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Hippo signaling pathway controls phases of quiescence in fruit fly central nervous system

Neural stem cells are responsible for the formation of differentiated daughter cells in the developing brain. If no new cells are needed, the stem cells may enter a resting phase called quiescence. Biologists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have now discovered that the phases of quiescence in the Drosophila fruit fly central nervous system are controlled by the Hippo signaling pathway. Drosophila serves as a model organism that helps geneticists to decode the molecular fundamentals of cellular biology and unravel mechanisms that are conserved in human beings and other vertebrates.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists identify transposable element in certain bird genomes

In rare instances, DNA is known to have jumped from one species to another. If a parasite's DNA jumps to its host's genome, it could leave evidence of that parasitic interaction that could be found millions of years later -- a DNA 'fossil' of sorts.

21 Apr 2016

Blocking IL-1 signalling molecule could alleviate asthma symptoms

Scientists have made a discovery that could lead to improved treatment for asthma sufferers.They have found that blocking a certain signalling molecule can alleviate symptoms such as mucus production, swelling (edema), and constriction of the airways in the lungs.

21 Apr 2016

Exhaled e-cigarette vapour evaporates within seconds

A new study being presented today at the 4th Workplace and Indoor Aerosols conference in Barcelona shows, for the first time, that exhaled e-cigarette particles are liquid droplets that evaporate within seconds.

21 Apr 2016

SI-2 molecule can inhibit tumor growth in breast cancer mouse model

Cancer cells communicate with their environment through cell molecules that pass on signals to the inside of the cell. The signals help cancer cells multiply and migrate, spreading the disease.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists map core genes involved during DNA uptake in strep bacteria

Bacteria possess the ability to take up DNA from their environment, a skill that enables them to acquire new genes for antibiotic resistance or to escape the immune response. Scientists have now mapped the core set of genes that are consistently controlled during DNA uptake in strep bacteria, and they hope the finding will allow them to cut off the microbes' ability to survive what doctors and nature can throw at them.

21 Apr 2016

Researchers find new insights on disease stages for gastric cancer patients

Diagnosis of gastric cancer in the early stages is difficult because of the lack of simple and cheap methods of inspection and specific markers of gastric cancer while the symptoms of the disease are vague and tend to overlap with other common and benign conditions. Better tumor characterization and more individualized treatment planning can be expected only with the implementation of better diagnostic tools combined with advances in molecular and genetic analysis.

21 Apr 2016

Better way to model human immune system

Scientists at the University of Minnesota have developed a new way to study mice that better mimics the immune system of adult humans and which could significantly improve ways to test potential therapeutics. Published online today in the journal Nature, the researchers describe the limitations of laboratory mice for immunology research and reveal the benefits of what they are calling "dirty mice."

21 Apr 2016

Bacteria-derived gut metabolites can affect brain’s myelin content and induce depression-like symptoms

Specific combinations of gut bacteria produce substances that affect myelin content and cause social avoidance behaviors in mice, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the medical journal eLife. This research suggests that targeting intestinal bacteria, or their metabolites, could be one way to treat debilitating psychiatric disorders and demyelinating diseases, like multiple sclerosis.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists develop new strategy to combat wide range of viruses

Scientists and health officials are marshalling forces to fight Zika, the latest in a string of recent outbreaks. Many of these efforts target that virus specifically, but some researchers are looking for a broader approach. Now one team reports in ACS' journal Macromolecules a new strategy to fight a wide range of viruses that appears to be safe in vivo and could evade a virus's ability to develop resistance.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists uncover unique cellular defects linked with SLOS using novel stem-cell model

Studies performed by a Sanford Research scientist using an innovative stem-cell model for a fatal developmental disorder is the focus of a recent study published in Nature Medicine. Kevin Francis, Ph.D. uncovered unique cellular defects associated with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) by modeling this disease using induced pluripotent stem cells.

21 Apr 2016

Clinical study shows watercress extract inhibits carcinogen activation in cigarette smokers

Watercress extract taken multiple times a day significantly inhibits the activation of a tobacco-derived carcinogen in cigarette smokers, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, partner with UPMC Cancer Center, demonstrated in a phase II clinical trial presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

21 Apr 2016

Vegetable-based polyphenol enhances wound healing

A research group led by Osaka University found a plant-based polyphenol, promotes the migration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in blood circulation and accumulates them in damaged tissues to improve wound healing. It is anticipated that the results will be used for stem cell treatments for cutaneous disorders associated with various damage and lesions.

21 Apr 2016

Researchers reposition existing prazosin drug to combat glioblastoma

Treatments available for glioblastoma—malignant brain tumors—have little effect. An international collaboration led by the Laboratoire Neurosciences Paris-Seine tested active ingredients from existing medications and eventually identified one compound of interest, prazosin, on these tumors. Not only did it seem to be effective in this type of cancer, but it also acted on a signaling pathway that is common with other cancers.

21 Apr 2016

Testosterone may lead to greater heart attack risk in men than women

Testosterone might be involved in explaining why men have a greater risk of heart attacks than women of similar age, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could lead to new therapies to help reduce heart attack risk.

21 Apr 2016

TNF-alpha protein involved in autoimmune diseases may also promote tissue healing

As its name suggests, inflammatory bowel disease, which afflicts more than 1.6 million Americans, involves chronic inflammation of all or some of the digestive tract. An autoimmune disease known to have a strong genetic component, its symptoms are abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and fever and, sometimes, weight loss. IBD, which is a group of inflammatory conditions, includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

21 Apr 2016

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Because billions of neurons are packed into our brain, the neuronal circuits that are responsible for controlling our behaviors are by necessity highly intermingled. This tangled web makes it complicated for scientists to determine exactly which circuits do what. Now, using two laboratory techniques pioneered in part at Caltech, Caltech researchers have mapped out the pathways of a set of neurons responsible for the kinds of motor impairments--such as difficulty walking--found in patients with Parkinson's disease.

21 Apr 2016

Gladstone scientists bioengineer micro-scale heart tissues from stem cells

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have invented a new way to create three-dimensional human heart tissue from stem cells. The tissue can be used to model disease and test drugs, and it opens the door for a precision medicine approach to treating heart disease. Although there are existing techniques to make three-dimensional tissues from heart cells, the new method dramatically reduces the number of cells needed, making it an easier, cheaper, and more efficient system.

21 Apr 2016

Novel method could help analyze GWAS results for sporadic diseases

Using a novel method, Whitehead Institute researchers have determined how a non-coding mutation identified in genome-wide association studies can contribute to sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). The approach could be used to analyze GWAS results for other sporadic diseases with genetic causes, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.

21 Apr 2016

Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D highly prevalent among children with type 1 diabetes

During the past two decades, vitamin D status, defined as serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, has emerged as a predictor of key clinical outcomes including bone health, glucose metabolism, cardiovascular health, immune health and survival.

21 Apr 2016