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Researchers one step closer to developing new treatment strategy to combat TB

By uncovering the 3-dimensional structure of an enzyme that is critical for the survival of the bacterium that cause tuberculosis, researchers may be one step closer to developing a new strategy to combat TB infections.

17 Feb 2016

AKT1 gene moderates mind-altering effects of smoking cannabis in young people

Researchers at the University of Exeter and UCL (University College London) have identified a gene which can be used to predict how susceptible a young person is to the mind-altering effects of smoking cannabis. The finding could help identify otherwise healthy users who are most at risk of developing psychosis.

17 Feb 2016

Better understanding link between oral bacteria and certain types of stroke

In a study of patients entering the hospital for acute stroke, researchers have increased their understanding of an association between certain types of stroke and the presence of the oral bacteria (cnm-positive Streptococcus mutans).

17 Feb 2016

Research shows how developing neurons use copper for their various needs

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have used a precision sensor in a chicken embryo to find dramatic differences in the use of copper between developing and fully mature neurons.

17 Feb 2016

Study highlights dual role of cytokine in inflammatory bowel disease

Small proteins that affect communication between cells play an important role in regulating inflammation that occurs during inflammatory bowel disease, according to researchers at Georgia State University, Emory University, the University of Michigan and Amgen, a biotechnology company.

17 Feb 2016

Researchers identify brain region where Alzheimer's disease starts

A critical but vulnerable region in the brain appears to be the first place affected by late onset Alzheimer's disease and may be more important for maintaining cognitive function in later life than previously appreciated, according to a new review of the scientific literature.

17 Feb 2016

Beige-fat formation could be harnessed to fight diabetes

Researchers are getting closer to learning how to turn white fat cells into brown fat cells, in a process called "beiging," to bring down blood sugar levels and fight diabetes.

17 Feb 2016

New UNC School of Medicine study shows how some bacteria can spread throughout the body

Bacteria have evolved thousands of clever tactics for invading our bodies while evading our natural defenses. Now, UNC School of Medicine scientists studying one of the world's most virulent pathogens and a separate very common bacterium have discovered a new way that some bacteria can spread rapidly throughout the body - by hitchhiking on our own immune cells.

16 Feb 2016

Anti-biofilm compounds show promise against drug-resistant bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and School of Public Health have discovered a new class of anti-biofilm compounds derived from marine microorganisms that show promise against a drug-resistant bacterium commonly associated with hospital-acquired infections.

16 Feb 2016

Study could pave way for new treatment strategies for PKU

Phenylketonuria, also known as PKU, is the most common inherited disease affecting amino acid metabolism. Children are tested for PKU at birth, and babies diagnosed with the disease must adhere to a highly restricted diet to prevent permanent intellectual impairment.

16 Feb 2016

UAB research reveals heterogonous population of leukemia stem cells

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have found a marker on blood cells that may help the most pressing problem in chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, today — an inability to get patients off treatment.

16 Feb 2016

Regrowing dopaminergic neurons may lead to new therapy for Parkinson's disease

While scientists are unsure of the molecular causes of Parkinson's Disease, they do know the disorder's tremors and other motor dysfunctions are linked to a loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra, a structure in the midbrain.

16 Feb 2016

Co-parenting a child has bigger impact on the immune system than flu vaccine or gastroenteritis

Raising a child together has a greater effect on your immune system than the seasonal 'flu vaccine or travellers' gastroenteritis, a study by researchers at VIB and KU Leuven in Belgium and the Babraham Institute in the UK has found.

16 Feb 2016

Study finds no beneficial effect of cancer medication on Alzheimer's disease

The cancer medication bexarotene, aka Targretin, made headlines when researchers reported that it quickly lowered Aβ in the brain, reduced amyloid plaques, and improved learning and memory in mice that mimic salient features of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

16 Feb 2016

New study to evaluate use of whole umbilical cord blood to accelerate stroke recovery

A new study will evaluate the use of whole umbilical cord blood to help the brain heal quicker after an ischemic stroke.

16 Feb 2016

Researchers identify how Toxoplasma parasite crosses blood-brain barrier

An estimated 30 percent of the world's population is chronically infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Most people live with the infection without noticeable effect, but it can be life-threatening for people with suppressed immune systems, such as people on cancer therapies or who have HIV/AIDS.

16 Feb 2016

Scientists discover new subgroups of ILC immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing

A relatively newly discovered group of immune cells known as ILCs have been examined in detail in a new study published in the journal Nature Immunology. By analysing the gene expression in individual tonsil cells, scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found three previously unknown subgroups of ILCs, and revealed more about how these cells function in the human body.

16 Feb 2016

One specific microRNA has strong links to autism spectrum disorder, say TSRI scientists

Discovered only in the 1990s, microRNAs are short molecules that work within virtually all cells. Typically, each one functions as a “dimmer switch” for the expression of one or more genes, regulating a wide variety of cellular processes, including learning and memory.

16 Feb 2016

CMV-based vaccine provides protection against Ebola virus

As the latest in a series of studies, researchers at Plymouth University, National Institutes of Health and University of California, Riverside, have shown the ability of a vaccine vector based on a common herpesvirus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), to provide protection against Ebola virus in the experimental rhesus macaque, non-human primate (NHP) model.

16 Feb 2016

Variations in Tie2 gene play significant role in patient responses to infections

Major infections such as influenza and bacterial sepsis kill millions of people each year, often resulting fro dangerous complications that impair the body's blood vessels. But the reasons why some patients experience these dramatic responses to infections -- and others don't -- have been unclear.

16 Feb 2016