new role for SHARPIN protein in melanoma growth

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery and the Technion in Israel have found a new role for the SHARPIN protein. In addition to being one of three proteins in the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex, regulating NFκB and other inflammatory molecules, SHARPIN modulates PRMT5, an epigenetic master switch that controls several proteins linked to melanoma. The research was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

12 Dec 2017

Huntington's disease drug clears initial hurdles - raising hopes

Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder that affects the brain progressively and has no known cure till date. In a breakthrough, the first drug that can target and reduce the cause behind this dreaded disease has been found to be effective, safe and well tolerated in a human clinical trial that was conducted by UCL scientists.

11 Dec 2017

Genentech researchers uncover epigenetic regulator of pancreatic cancer cells

Genentech researchers have identified an enzyme that shifts pancreatic cancer cells to a more aggressive, drug-resistant state by epigenetically modifying the cells' chromatin.

11 Dec 2017

Researchers uncover novel strategy to program immune system for fighting cancer

Looking to bolster the body's immune system in the fight against infection and cancer, researchers at the University of California San Diego and their colleagues have identified a promising new strategy to program the immune system to meet the pathogen or malignancy in the tissues where they first pose a threat.

11 Dec 2017

Researchers discover potential regulator essential for killer T cells to reside in tumors

Researchers report the discovery that a protein called "Runx3" programs killer T cells to establish residence in tumors and infection sites.

11 Dec 2017

Scientists discover specific mechanism of Zika virus-associated microcephaly

Epidemiological studies show that in utero fetal infection with the Zika virus (ZIKV) may lead to microcephaly, an irreversible congenital malformation of the brain characterized by an incomplete development of the cerebral cortex.

11 Dec 2017

Study: Employees with influenza have more lost work time

Employees with laboratory-confirmed influenza have more lost work time- including absences and reduced productivity while at work- compared to those with other types of acute respiratory illness (ARI), reports a study in the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

11 Dec 2017

TPU researchers create 3D-printed models of children's hearts

Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University are creating 3D-printed models of children's hearts. They are printed based on magnetic resonance imaging of real patients. These models are used as simulators for cardiac surgeons to plan and pre-work forthcoming operations.

11 Dec 2017

Live-cell microscopy reveals internal forces that direct cell migration

Two new studies conducted at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) indicate the way by which cells react to internal forces when they orient, gain traction, and migrate in a particular direction.

11 Dec 2017

St. Jude gene therapy offers hope for infants with 'bubble boy' disease

Early evidence suggests that gene therapy developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will lead to broad protection for infants with the devastating immune disorder X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder.

11 Dec 2017

Canola oil linked to worsening of Alzheimer’s

Canola oil has been marketed as a healthy cooking oil choice because of the low levels of saturated fats that is seen in it. Now a new study has revealed that consumption of canola oil could be linked to worsening of memory functions and learning ability in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

11 Dec 2017