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Mapping brain microglia

Microglia are known to be important to brain function. The immune cells have been found to protect the brain from injury and infection and are critical during brain development, helping circuits wire properly. They also seem to play a role in disease -- showing up, for example, around brain plaques in people with Alzheimer's.

6 Dec 2018

Heroin-assisted treatment can offer benefits, reduce harms

Providing supervised access to medical-grade heroin to people whose use continues after trying multiple traditional treatments has been successful in other countries, and should be piloted and studied in the United States, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

6 Dec 2018

Liraglutide drug associated with lower risk of cardiovascular events

Real world data from a large Nordic study shows that use of liraglutide, a drug for type 2 diabetes, is associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death.

6 Dec 2018

Common antidepressant does not promote recovery after stroke, study finds

Stroke patients prescribed a common antidepressant show no improvement compared with those given a dummy drug, a study has found.

6 Dec 2018

CWRU researcher secures $14.6 million funding for genetic study into Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease symptoms, such as memory loss or cognitive decline, can present in different ways among people with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Researchers know that a complex mix of social, behavioral, and genetic variables can impact the onset and progression of this disease.

6 Dec 2018

Optimization of drug dose sizes can reduce pharmaceutical wastage

Pharmaceuticals are often dosed according to patient weight or body size which means that a dose must be individually measured. In a new study, lead author Anthony Hatswell of Delta Hat Limited and University College London in the UK, shows that by optimizing drug dose sizes available, wastage can be cut by as much as 50 percent.

6 Dec 2018

New recommendations for design, conduct of osteoporosis-specific economic evaluations

Economic evaluations that compare interventions in terms of costs and outcomes are increasingly used by decision makers, with economic evaluations now playing an increasing role in pricing and reimbursement decisions.

6 Dec 2018

New therapeutic strategy is emerging for type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are high over a prolonged period (hyperglycemia). In the case of type 2 diabetes, this phenomenon which is caused by a disruption of the glucose metabolism develops progressively and insidiously.

6 Dec 2018

Scientists identify new drug target for potential blood pressure treatment

Scientists have identified a key player in blood pressure regulation and have shown that switching it off reduces blood pressure in mice, according to new research in eLife.

6 Dec 2018

Researchers take a step forward with a study of molecules of DNA

Researchers from the Andalusian center for Molecular Biology and regenerative Medicine and from the University of Seville have taken a step forward with a study of something as essential for life as the molecules of DNA.

5 Dec 2018

Telemedicine for treating substance use disorders remains underused, study shows

Despite the enormous unmet need for treatment of substance use disorders and the promise of telemedicine to fill some of the gaps in care, the tool remains woefully underused, according to research led by investigators from the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School.

5 Dec 2018

Study investigates influence of different opioids on driving performance

Taking opioids for the treatment of pain has been associated with increased risks of crashing among drivers, but it is unknown whether this applies to all opioids or pertains to specific opioids only.

5 Dec 2018

Bacterial infections may contribute to far more cancers than previously thought, shows study

The Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced today the discovery that DnaK, a protein of the bacterium mycoplasma, interferes with the mycoplasma-infected cell's ability to respond to and repair DNA damage, a known origin of cancer.

5 Dec 2018

Scientists support original theory about pancreas regeneration

A contentious debate among diabetes researchers has surrounded the regeneration of pancreatic insulin-producing cells: not if these cells regenerate, but rather how.

5 Dec 2018

The Lancet study: First baby born following uterus transplantation from deceased donor

Currently, uterus donation is only available for women with family members who are willing to donate. With live donors in short supply, the new technique might help to increase availability and give more women the option of pregnancy.

5 Dec 2018

Study identifies new potential target for treating major common diseases

There is a large, untapped potential for developing drugs against cancer, fibrosis and cardiovascular diseases by targeting a family of receptors known as Frizzleds, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden believe. In a new study published in Science Signaling, they identify how these receptors are activated in the cell membrane and the processes that are then triggered within the cell.

4 Dec 2018

Advances in gene therapy for inherited blood disorders

Gene therapy holds a lot of promise in medicine. If we could safely alter our own DNA, we might eliminate diseases our ancestors passed down to us.

4 Dec 2018

Proton pump inhibitors in combination with oral anticoagulants reduce GI bleeding risk

A Vanderbilt University Medical Centerstudy published today in JAMA shows that patients already at higher risk for gastrointestinal bleeding gain a marked protection from this risk when they take a proton pump inhibitor in combination with an oral anticoagulant.

4 Dec 2018

Gene that allows you eat as much as you want could help combat obesity

It sounds too good to be true, but a novel approach that might allow you to eat as much food as you want without gaining weight could be a reality in the near future.

4 Dec 2018

Russian researchers develop novel combined action drug for cancer diagnostics and treatment

Russian researchers announced the development of a combined action drug based on ionizing radiation and bacterial toxin. Their total effect appeared to be 2,200 times stronger compared to that exerted by the radiation and toxin, separately.

4 Dec 2018