A potentially groundbreaking new study suggests that drug addicts could stay clean by taking marijuana instead. An extraordinary new report suggests that marijuana could be an important tool in the fight against drug addiction, despite being long vilified as a dangerous and addictive drug itself. Specifically, scientists found that a non-psychoactive component of marijuana known...
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Gene-based test for urine detects, monitors bladder cancer
Researchers at The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a test for urine, gathered during a routine procedure, to detect DNA mutations identified with urothelial cancers. IMAGE: The UroSEEK test looks for cancer mutations found in the urine from the ureter and bladder in samples taken during routine examinations. UroSEEK uses urine samples...
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AI Helps Scientists Discover New Viruses — Here’s Why That Matters
Viruses are all around us, and we currently haven’t classified even a fraction of that huge and diverse population. The tiny organisms that can only survive inside a living host can wreak havoc on our bodies, but that’s not the only reason researchers are so compelled by them. We now know that viruses could be...
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Fiber supplement increases insulin secretion in type 2 diabetic patients
Credit: University at Buffalo University at Buffalo researchers have found that taking a fiber supplement can help patients with type 2 diabetes boost their insulin secretion even after eating a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal. The research was presented on March 20 at ENDO 2018, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Chicago. The study was...
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We’ve located the part of the brain which understands social interactions
The ability to quickly detect and recognise the purpose of a social interaction is as indispensable today as it would have been to our ancient ancestors – but how does the brain do it? Figuring out the meaning of an interaction between other humans enables us to respond to, and think about, others accordingly. It...
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Hydrogel may help heal diabetic ulcers
HOUSTON – (March 20, 2018) – A hydrogel invented at Rice University that is adept at helping the body heal may also be particularly good at treating wounds related to diabetes. The Rice lab of chemist and bioengineer Jeffrey Hartgerink reported this week that tests on diabetic animal models showed the injectable hydrogel significantly accelerated...
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Brain stethoscope listens for silent seizures
When a doctor or nurse suspects something is wrong with a patient’s heart, there’s a simple way to check: put a stethoscope over the heart and listen to the sounds it makes. Doctors and nurses can use the same diagnostic tool to figure out what’s going on with the lungs, stomach and more, but not...
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Signalling study sheds light on conditions from alopecia to cancer
Researchers from the University of Dundee and the Francis Crick Institute have made a significant discovery about a cellular pathway associated with developmental defects and a myriad of diseases ranging from alopecia to colorectal cancer. The research, jointly led by Dundee’s Dr Gopal Sapkota and Professor Sir Jim Smith of the Crick, examined the role...
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Researchers identify compound to prevent breast cancer cells from activating in brain
Researchers at Houston Methodist used computer modeling to find an existing investigational drug compound for leukemia patients to treat triple negative breast cancer once it spreads to the brain. The Houston Methodist researchers culled through thousands of existing drugs to see if they could identify a compound that would prevent cancer cells from spreading, or...
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Gut bacteria determine speed of tumor growth in pancreatic cancer
The population of bacteria in the pancreas increases more than a thousand fold in patients with pancreatic cancer, and becomes dominated by species that prevent the immune system from attacking tumor cells. These are the findings of a study conducted in mice and in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), a form of cancer that...