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American football head impacts tied to increased brain damage and cognitive decline

Repetitive head impacts in former American football players are linked to increased perivascular space volume, which correlates with cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. The study suggests that the force of head impacts may be more critical than frequency, with potential protective effects from β-blocker use.

1 Sep 2024

T-TEER shows promising outcomes in severe tricuspid regurgitation patients after one year

Tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) significantly reduced the severity of secondary tricuspid regurgitation and improved quality of life after 1 year, according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2024.

1 Sep 2024

Semaglutide's impact on cardiovascular health expands beyond weight loss

Semaglutide, the popular anti-obesity medication originally developed to treat diabetes, continues to show cardiovascular benefits beyond weight loss, including reducing risk of death, reducing serious COVID-19 related events and improving heart failure (HF) symptoms, according to six new substudies published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

30 Aug 2024

New consensus on assessing carcinogenic risks of gene therapies

A new article in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy describes the consensus reached by invited experts who participated in a meeting to evaluate the potential carcinogenicity of gene therapies.

30 Aug 2024

Study reveals key role of A20 protein in controlling inflammation in liver disease

Many individuals worldwide suffer from chronic liver disease (CLD), which poses significant concerns for its tendency to lead to hepatocellular carcinoma or liver failure. CLD is characterized by inflammation and fibrosis.

29 Aug 2024

Understanding the mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis

The article explores the role of the m6A reader YTHDF1 in cardiac fibrosis, a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, leading to the stiffening of the heart and impaired function. Cardiac fibrosis is a common pathological process in various cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.

29 Aug 2024

Scientists discover key to activating natural killer cells against cancer

Scientists are on the verge of a cancer breakthrough after working out how the body's immune system targets cells devastated by the disease.

28 Aug 2024

Researchers demonstrate a new method to combat pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and UMass Chan Medical School have demonstrated in mice a new method to combat pancreatic cancer.

28 Aug 2024

Pediatric heart transplant waitlist fails to prioritize sickest patients, study shows

The method used across the United States to wait-list children for heart transplants does not consistently rank the sickest patients first, according to a new study led by Stanford Medicine experts.

28 Aug 2024

Unraveling the mystery of viral evolution

All organisms - from fungi to mammals - have the capacity to evolve and adapt to their environments. But viruses are master shapeshifters with the ability to mutate greater than any other organism. As a result, they can evade treatments or acquire resistance to once-effective antiviral medications.

28 Aug 2024

CNRS scientists uncover activation mechanism of bemnifosbuvir

CNRS Scientists have deciphered the activation pathway of bemnifosbuvir, a drug candidate initially in development to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV). The findings of the research team, led by CNRS scientists, unlock new opportunities to boost the efficacy of this type of drug against other RNA viruses, such as the ones that cause Covid-19 and dengue fever.

28 Aug 2024

NIDDK Catalyst Award funds research on mammary gland's role in metabolic diseases

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Catalyst Award program has awarded a $4 million, five-year grant to Prashant Rajbhandari, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease) at the Mount Sinai Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, to investigate a new frontier in understanding metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.

27 Aug 2024

GluFormer outperforms existing AI models in predicting blood sugar levels

Study introduces GluFormer, a transformer-based generative model, to predict glycemic patterns using continuous glucose monitoring data, with significant implications for diabetes management and treatment strategies.

26 Aug 2024

Ochsner Digital Medicine and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana partner to enhance chronic care management

Ochsner Digital Medicine has teamed up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to offer digital medicine services to the health plan's members.

26 Aug 2024

Unique strain of probiotic bacteria shows potential in combating inflammatory diseases

23 Aug 2024

Probiotic offers protection against intestinal damage

There is a critical unmet need to help tighten and maintain a healthy intestinal barrier and treat a leaky gut. Researchers have now found that a unique strain of probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium bifidum BB1, enhances intestinal barrier function and protects against penetration of bacteria and various harmful agents in the intestine. The findings, detailed in an article in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, can help advance the development of novel, targeted, naturally occurring probiotic therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, such as fatty liver disease or alcoholic liver disease, that are associated with a leaky or disordered intestinal barrier.

23 Aug 2024

Rising IBD incidence highlights need for non-invasive biomarkers in diagnosis

The global burden of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), primarily Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), continues to rise. Recent data show incidence rates of up to 17.8 cases per 100,000 person-years for CD and even higher for UC, reaching 28.4 per 100,000 person-years. These diseases primarily affect older populations and vary geographically, with higher prevalence rates in highly developed countries.

23 Aug 2024

Virginia Tech leads national initiative to predict and prevent future pandemics

Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 don't respect boundaries, moving between species and continents and leaving destruction as they go. Beating the next pathogen with pandemic potential means getting good at crossing borders ourselves - between fields of study, between research universities, and between scientists and the wider community.

23 Aug 2024

SCARB2 deficiency disrupts bile acid metabolism and gut microbiome

The study details the connection between SCARB2 deficiency and gastrointestinal dysfunction, revealing that the loss of SCARB2 leads to alterations in bile acid metabolism and dysbiosis in the gut microbiome. This disruption affects the signaling pathway involving FXR, which normally regulates bile acid synthesis and intestinal lipid absorption. The hyperactive FXR in Scarb2-deficient mice leads to a decrease in epithelial cell turnover and lipid malabsorption, particularly impacting the absorption of vitamin E, which is crucial for maintaining neurological health. The researchers further explored the impact of these changes on the gut-liver axis and found alterations in the expression of genes related to bile acid synthesis.

23 Aug 2024

Study sheds light on the dual nature of cellular senescence

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have revealed a new secret regarding senescence, a cellular state similar to sleep that is more likely to affect aged cells.

22 Aug 2024