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Researchers describe how bed bugs break down insecticides

There are many reasons why bed bugs have made a comeback in recent decades, and their resistance to commonly used insecticides is one of the most widely accepted explanations.

22 Apr 2016

NASA's research program uses omics to look more closely at individual health

NASA's Human Research Program is releasing the first half of a video series entitled Omics: Exploring Space Through You to highlight its Twins Study, in conjunction with its National DNA Day Reddit Ask Me Anything event at 10 a.m. CDT/11 a.m. EDT, Monday, April 25, 2016. The series explores space through you by using omics to look more closely at individual health.

22 Apr 2016

Under-expressed miR-9 gene may contribute to schizophrenia risk

By turning skin cells into brain neurons, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified that certain tiny molecules aiding in gene expression, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), are under-expressed in the brains of the 14 schizophrenia patients they studied. Their findings, published online today in the journal Cell Reports, show that one of these molecules, a miRNA known as miR-9, is a risk factor that controls the activity of hundreds of genes.

22 Apr 2016

Study analyzes health, wellbeing of indigenous and tribal groups

A world-first University of Melbourne-led study into the health and wellbeing of more than 154 million Indigenous and tribal people globally reveals the extent of work that needs to be done if the United Nations is to meet its 2030 goals of ending poverty and inequality.

22 Apr 2016

Targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer may prove beneficial

A targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive form of breast cancer, has shown potential promise in a recently published study. TNBC is the only type of breast cancer for which there are no currently approved targeted therapies.

22 Apr 2016

Long way to go in better understanding brain abnormalities linked with autism

A recent review that examined all published studies on anatomical abnormalities in the brains of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder found substantial discrepancy throughout the literature regarding the reported presence and significance of neuroanatomical findings.

22 Apr 2016

Rituximab drug more effective than fingolimod for patients with highly active multiple sclerosis

A new study indicates that rituximab is more effective than fingolimod for preventing relapses in patients with highly active multiple sclerosis switching from treatment with natalizumab.

22 Apr 2016

Novel function of PLK1 gene in prostate cancer metastasis

Researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center have uncovered a novel function of the gene PLK1 (polo-like kinase 1) that helps prostate cancer cells metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body. This mechanism highlights new potential targets for cancer therapies and challenges the previous understanding of PLK1's role in cancer growth and progression.

22 Apr 2016

3-D imaging of fibroblastic foci may help researchers study disease progression in IPF patients

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disease in which progressive scarring of the lungs leads to respiratory failure. Lung scarring in IPF takes the form of aggregates of proliferating fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, known as "fibroblastic foci", which deposit collagen and other fibrotic components. These foci are thought to form in response to lung injury.

22 Apr 2016

Unmet nursing care may contribute to racial/ethnic differences in AMI readmissions

Why are black older adults at higher risk of repeat hospital admission after a heart attack? Treatment at hospitals with higher rates of missed nursing care may be a contributing factor, reports a study in the May issue of Medical Care.

22 Apr 2016

Unique mouse model could help study genetic origins and potential treatments for ALS

University of Florida Health researchers have developed a unique mouse model that will allow researchers around the world to better study the genetic origins and potential treatments for a neurodegenerative brain disease that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, and frontotemporal dementia.

22 Apr 2016

Rab inhibition may be a promising antimyeloma strategy

Roswell Park Cancer Institute researchers are investigating agents that target and disrupt the trafficking of monoclonal antibodies in multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. The results will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2016, to be held April 16-20 in New Orleans.

22 Apr 2016

Wellderly study finds link between cognitive decline genes and healthy aging

An eight-year-long accrual and analysis of the whole genome sequences of healthy elderly people, or "Wellderly," has revealed a higher-than-normal presence of genetic variants offering protection from cognitive decline, researchers from the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) reported today in the journal Cell.

22 Apr 2016

Widowed women have lower frailty risk than married women, study finds

The well-accepted association between marital status, health, and risk of functional impairment in older individuals is generally true, but a new study on frailty found unexpected, gender-specific differences.

22 Apr 2016

Study reveals best ways to reduce substance use among African Americans

Cocaine use has increased substantially among African Americans in some of the most underserved areas of the United States. Interventions designed to increase connection to and support from non-drug using family and friends, with access to employment, the faith community, and education, are the best ways to reduce substance use among African Americans and other minorities in low-income, resource-poor communities, concludes a study led by a medical anthropologist at the University of California, Riverside.

22 Apr 2016

Higher levels of neighborhood greenness linked to lower chronic disease risk

A new study of a quarter-million Miami-Dade County Medicare beneficiaries showed that higher levels of neighborhood greenness, including trees, grass and other vegetation, were linked to a significant reduction in the rate of chronic illnesses, particularly in low-to-middle income neighborhoods.

22 Apr 2016

Assessing body composition may help predict cardiovascular and total mortality

Researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that cardiovascular disease patients who have high muscle mass and low fat mass have a lower mortality risk than those with other body compositions. The findings also suggest that regardless of a person's level of fat mass, a higher level of muscle mass helps reduce the risk of death.

22 Apr 2016

Disorders in PIGG gene can cause intellectual disability with seizures and hypotonia

A research group led by Osaka University and collaborative institutions discovered that disorders in the same gene PIGG are the cause for intellectual disability with seizures and hypotonia. PIGG is one of the enzymes active in the GPI anchor glycolipid synthesis and the current study revealed its significance in the development of the cerebral nervous system.

22 Apr 2016

Study indicates that resolvin D1 has anti-arthritic properties

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating autoimmune disorder that is characterized by the accumulation of inflammatory cells within the fluid of the joints. Current therapeutic strategies mostly serve to ease pain and rarely are able to reverse damage or resolve inflammation.

22 Apr 2016

Scientists identify critical biological factor for transforming adult somatic cells into stem cells

In a new Cell Reports paper, a team led by John P. Cooke, M.D., Ph.D., of the Houston Methodist Research Institute, has identified and characterized a biological factor critical to the transformation of adult somatic cells (cells that are not sperm or egg cells) into stem cells.

22 Apr 2016