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Scientists turn to C. elegans for new model of peripheral neuropathy

Studying transthyretin amyloidoses-;a group of progressive nerve and cardiac degenerative diseases caused by the buildup of misfolded transthyretin proteins in the body-;has long been hampered by the lack of animal models of the disease.

9 Aug 2018

New drug makes rats to self-administer alcohol less frequently

Alcohol use disorders can have devastating effects on a person's health, relationships and finances. Yet for some, the feeling they get when taking a drink temporarily outweighs these other concerns.

9 Aug 2018

Scientists identify drug that could reverse pulmonary arterial hypertension

Scientists at Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago took a major step toward developing a new treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a severe lung disease with a five-year survival rate of 50 percent.

9 Aug 2018

Taking cholesterol-busting pills can effectively treat brutal PAP

Researchers report in Nature Communications they figured out why air sacs in the lungs clog up with a thick substance called surfactant in a brutal disease called Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis, and they show taking cholesterol-busting pills called statins can effectively treat the disease.

7 Aug 2018

New study uses metabolomics to compare lipid profiles of infant formulas and human milk

Metabolomics is the latest omics systems science technology with emerging applications towards psychiatry, personalized medicine, and most recently, precision nutrition research.

3 Aug 2018

Scientists uncover molecular 'switch' that may control the benefits of exercise

Some people respond well to both aerobic exercise and strength training, while others don't. And some of us respond well to only one of those things, but not both. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have uncovered a surprising molecular "switch" that may help to explain why this happens.

2 Aug 2018

Researchers uncover new mechanisms underlying common kidney cancer in children

Connecting two previously unrelated insights about the formation of pediatric kidney cancer, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the means by which the cancer continues to grow, providing potential targets for more effective treatments in the future.

2 Aug 2018

Ketamine may be potential therapeutic option for adolescents with treatment-resistant depression

A new study has shown a significant average decrease in the Children's Depression Rating Scale among adolescents with treatment-resistant depression who were treated with intravenous ketamine.

2 Aug 2018

Researchers use guide RNAs to improve base editing system

Researchers have used guide RNAs to improve the adenine base editing (ABE) system, used by scientists to alter genetic codes in animal models of disease.

1 Aug 2018

Inhibiting a protein could enhance effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies

Researchers at the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center discovered inhibiting a previously known protein could reduce tumor burdens and enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments.

31 Jul 2018

Gene linked to hair loss could be exploited to improve cancer immunotherapy

A gene that's associated with an autoimmune form of hair loss could be exploited to improve cancer immunotherapy, suggests a new mouse study by Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) researchers.

31 Jul 2018

World not ready to deal with a viral pandemic

A team of researchers from the John Hopkins Center for Health Security conducted a simulation with real life implications.

31 Jul 2018

Bt modification in maize does not affect beneficial microorganisms

Bt modification in maize does not affect non-target beneficial microorganisms such as endophytes. Although Bt maize is one of the most popular GM crops in the world, little is known about potential impacts on ecosystem functionalities.

30 Jul 2018

Experimental compound reverses hair loss, skin inflammation related to fatty diet, mice study shows

In a series of experiments with mice, Johns Hopkins investigators have used an experimental compound to successfully reverse hair loss, hair whitening and skin inflammation linked by previous studies to human diets heavy in fat and cholesterol.

30 Jul 2018

Targeting mossy cells may offer new strategy for treating brain disorders

A small population of brain cells deep in a memory-making region of the brain controls the production of new neurons and may have a role in common brain disorders, according to a study from scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

27 Jul 2018

Newer version of ALS drug may effectively treat inherited form of the disease

NIH-funded researchers delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in rodents by injecting them with a second-generation drug designed to silence the gene, superoxide dismutase 1.

27 Jul 2018

Eliminating malaria-carrying mosquitoes does not impact ecosystem, shows study

By combining studies on one species of malaria-carrying mosquito, researchers found that no other animals rely solely on them for food.

27 Jul 2018

Mutations of IRF2BPL gene associated with previously undiagnosed neurological disorder

An international team of scientists, including researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, has discovered mutations of gene IRF2BPL that are associated with a previously undiagnosed neurological disorder in seven unrelated individuals.

27 Jul 2018

Most Americans skeptical about gene editing

A new survey from Pew Research Center has found that nearly half of the surveyed Americans believe that in the coming 50 years, nearly all genetic birth defects could be eliminated due to advances in gene editing.

26 Jul 2018

UC San Diego researchers awarded two grants for investigating stem cell-based therapies

The governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine unanimously approved this week two grants worth more than $2.2 million to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers investigating stem cell-based therapies for a rare genetic disorder that affects the heart and a chronic, progressive affliction of the lungs.

20 Jul 2018