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Novel biomaterial shows promise in treating cerebral aneurysms

Tim Becker, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northern Arizona University, is developing a polypropylene glycol-based biomaterial called PPODA-QT, which is similar to body tissue, to treat aneurysms in the brain and improve outcomes for stroke and potential stroke patients.

9 Jan 2020

Study reveals cellular cross-talk between regulatory T cells and fibroblast cells in pancreatic cancer microenvironment

A multidisciplinary Michigan Medicine team is shedding new light on the role of regulatory T cells in pancreatic cancer - and, in mouse models, have uncovered a new potential target to improve immunotherapy approaches to the deadly disease.

9 Jan 2020

Maternal microbiota is a source of newborn immunity, shows study

Mother's milk has been long touted for its salutary effects on the newborn and its ability to shield infants from certain infections.

9 Jan 2020

First in vitro system can help study early spine development in humans

More than 20 years ago, the lab of developmental biologist Olivier Pourquié discovered a sort of cellular clock in chicken embryos where each "tick" stimulates the formation of a structure called a somite that ultimately becomes a vertebra.

9 Jan 2020

Findings may lead to potential therapeutic strategies for rare neurodevelopmental disorder

The brain undergoes dramatic change during the first years of life. Its circuits readily rewire as an infant and then child encounters new sights and sounds, taking in the world and learning to understand it.

9 Jan 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism associated with p53 mutation

More than half of cancer cases worldwide are associated with genetic mutations in p53, the protein responsible for protecting DNA from changes that can lead to cancer.

9 Jan 2020

Study: Environment changes can impact stability landscape of the gut microbial community

Your fingerprints stay the same all your life. But what about the "fingerprint" of microbial strains that are shared in the guts of childhood twins?

9 Jan 2020

Study shows how sewage plants can remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater

Corals depend on their symbiotic relationships with the algae that they host. But how do they keep algal population growth in check?

9 Jan 2020

Loss of stress hormone is a hallmark of pancreatitis, shows study

In work that could have clinical implications, UT Southwestern researchers find that humans and mice with pancreatitis are deficient in a stress hormone called FGF21.

9 Jan 2020

SVC112 molecule acts specifically against head and neck cancer stem cells

The red, tube-shaped flowers of the firecracker bush (Bouvardia ternifolia), native to Mexico and the American Southwest, attract hummingbirds.

8 Jan 2020

FSU discovery could open the door to new treatment options for HIV, hepatitis B

A discovery by Florida State University College of Medicine researchers is expected to open the door for new and more potent treatment options for many of the more than 36 million people worldwide infected with the HIV virus and for others chronically ill with hepatitis B.

8 Jan 2020

Missing one night of sleep may increase Alzheimer's biomarker, study finds

A preliminary study has found that when young, healthy men were deprived of just one night of sleep, they had higher levels of tau, a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, in their blood than when they had a full, uninterrupted night of rest.

8 Jan 2020

Post-mortem genetic testing used to find underlying cause of sudden deaths in Amish families

Researchers used post-mortem genetic testing to find the underlying cause of multiple sudden deaths in young people and sudden cardiac arrests in two large Amish families.

8 Jan 2020

Artificial ionic skin could lead to future advancements in wearable technology

University of Toronto Engineering researchers have developed a super-stretchy, transparent and self-powering sensor that records the complex sensations of human skin.

8 Jan 2020

Cystic fibrosis carriers have higher risk for all CF-related conditions

Conventional wisdom says that having just one mutated copy of the cystic fibrosis gene has no effects on a person's health--the disease occurs when both copies of the gene are mutated. But a new study from the University of Iowa suggests that may not be the case.

8 Jan 2020

New hydrogel prevents and treats infections in wounds

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a new hydrogel based on the body's natural peptide defense.

8 Jan 2020

Researchers study the effects of antidepressants to identify the least harmful drugs

About one in ten women in Québec will suffer from depression during pregnancy. Without treatment, the illness carries risks for both mother and child.

8 Jan 2020

New approach using deep learning could speed up brain image microscopy by 16 times

Textbook descriptions of brain cells make neurons look simple: a long spine-like central axon with branching dendrites.

8 Jan 2020

New test could help medics to quickly diagnose urinary tract infections

Biological Engineers at the University of Bath have developed a test that could help medics quickly diagnose urinary tract infections, using a normal smartphone camera.

8 Jan 2020

Researchers discover hundreds of novel viruses in insects

New viruses which cause diseases often come from animals. Well-known examples of this are the Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes, bird flu viruses, as well as the MERS virus which is associated with camels. In order to identify new viral diseases quickly and prevent possible epidemics, DZIF scientists at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin are targeting their search at viruses in animals.

8 Jan 2020