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Researchers show how allergens are detected by the immune system

A key step in the immune system's response to allergens has been uncovered by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

30 Oct 2020

Study reveals molecular mechanism that increases the invasiveness of radioresistant cancer cells

Scientists have revealed the molecular mechanism regulating the trafficking of lysosomes that increases the invasiveness of radioresistant cancer cells following radiotherapy.

30 Oct 2020

New process converts crustacean shells and wood waste into nutritional supplements

The shells of crustaceans and wood waste such as branches pruned from trees usually end up in landfills. These waste materials are given a new lease of life to become nutritional supplements and medicine, with the help of a novel process developed by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

30 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins can directly impact the blood-brain barrier

Like a key, SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - attaches to specific molecules on the host cell surface, opening gateways into the cell interior.

30 Oct 2020

Study shows statins can have adverse effects on certain organs

600,000 Danes take medicine containing statins. Statins lower the cholesterol level and thus helps prevent cardiovascular disease and blood clots.

30 Oct 2020

Researchers identify distinct link between autism and brain cell abnormalities

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that new experiments with genetically engineered mice have found clear connections among a range of autism types and abnormalities in brain cells whose chemical output forges platonic (non-sexual) feelings of love and sociability.

30 Oct 2020

Study: Toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones have pharmacological potential

Researchers based in Brazil and the United States have completed the first-ever mapping exercise to profile the toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones, or cerianthids, a family of marine animals belonging to the same phylum (Cnidaria) as sea anemones, jellyfish and corals.

30 Oct 2020

Social threat can change a specific brain region

Our brains are wired to protect us from threats. For social animals like humans, threats often come from other members of our own species when there is conflict over food, mates, or territory.

30 Oct 2020

"Training" the immune system with β-glucan compound may improve immune recovery

Immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitor drugs, have made worlds of difference for the treatment of cancer.Most clinicians and scientists understand these drugs to act on what's known as the adaptive immune system, the T cells and B cells that respond to specific threats to the body.

30 Oct 2020

Medicinal plant stops the growth of breast cancer cells, shows research

A plant which had previously been dismissed as not being medically useful, could prove to be a hero in disguise, after scientists discovered it not only stops the growth of breast cancer cells but does not affect normal cells - a potential first for future cancer chemotherapy treatment.

30 Oct 2020

Scientists use new approach to analyze millions of chemical-gene interactions

A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist has used an unprecedented objective approach to identify which molecular mechanisms in mammals are the most sensitive to chemical exposures.

30 Oct 2020

SMART researchers develop novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production

Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have developed a novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production and expansion that offers higher yield and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods, and reduces steps required in the cell retrieval process.

29 Oct 2020

New machine learning-based approach helps detect atrial fibrillation drivers

Researchers from Skoltech and their US colleagues have designed a new machine learning-based approach for detecting atrial fibrillation drivers, small patches of the heart muscle that are hypothesized to cause this most common type of cardiac arrhythmia.

29 Oct 2020

Study sheds light on the biological base of symptoms in autoimmune psychosis

Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is an autoimmune brain illness that is often mistaken by a psychiatric disorder since it causes psychoses and other behaviour alterations. Despite having these similarities, the illness does not respond to common antipsychotic treatments.

29 Oct 2020

Study suggests a role for the hypothalamus in genetic susceptibility to IBD

Using sophisticated 3D genomic mapping and integrating with public data resulting from genome-wide association studies, researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have found significant genetic correlations between inflammatory bowel disease and stress and depression.

29 Oct 2020

Study finds low risk of adverse events from cardiac MRI contrast agents

Contrast agents used to improve views of the heart on MRI carry a very low risk of allergic reactions, vomiting and other acute adverse events, according to a large study from Europe published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

29 Oct 2020

Intercellular communication pathway drives motivation to seek cocaine

In the October 28, 2020 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and the National Institutes of Health describe how reminders of drug use can change specific brain cells responsible for motivation, increasing the desire to seek drugs.

29 Oct 2020