In individuals with lupus, immune cells attack the body’s own tissue and organs as if they are enemy invaders. A new Yale-led study describes how a protein found in common bacteria triggers that auto-immune response. The finding opens the door to future therapies targeting the bacteria rather than the immune system, the researchers said. To...
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Why people with insomnia don’t know they’re asleep
When you can’t get to sleep at night, you might explain it to someone as your brain not being able to shut off. While your brain never truly shuts off, when you do fall asleep, your brain sends inhibitory neurons that help reduce conscious awareness to get to a point of deep sleep. Normal sleepers often feel like...
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Novel silver compounds offer a potential cancer treatment breakthrough
The development of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat various cancers has been fraught with challenges. One of the toughest is the acute and long-term toxicity of drugs and its severe side-effects on almost all organs in the body. In the absence of targeted treatments for each cancer patient, oncologists have accepted these side-effects as the...
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Accurately diagnosing genetic disease prevents cancer, saves lives
A single, upfront genomic test is more effective for detecting Lynch syndrome in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients than the traditional multiple, sequential testing approach, according to new clinical data reported by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) Researchers say...
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Researchers define target and mechanism of antibacterial drug fidaxomicin (Dificid)
Fidaxomicin (cyan) binds to RNA polymerase (gray) at the base of the clamp, a part of RNA polymerase that swings open by 17 degrees to allow RNA polymerase to bind to DNA and swings closed to allow RNA polymerase to hold onto DNA (open clamp A team of Rutgers University and international scientists have determined...
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Slow, steady waves keep brain humming
If you keep a close eye on an MRI scan of the brain, you’ll see a wave pass through the entire brain like a heartbeat once every few seconds. This ultra-slow rhythm was recognized decades ago, but no one quite knew what to make of it. MRI data are inherently noisy, so most researchers simply...
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Noninvasive stimulation device can help prevent migraine attacks
Mayo study shows easy-to-use, noninvasive stimulation device can help prevent migraine attacks SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – A migraine is much more than just a bad headache. Migraine symptoms, which can be debilitating for many people, are the sixth leading cause of disability, according to the World Health Organization. While there is no cure, a new study...
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NUS scientists develop novel chip for fast and accurate disease detection at low cost
A novel invention by a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) holds promise for a faster and cheaper way to diagnose diseases with high accuracy. Professor Zhang Yong from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the NUS Faculty of Engineering and his team have developed a tiny microfluidic chip that could...
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Dietary supplement shows promise for reversing cardiovascular aging
Scientists have long known that restricting calories can fend off physiological signs of aging, with studies in fruit flies, roundworms, rodents and even people showing that chronically slashing intake by about a third can reap myriad health benefits and, in some cases, extend lifespan. From a public health perspective, that advice would be impractical for...
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Antibiotic breakthrough as scientists find class of drug that can kill the MRSA superbug
Brown University researchers discovered two compounds that can kill antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria in mice The discovery comes as over-prescription of antibiotics fuels growing concerns over resistance as a global health problem The new compounds are two of thousands of retinoids and others may treat MRSA too Researchers claim that bacteria are unlikely to become resistant...