In Brief Scientists have used a new drug to reverse diabetes in mice. The drug inhibits the enzyme LMPTP, which contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes by weakening the body’s sensitivity to the hormone. Defining Diabetes In the global community, the number of people with diabetes has been on the rise since 1980, with...
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How Flawed Science Is Undermining Good Medicine
A surprising medical finding caught the eye of NPR’s veteran science correspondent Richard Harris in 2014. A scientist from the drug company Amgen had reviewed the results of 53 studies that were originally thought to be highly promising — findings likely to lead to important new drugs. But when the Amgen scientist tried to replicate those promising...
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Gut bacteria compound may help to prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes: A disease in which blood contains too much sugar or glucose- an important source of energy for the body’s cells. Uncontrolled high blood sugar can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and amputation of lower limbs. Blood glucose levels are regulated by the hormone insulin, which is made in pancreas. Type 1...
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Researchers discover link between streptococcal infections and blood type
Infectious disease scientists at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) have found that people with a common blood group could be more susceptible to Streptococcal infections. Senior Research Fellow Dr Martina Sanderson-Smith, and Post-Doctoral Reseacher Dr David De Oliveira, from the University of Wollongong’s School of Biological Sciences, have published their work in...
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Success of sensory cell regeneration raises hope for hearing restoration
Jian Zuo, Ph.d., and his colleagues induced supporting cells located in the inner ear of adult mice to take on the appearance of immature hair cells and to begin producing some of the signature proteins of hair cells. In an apparent first, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators have used genetic manipulation to regenerate...
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Medicinal food diet counters onset of Type 1 Diabetes
Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute researchers have led an international study that found- for the 1st time- That a diet yielding high amounts of the Short chain fatty acids acetate and butyrate provided beneficial effect on the immune system and protected against type 1 / Juvenile diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes: Occurs when immune cells called...
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See Toyota’s robotic leg brace that helps paralyzed people walk
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is introducing a wearable robotic leg brace designed to help partially paralyzed people walk. The Welwalk WW-1000 system is made up of a motorized mechanical frame that fits on a person’s leg from the knee down. The patients can practice walking wearing the robotic device on a special treadmill...
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Researchers unravel how Stevia controls blood sugar levels
How does stevia taste so extremely sweet and how does the sweetner keep our blood sugar levels under control? Researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven, Belgium) have discovered that stevia stimulates a protein that is essential for our perception of taste and is involved in the release of insulin after a meal. These results...
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Scientists make cells RESISTANT to HIV in major breakthrough against the disease
Scientists have discovered a way to make cells resistant to HIV Antibodies that fight HIV are tethered to immune cell receptors They block the virus from accessing the cell receptor and spreading infection Cells without antibody protection die off and protected cells pass on the protective gene to new cells Researchers have found a way...
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Spinal Manipulation Can Alleviate Back Pain, Study Concludes
A study suggests spinal manipulation can reduce lower back pain for some people. One of the most common reasons people go to the doctor is lower back pain, and one of the most common reasons doctors prescribe powerful, addictive narcotics is lower back pain. Now, research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Associationoffers the latest...