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Research advances offer hope for patient-tailored AML treatment

Advances in rapid screening of leukemia cells for drug susceptibility and resistance are bringing scientists closer to patient-tailored treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.

10 Dec 2018

Neuronal activity in the brain allows prediction of risky or safe decisions

Full risk or preferably the safe option? Based on the neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, it is possible to predict what action will be chosen next: If the activity of specific neurons remains low, a risk will be taken again at the next opportunity.

9 Dec 2018

Failure of critical cellular energy sensor responsible for CKD progression, study finds

Chronic kidney disease, an affliction characterized by progressive loss of kidney function, affects millions of people worldwide and is associated with multi-organ damage, cardiovascular disease, and muscle wasting.

7 Dec 2018

MIT researchers develop antimicrobial peptides from South American wasp’s venom

The venom of insects such as wasps and bees is full of compounds that can kill bacteria. Unfortunately, many of these compounds are also toxic for humans, making it impossible to use them as antibiotic drugs.

7 Dec 2018

New book encompasses the vast history of reproduction

A new book is the first to encompass the vast history of how living things procreate, from the banks of the ancient Nile to the fertility clinics of today.

7 Dec 2018

Our brain senses angry voices in a flash, study shows

Sight and hearing are the two main sensory modalities allowing us to interact with our environment. But what happens within the brain when it perceives a threatening signal, such as an aggressive voice? How does it distinguish a threatening voice from the surrounding noise? How does it process this information? To answers these questions, researchers from the University of Geneva Switzerland, studied brain activity during the processing of various emotional voices.

7 Dec 2018

Scientists unravel how bacterial persister cells manipulate our immune cells

New research, from scientists at Imperial College London, unravels how so-called bacterial persister cells manipulate our immune cells, potentially opening new avenues to finding ways of clearing these bacterial cells from the body, and stopping recurrence of the bacterial infection.

7 Dec 2018

Study reveals possible link between hysterectomy and brain function

A new preclinical study has shown that in the short term, some types of memory are affected following a hysterectomy.

7 Dec 2018

New technology for profiling genetic makeup of myeloma tumor cells developed

Cancer arises when cells lose control. Deciphering the "blueprint" of cancer cells - outlining how cancer cells hijack specific pathways for uncontrolled proliferation - will lead to more efficient ways to fight it.

7 Dec 2018

MUHC's 'Dr. House' discovers new genetic disease and the gene responsible for it

A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre led by Dr. Donald Vinh, the RI's so-called "Dr. House" because of his research into rare diseases, has discovered a new human disease and the gene responsible for it, paving the way for the proper diagnosis of patients globally and the development of new therapies.

7 Dec 2018

Newly developed molecules may provide more reliable relief for people with autoimmune diseases

Living with an autoimmune disease can feel like an insider is attacking your body. An estimated 24 million people in the United States are affected by autoimmune diseases, a group of diseases in which a person's immune system attacks part of the person's own body.

7 Dec 2018

Fractals can help describe how cancer spreads in the body and the right tools to stop it

What can seashells, lightning and the coastline of Britain teach us about new drugs for cancer?

7 Dec 2018

New way of controlling HIV latency to completely eradicate the virus

A new study suggests that a genetic switch that causes latent HIV inside cells to begin to replicate can be manipulated to completely eradicate the virus from the human body. Cells harboring latent HIV are "invisible" to the natural defenses of the immune system.

7 Dec 2018

Earliest strain of plague bacteria found in neolithic Swedish mass grave

Researchers have unearthed a strain of plague bacteria Yersinia pestis, in a woman who was buried in Sweden during the stone ages.

6 Dec 2018

Discovery of gene that is calorie-burning and reduces fat storage

Australian researchers have found a gene which when removed could allow a person to eat as much as they want but not get fat. The study results were published in the latest issue of the journal European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Reports.

6 Dec 2018

Researchers are developing blood test to diagnose or predict Alzheimer's disease

Today, the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer's disease in life is through brain scans and tests of cerebrospinal fluid that must be collected via lumbar puncture. Though cumbersome and expensive, such tests provide the most accurate diagnoses for patients.

6 Dec 2018

Hazelnuts improve micronutrient levels in older adults

Older adults who added hazelnuts to their diet for a few months significantly improved their levels of two key micronutrients, new research at Oregon State University indicates.

6 Dec 2018

Lymph node ratio could predict survival in patients with oral cavity cancer

Five years after diagnosis, only 40 percent of patients with locally-advanced oral cavity cancer will still be alive. The question is who is likely to live and who is likely to die? The answer to this question could not only help patients better predict the course of their disease, but could help doctors choose the most appropriate post-surgical treatments - patients at highest risk could receive the most aggressive combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.

6 Dec 2018

Study explores why older people read more slowly

One of the most obvious changes that comes with aging is that people start doing things more slowly. Numerous studies have shown that aging also affects language processing.

6 Dec 2018

Breast cancer treatment more effective when determined by tumor cell count

Research published today shows that circulating tumor cell count may provide an effective indicator of appropriate treatment choice for metastatic breast cancer.

6 Dec 2018