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Researchers identify new kidney cancer subtypes and clues to better diagnosis, treatment

In what is believed to be the most comprehensive molecular characterization to date of the most common - and often treatment-resistant - form of kidney cancer, researchers at Johns Hopkins' departments of pathology and oncology, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report evidence for at least three distinct subtypes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), along with new revelations about the proteins that define them.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 31 Oct 2019

GLP-1 receptors could serve as targets for novel medications to treat opioid use disorder

Opioid use disorder and overdose deaths are a major public health crisis in the United States. While medication-assisted treatments for opioid use disorder exist, these treatments remain inadequate for many patients, resulting in a high rate of relapse following detoxification.

31 Oct 2019

Molecular gatekeepers that regulate calcium ions vital for muscle health and repair

Calcium ions are essential to how muscles work effectively, playing a starring role in how and when muscles contract, tap energy stores to keep working and self-repair damage.

31 Oct 2019

Researchers discover key mechanism in insulin release by cholesterol metabolite

Insulin which is released by pancreatic beta-cells is the main regulator of blood sugar. Previous and current studies by a research group at Lund University in Sweden have identified around hundred different receptors on the surface of the beta-cells, with a diverse functional impact on the beta-cells.

31 Oct 2019

Discovery has potential to put the brakes on Parkinson's 'runaway train'

Researchers at the University of Dundee have made a discovery they believe has the potential to put the brakes on the 'runaway train' that is Parkinson's disease.

31 Oct 2019

High-intensity workouts improve memory in older adults

Researchers at McMaster University who examine the impact of exercise on the brain have found that high-intensity workouts improve memory in older adults.

31 Oct 2019

Study identifies a kinase as potential target to treat heart failure

An unexplored kinase in heart muscle cells may be a good target to treat heart failure, a disease that is only incrementally delayed by existing therapies.

31 Oct 2019

Screening tool in pediatric ER accurately estimates suicide risk among youth

A suicide risk screening tool that Johns Hopkins Medicine implemented in its pediatric emergency department six years ago appears to provide an accurate gauge of which youth are most vulnerable and has identified more than 2,000 patients who might benefit from mental health treatment and resources, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

31 Oct 2019

Factor responsible for formation of white blood cells has regulatory effect on adaptive immunity

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, which causes division and differentiation of bone marrow cells depending on the body's need for leukocytes, has a significant regulatory effect not only on innate, but also on adaptive immunity.

31 Oct 2019

Common early sign of cardiovascular disease associated with cancer risk

A Mayo Clinic-led study involving 488 cardiac patients whose cases were followed for up to 12 years finds that microvascular endothelial dysfunction, a common early sign of cardiovascular disease, is associated with a greater than twofold risk of cancer.

31 Oct 2019

Researchers identify genes linked to most severe symptoms of multiple sclerosis

In a bid to determine factors linked to the most debilitating forms of multiple sclerosis, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have identified three so-called "complement system" genes that appear to play a role in MS-caused vision loss.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 31 Oct 2019

Study finds altered brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder

The left and right halves of our brains develop differently, as each hemisphere 'specialises' in certain functions. For example, for most people the left hemisphere--controlling the right hand--is dominant for language.

31 Oct 2019

Researchers describe how malaria parasites prepare blueprint to attack humans

Within seconds after an infected mosquito bites, the malaria parasite navigates the host skin and blood vessels to invade the liver, where it will stay embedded until thousands of infected cells burst into the bloodstream, launching malaria's deadly blood-stage infection.

31 Oct 2019

Adults in least walkable neighborhoods more likely to have high predicted cardiovascular risk

A study led by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto and ICES found that people living in neighborhoods considered to be the least walkable were up to 33 per cent more likely to have a high predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk compared to individuals living in the most walkable neighborhoods.

31 Oct 2019

$UTSA scientists study osteoporotic bone fractures to rethink treatment$

UTSA scientists study osteoporotic bone fractures to rethink treatment

About half of all women in the U.S. will suffer a bone fracture due to osteoporosis. For women, the incidence of this condition is greater than that of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined.

31 Oct 2019

Education level and socioeconomic status can predict thinking and memory performance

How well eight-year-olds score on a test of thinking skills may be a predictor of how they will perform on tests of thinking and memory skills when they are 70 years old, according to a study published in the October 30, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

31 Oct 2019

Study shows how Chlamydia bacteria enter human cells

Chlamydia are bacteria that can infect human and animal cells. Human health is particularly affected by Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) and Chlamydia trachomatis.

31 Oct 2019

Mechanism for antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas explained in new research

A new study has revealed the underlying mechanism of development of antibiotic resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Pseudomonas is known to cause severe and often life threatening infections in humans. These infections become further difficult to treat because of the development of resistance against commonly used antibiotics.

30 Oct 2019

Novel method for aggressive breast cancer detection

A new study in rats published in the journal Cell Reports shows that the pattern of RNA molecules produced within certain immune cells called macrophages, found within breast cancers (tumor-associated macrophages, TAMs), can tell whether the tumor is cancerous or not and indicate the type of outcome. The same pattern is present in humans as in mice. This makes it directly useful in predicting the nature of a breast tumor and its outcome.

30 Oct 2019

Proton radiation therapy can help treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Two new studies support and inform the use of proton radiation therapy to treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common but often fatal type of liver cancer for which there are limited treatment options. One study (Sanford et al.) suggests that proton radiation, compared to traditional photon radiation, can extend overall survival with reduced toxicity.

30 Oct 2019