Medicine News and Research

RSS

Inhibitory interneurons excite the developing brain, study finds

Brain function depends on inhibitory cells that balance or 'brake' excitation. These neurons allow the brain to process information and also prevent runaway seizures.

15 Jun 2020

Parasite infection associated with the overall composition of gastrointestinal microbiome

Parasite infections are a constant presence for many people who live in tropical regions, particularly in less industrialized areas.

15 Jun 2020

Cardiac organoids that closely mimic physiological conditions during a heart attack

In the U.S., someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, and yet researchers have not had a model that fully mimics what occurs in the human heart after a heart attack.

12 Jun 2020

Human stem cell models reveal neurodegeneration in glaucoma

Glaucoma, a serious eye condition responsible for causing vision loss, affects over three million Americans.

12 Jun 2020

Excessive degradation of mitochondria causes severe disease in children

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that excessive degradation of the power plants of our cells plays an important role in the onset of mitochondrial disease in children.

12 Jun 2020

Deleting a key gene to create an immune cell with stronger anti-tumor activity

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and deleting a key gene, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have created natural killer cells -- a type of immune cell -- with measurably stronger activity against a form of leukemia, both in vivo and in vitro.

From UC San Diego 12 Jun 2020

Baylor researchers uncover a novel mechanism that triggers cellular immune response

Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system that specifically recognize parts of the invading microbe and mediate its destruction.

12 Jun 2020

Lungs' immune cells can be activated more easily than previously thought

A significant site of damage during COVID-19 infection is the lungs. Understanding how the lungs' immune cells are responding to viral infections could help scientists develop a vaccine.

12 Jun 2020

Overactive enzyme causes an inherited form of hypertension

A Turkish family from a village near the Black Sea first caught the attention of medical researchers in the early 1970s.

12 Jun 2020

New study may lead to novel treatments for heart and liver diseases

A study that closely analyzed the cardiac health of flies offers new evidence that dysfunction in the liver may result in the deterioration of the heart.

11 Jun 2020

Intron detention is integral to post-transcriptional regulation mechanism

Muscle stem cells are the reserve stem cells found in skeletal muscles. They play a crucial role in muscle repair following damage.

11 Jun 2020

Researchers identify how certain gene mutations cause ALS

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified how certain gene mutations cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

11 Jun 2020

Study reveals structure of an activated dopamine receptor

Dopamine, a chemical that sends messages between different parts of the brain and body, plays a key role in a variety of diseases and behaviors by interacting with receptors on cells.

11 Jun 2020

Mice study reveals new therapeutic strategy for slowing down Huntington's disease

Scientists have described a potential new therapeutic strategy for slowing down early-stage Huntington's disease in a new study published today in eLife.

10 Jun 2020

Study shows how a network of genes directs trachea and esophagus development

A new study reporting how a network of genes directs the development of the trachea and oesophagus in mice has been published today in eLife.

10 Jun 2020

Researchers identify a promising biomarker to screen stem cell quality

Published recently in the Stem Cells journal, a new study addresses a major issue that has been challenging the human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) therapy.

9 Jun 2020

Understanding protein-coding gene's role in IBD

A protein-coding gene associated with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, will be the focus of new research in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside.

9 Jun 2020

Study investigates how cancer adapts its metabolism to overcome treatment

Knowing what cancer will do next could lessen the likelihood of it becoming resistant to treatment. A new Canadian study investigates how cancer adapts its metabolism to potentially overcome therapies still in development.

From University of Toronto 9 Jun 2020

CD8+ T cells can help develop vaccines against Japanese encephalitis, Zika fever

A clinical case of Japanese encephalitis is diagnosed in over 68,000 individuals every year, leading to the death of one in four of these affected patients.

8 Jun 2020

Study shows how a fat cell's immune response exacerbates obesity

When obesity occurs, a person's own fat cells can set off a complex inflammatory chain reaction that can further disrupt metabolism and weaken immune response--potentially placing people at higher risk of poor outcomes from a variety of diseases and infections, including COVID-19.

8 Jun 2020