New York, NY (Aug. 29, 2017)—Age-related memory loss may be reversed by boosting blood levels of osteocalcin, a hormone produced by bone cells, according to mouse studies led by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers. The research team also identified a receptor for osteocalcin in the brain, paving the way for a novel approach to...
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Triple Threat: New Pneumonia Is Drug-Resistant, Deadly And Contagious
In the past few years, there have been so many “superbugs” appearing in hospitals around the world that we here at Goats and Soda haven’t had the time or resources to report on all of them. But a new type of pneumonia emerging in China seems so important that we dropped what we were doing...
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Largest ever genetic study marks likely osteoporosis treatment target
Scientists are homing in on a potential treatment for osteoporosis, after performing the largest ever genetic study of the common age-related bone-thinning disease. Researchers from The University of Queensland and McGill University in Canada led the study, identifying 153 new gene variants associated with the loss of bone mineral density, which often result in fractures. UQ Diamantina Institute researchers Dr John Kemp...
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Gut bacteria found to trigger gene that protects against type 1 diabetes
Early antibiotic use could affect the development of the gut microbiome and increase prevalence of autoimmune diseases Researchers have discovered that a powerful guardian gene known to protect against a variety of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, is triggered by the bacteria in our gut. This finding offers a clue to the complex...
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New antibodies target protein structures common to several neurological diseases
A new kind of antibody targets a feature shared by proteins thought to cause the most damage in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related conditions, creating potential for a unified treatment approach. This is the finding of a study led by researchers from NYU School of Medicine and published online August 29 in Scientific Reports. The...
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Magnetic stimulation of the brain improved awareness of subject’s own cognitive abilities
Researchers at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki have succeeded for the first time ever in affecting metacognition of a tactile working memory task by combining neural pathway imaging and magnetic stimulation of the brain. Understanding brain function might help in the development of new treatments for neuropsychiatric illnesses in the future. By combining...
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Depression’s “Transcriptional Signatures” Differ in Men vs. Women
Divergent illness processes may point to sex-specific treatments Brain gene expression associated with depression differed markedly between men and women in a study by NIMH-funded researchers. Such divergent “transcriptional signatures” may signal divergent underlying illness processes that may require sex-specific treatments, they suggest. Experiments in chronically-stressed male and female mice that developed depression-like behaviors largely...
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How new blood vessels sprout
IBS biologists discovered a key regulator of normal as well as pathological formation of new blood vessels New blood vessels branch out of preexisting ones is via a process called angiogenesis. Although this is essential for survival, development and wound healing, on the flip side, it also feeds and progresses malignant tumors, as well as...
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Could this hormone rejuvenate memory?
A new study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicinesuggests that increased levels of a bone-produced hormone may prevent cognitive decline in older adults. Conducted in mice, the new research was carried out by scientists led by Dr. Gerard Karsenty, who is the Paul A. Marks Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics & Development at the...
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Inflammation required for ‘smell’ tissue regeneration
Three days after damaging the olfactory tissue of a mouse bred to lack the inflammation molecule NF-kB, fewer new cells regenerate (green) compared to a mouse with normal levels of NF-kB. In a mouse study designed to understand how chronic inflammation in sinusitis damages the sense of smell, scientists at Johns Hopkins say they were...