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Study sheds light on several aspects of Ebola virus flare-ups in Liberia

Ebola virus samples taken from patients in Liberia in June 2015 are strikingly similar in their genetic makeup to other Ebola virus sequences from Western Africa, according to research published online today in the journal Science Advances. The study sheds light on several aspects of the "flare-ups" that have occurred in Liberia since the country was initially declared free of Ebola virus disease.

30 Apr 2016

Female hormones may be responsible for decreased risk of kidney failure in women than men

Female hormones may play a role in women's decreased risk of developing kidney failure relative to men, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The findings may be helpful for future attempts at safeguarding women's and men's kidney health in sex-specific ways.

29 Apr 2016

Scientists measure electrical activity of individual brain cells responsible for body recognition

Specific regions of the brain are specialized in recognizing bodies of animals and human beings. By measuring the electrical activity per cell, scientists from KU Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Glasgow have shown that the individual brain cells in these areas do different things. Their response to specific contours or body shapes is very selective.

29 Apr 2016

New therapeutic target to treat bacterial infections may substitute antibiotics

Infections continue to threaten human health. With remarkable genetic flexibility, pathogenic organisms outsmart available therapies. Fortunately, microbial versatility is matched by the host immune system, which evolves in dialogue with the microbes. Therapies that enhance the beneficial effects of the immune response represent a promising, but under-explored, therapeutic alternative to antibiotics.

29 Apr 2016

Researchers explore changes in Parkinson's-affected cells at different stages of the disease

It's an unsettling thought: You could be walking around for 20 years developing Parkinson's disease and not even know it.

29 Apr 2016

UW-Madison researchers develop quick, saliva-based test for measuring fertility hormone levels

Doubts about their ability to become pregnant affect as many as 25 percent of American women, and solving that problem is the basic business plan for BluDiagnostics. Although the startup company was born in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Biochemistry Department, co-founder Katie Brenner says the idea came directly from her own difficulty with conception.

29 Apr 2016

Predictive statistical approach opens door to development of more effective therapies for breast cancer

Designing effective new drugs, especially drugs to fight cancer, demands that you know as much as you can about the molecular workings of cancer growth. Without that, it's like planning to fight a war against an enemy you've never seen.

29 Apr 2016

TJP1 protein could help determine multiple myeloma patients who may best benefit from proteasome inhibitors

A gene known as TJP1 (tight junction protein 1) could help determine which multiple myeloma patients would best benefit from proteasome inhibitors such as bortezomib, as well as combination approaches to enhance proteasome inhibitor sensitivity, according to a study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

29 Apr 2016

Curve along edge of tumor may play major role in cancer cell metastasis

Only a few cells in a cancerous tumor are able to break away and spread to other parts of the body, but the curve along the edge of the tumor may play a large role in activating these tumor-seeding cells, according to a new University of Illinois study.

29 Apr 2016

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

Doctors have long known that men with low testosterone are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. For the first time, researchers have identified how testosterone helps men regulate blood sugar by triggering key signaling mechanisms in islets, clusters of cells within the pancreas that produce insulin. The findings, co-authored by Tulane University researchers, are published in the journal

29 Apr 2016

New research reveals sliding ability of cancer cells that helps in tumor spread

Metastasis. The very word evokes fear. Defined as the spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another, metastasis is the cause of approximately 90 percent of deaths among cancer patients. How does metastasis come about? And can we stop it? New research from a team led by Northeastern's Anand Asthagiri, associate professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering, helps to answer those questions. It provides an astonishing look at the biophysical properties that permit breast cancer cells to "slide" by obstales and travel out of their primary tumor toward a blood vessel that will carry them to a new site.

29 Apr 2016

New research on EdnrB, Wnt signaling pathways could lead to therapies for skin pigment disorders

A pair of molecular signals controls skin and hair color in mice and humans — and could be targeted by new drugs to treat skin pigment disorders like vitiligo, according to a report by scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center.

