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Scientists discover new mechanism by which sleep supports the immune system

Getting enough sleep is vital to supporting our immune system in fighting off pathogens - so much is common knowledge. But what we don't know is how exactly sleep affects certain immune functions.

12 Feb 2019

New diagnostic technique reveals key protein biomarker for bladder cancer

Label-free digital pathology using infrared imaging with subsequent proteomic analysis for bladder cancer has revealed the first protein biomarker for BC. AHNAK2 differentiates between chronic cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) and a non-muscle invasive-type BC (carcinoma in situ) which is challenging to diagnose.

12 Feb 2019

Newly discovered genetic disorder opens way for future diabetes drugs

Knowledge of a newly discovered genetic disorder, which means that a person cannot produce the protein TXNIP (thioredoxin interacting protein) in their cells, can open for the development of new diabetes drugs.

12 Feb 2019

Pill that reverses brain damage could be on the horizon

Researchers have made important progress in designing a drug that could recover brain function in cases of severe brain damage due to injury or disease.

12 Feb 2019

Contraceptive pill may impair women's ability to recognize emotions

A new study suggests that a woman’s ability to read emotions may be negatively impacted by the contraceptive pill.

12 Feb 2019

Over-abundance of energy to cells could increase cancer risk

It's well-known that obesity, diabetes and chronic inflammation are major risk factors for cancer. But just how cancer evolves in people with these diseases -- and why a healthy diet and exercising regularly can help prevent it -- is poorly understood.

12 Feb 2019

Study reveals how one mutation causes the most common inherited intellectual disability

Research published today (Feb. 11, 2019) reveals how one mutation causes fragile X, the most common inherited intellectual disability.

12 Feb 2019

Antibody-based treatment could improve cure rate for blood and immune disorders

An antibody-based treatment can gently and effectively eliminate diseased blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow to prepare for the transplantation of healthy stem cells, according to a study in mice by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

12 Feb 2019

MGH researchers identify brain cells that modulate behavioral response to threats

A team of investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Regenerative Medicine has identified a population of brain cells that appears to play a role in calibrating behavioral responses to potentially threatening situations.

12 Feb 2019

Inhibiting tuberculosis-induced cell death with immunotherapy

Tuberculosis treatment still entails the intake several antibiotics over a period of many months and is torturous for many patients. The pathogen's increasing multidrug resistance additionally complicates this lengthy treatment, and side effects frequently lead to a discontinuation of treatment and high mortality rates.

12 Feb 2019

Rapid progression of age-related diseases may result from formation of vicious cycles

Biologist Aleksey Belikov from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology has proposed that rapid progression of age-related diseases may result from the formation of so-called vicious cycles. An example of this is when toxic products of a biochemical reaction trigger that same reaction to happen again.

12 Feb 2019

Researchers discover new therapeutic target for rare, aggressive pediatric cancers

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that malignant rhabdoid tumors, a rare pediatric cancer without effective treatments, may be sensitive to drugs that block the cancer cell's ability to dispose of misfolded proteins.

12 Feb 2019

UMN researchers develop new way to study cancer cells in a 3D in vitro model

University of Minnesota researchers have developed a way to study cancer cells which could lead to new and improved treatment. They have developed a new way to study these cells in a 3D in vitro model (i.e. in a culture dish rather than in a human or animal).

12 Feb 2019

Cancer-promoting changes seen in lung cells soon after exposure to low-molecular weight PAHs

It is well known that exposure to high-molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increases cancer risk, leading to regulation of compounds like benzo(a)pyrene.

12 Feb 2019

Research reveals critical immunological axis that triggers cancer-promoting chronic inflammation

A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has identified interaction between two elements of the immune system as critical for the transformation of a protective immune response into chronic, cancer-promoting inflammation.

12 Feb 2019

Human brain protein linked with autism has an effect on fruit fly behavior

A mutant gene that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of fruit flies. Fruit flies hosting that gene produce the variant human brain protein and show abnormal behaviors of fear, repetitive activity and altered social interaction, reminiscent of autism impairments.

12 Feb 2019