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Researchers describe three cleaning procedures that effectively remove, disassemble α-Syn fibrils

Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites are found in the brains of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. They consist primarily of fibrils of the protein alpha-synuclein (α-Syn), which self-assembles into fibrils in vitro. If introduced into the human body, these seeds can act as prions and trigger the formation of toxic protein deposits. Because α-Syn fibrils are often used in research, it is important that they are not accidentally transferred to humans or cell cultures.

11 Jan 2016

Wistar Institute scientists use revolutionary method to block melanoma progression

Melanoma patients who receive treatment with targeted therapies experience an initial response that feels like a cure, but that early excitement is quickly dampened when patients relapse as their cancers find alternative pathways in our cells to grow and spread. With melanoma so good at escaping targeted treatments, there's a dire need to halt these cancers in their tracks to prolong good responses and promote longer, healthier lives.

11 Jan 2016

Genetic factors in puberty timing: an interview with Dr John Perry

The study focused on the genetic regions that influence age at voice breaking - a distinct developmental milestone that happens to young men as their larynx (voice box) lengthens when exposed to male hormones.

11 Jan 2016

Using skin cells to treat injured hearts

Following a heart attack or other heart trauma, the heart is unable to replace its dead cells. Patients are often left with little option other than heart transplants, which are rarely available, or more recently cell therapies that transplant heart cells into the patient's heart. In far too many cases, however, the transplanted heart cells do not engraft well, resulting in poor recovery.

11 Jan 2016

Finding may aid in the design of potential therapies for thyroid problems

Thyroid disease affects about 12 percent of the U.S. population. While many people with thyroid disease don't even know they have it, an overactive or underactive thyroid can cause a slew of problems, including weight gain or loss, mood changes and infertility. In children, an underactive thyroid can be fatal, which is why they are tested for a deficiency at birth.

11 Jan 2016

Study illuminates ways to better treat knee meniscus tears, other injuries

Fibrocartilage tissue in the knee is comprised of a more varied molecular structure than researchers previously appreciated, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware.

11 Jan 2016

Research could lead to new treatment for Rett Syndrome, other forms of autism

Penn State scientists have discovered a novel drug target and have rescued functional deficits in human nerve cells derived from patients with Rett Syndrome, a severe form of autism-spectrum disorder.

11 Jan 2016

Blocking brain inflammation could protect against memory, behaviour changes

A University of Southampton-led study has found that blocking a receptor in the brain responsible for regulating immune cells could protect against the memory and behaviour changes seen in the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

11 Jan 2016

New strategy may reduce growth of pancreatic cancers in patients with KRAS gene mutation

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have found a promising strategy that may limit the growth of pancreatic cancers in patients with a mutation in a gene called KRAS.

11 Jan 2016

UA researchers find genetic mutations associated with respiratory disease

Asthma affects more than 278 million people worldwide and can lead to serious consequences later in life. While current approved therapies address symptoms, they do not halt disease progression.

11 Jan 2016

Intake of Bimuno in early life benefits brain development

Clasado Biosciences Limited, the producers and suppliers of Bimuno® (B-GOS), a unique patented trans-galactooligosaccharide complex, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, today announce the results of their latest pre-clinical study, demonstrating for the first time a major role of B-GOS in modulating brain development at the molecular level in early life stages.

11 Jan 2016

DNA-binding protein acts like genetic traffic signal to orchestrate early stage embryonic development

New research by UC San Francisco stem cell biologists has revealed that a DNA-binding protein called Foxd3 acts like a genetic traffic signal, holding that ball of undifferentiated cells in a state of readiness for its great transformation in the third week of development.

11 Jan 2016

UTA researchers map out chemical mechanism of key enzyme found in autism, Alzheimer's and Down syndrome

Biochemists at The University of Texas at Arlington are mapping the catalytic processes of sulfur-oxidizing enzymes to improve understanding of the chemical imbalances found in patients with autism, Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome.

11 Jan 2016

UVA's brain discovery hailed as one of 2015's biggest scientific breakthroughs

A shocking discovery about the human brain made at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is being hailed as one of 2015's biggest scientific breakthroughs by numerous year-end lists, including those compiled by Scientific American, Science, The Huffington Post and the National Institutes of Health.

11 Jan 2016

U-M research could lead to new ways of fighting X-linked diseases in girls and women

Nearly every girl and woman on Earth carries two X chromosomes in nearly every one of her cells -- but one of them does (mostly) nothing. That's because it's been silenced, keeping most of its DNA locked up and unread like a book in a cage.

11 Jan 2016

Salk Institute scientists find new target for glioblastoma multiforme treatment

Glioblastoma multiforme is a particularly deadly cancer. A person diagnosed with this type of brain tumor typically survives 15 months, if given the best care. The late Senator Ted Kennedy succumbed to this disease in just over a year.

11 Jan 2016

New gene editing technique could hinder retinal degeneration in rats with inherited blindness

A new technique that has the potential to treat inherited diseases by removing genetic defects has been shown for the first time to hinder retinal degeneration in rats with a type of inherited blindness, according to a Cedars-Sinai study.

11 Jan 2016

Auranofin drug could improve prognosis for ovarian cancer patients exhibiting BRCA1 deficiency

An anti-rheumatic drug could improve the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients exhibiting a deficiency of the DNA repair protein BRCA1, a study suggests.

11 Jan 2016

Virginia Tech scientists find potential way to influence memory formation in the immune system

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found a potential way to influence long-term memory formation in the immune system. The researchers published their results today in Nature Communications.

11 Jan 2016

Small differences in specific genetic variant could alter nicotine consumption

Nicotine is an addictive substance and genetic factors are known to play a role in smoking behaviors. Recently, a team of researchers at Penn State and the University of Colorado determined how small differences in a particular region of the mouse genome can alter nicotine consumption.

11 Jan 2016

Medical Science News

Researchers describe three cleaning procedures that effectively remove, disassemble α-Syn fibrils

Wistar Institute scientists use revolutionary method to block melanoma progression

Genetic factors in puberty timing: an interview with Dr John Perry

Using skin cells to treat injured hearts

Finding may aid in the design of potential therapies for thyroid problems

Study illuminates ways to better treat knee meniscus tears, other injuries

Research could lead to new treatment for Rett Syndrome, other forms of autism

Blocking brain inflammation could protect against memory, behaviour changes

New strategy may reduce growth of pancreatic cancers in patients with KRAS gene mutation

UA researchers find genetic mutations associated with respiratory disease

Intake of Bimuno in early life benefits brain development

DNA-binding protein acts like genetic traffic signal to orchestrate early stage embryonic development

UTA researchers map out chemical mechanism of key enzyme found in autism, Alzheimer's and Down syndrome

UVA's brain discovery hailed as one of 2015's biggest scientific breakthroughs

U-M research could lead to new ways of fighting X-linked diseases in girls and women

Salk Institute scientists find new target for glioblastoma multiforme treatment

New gene editing technique could hinder retinal degeneration in rats with inherited blindness

Auranofin drug could improve prognosis for ovarian cancer patients exhibiting BRCA1 deficiency

Virginia Tech scientists find potential way to influence memory formation in the immune system

Small differences in specific genetic variant could alter nicotine consumption

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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