29 Apr 2016

New gene testing method can identify mutations, prioritize variants in breast and ovarian cancer genes

A research team led by an award-winning genomicist at Western University has developed a new method for identifying mutations and prioritizing variants in breast and ovarian cancer genes, which will not only reduce the number of possible variants for doctors to investigate, but also increase the number of patients that are properly diagnosed.

29 Apr 2016

Understanding how individuals respond to aspirin

Researchers have learned new information about how different people respond to aspirin, a globally prescribed drug in cardioprotection. The research team, led by scientists at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom and including representatives from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Colorado, identified more than 5,600 lipids — or fats — in blood platelets and gained new insights into how these cells respond to aspirin.

29 Apr 2016

Changes in the brain make people prone to alcoholism

The brain tissue of persons with alcohol dependence shows a variety of changes compared to non-alcoholic control persons. All alcoholics' brains share some characteristics, but some are exclusive to the brain tissue of anxiety-prone type 1 alcoholics or impulsive type 2 alcoholics, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland.

29 Apr 2016

Studies on role of vitamin A in heart health have drawn opposite conclusions

Vitamin A is involved in many bodily processes, including vision and skin health, but its role in the heart is unclear. While vitamin A is critical for heart development of embryos—vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy leads to an abnormal heart and prenatal death—studies on vitamin A's role in heart health have drawn opposite conclusions.

29 Apr 2016

New version of obesity drug could help people reduce weight without experiencing anxiety, depression

A new version of an obesity drug that caused serious psychiatric side effects could help people lose pounds without experiencing the anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts previously associated with it. The research, published in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, shows that the new version of the drug can still work without reaching the brain in rats, avoiding the side effects.

29 Apr 2016

Discovery of shared biological properties among DNA variants may help identify new therapeutic targets

The discovery of shared biological properties among independent variants of DNA sequences offers the opportunity to broaden understanding of the biological basis of disease and identify new therapeutic targets, according to a collaboration between the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona Health Sciences, and Vanderbilt University. The group published their findings this month in npj Genomic Medicine.

29 Apr 2016

Key gene changes reveal four previously unknown conditions within schizophrenia

Changes in key genes clearly define four previously unknown conditions within the umbrella diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center published online April 28 in EBioMedicine, a Lancet journal. Cases associated with changes in each of the four genes were different from each other in terms of symptoms, intelligence level and other disease features.

29 Apr 2016

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

A University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist has inserted a genetic switch into nerve cells so a patient can alter their activity by taking designer drugs that would not affect any other cell. The cells in question are neurons and make the neurotransmitter dopamine, whose deficiency is the culprit in the widespread movement disorder Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2016

Medical Science News

Study sheds light on several aspects of Ebola virus flare-ups in Liberia

Female hormones may be responsible for decreased risk of kidney failure in women than men

Scientists measure electrical activity of individual brain cells responsible for body recognition

New therapeutic target to treat bacterial infections may substitute antibiotics

Researchers explore changes in Parkinson's-affected cells at different stages of the disease

UW-Madison researchers develop quick, saliva-based test for measuring fertility hormone levels

Predictive statistical approach opens door to development of more effective therapies for breast cancer

TJP1 protein could help determine multiple myeloma patients who may best benefit from proteasome inhibitors

Curve along edge of tumor may play major role in cancer cell metastasis

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

New research reveals sliding ability of cancer cells that helps in tumor spread

New research on EdnrB, Wnt signaling pathways could lead to therapies for skin pigment disorders

New gene testing method can identify mutations, prioritize variants in breast and ovarian cancer genes

Understanding how individuals respond to aspirin

Changes in the brain make people prone to alcoholism

Studies on role of vitamin A in heart health have drawn opposite conclusions

New version of obesity drug could help people reduce weight without experiencing anxiety, depression

Discovery of shared biological properties among DNA variants may help identify new therapeutic targets

Key gene changes reveal four previously unknown conditions within schizophrenia

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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