Stroke is common and accompanied by complex disabilities–such as lower and upper limb disability, speech impairment, and chronic post-stroke pain. An analysis of published studies found that non-invasive brain stimulation may have beneficial effects on fine motor movement in stroke patients and healthy participants. The findings are published in the European Journal of Neurology. The meta-analysis...
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Study identifies receptor that may be targeted to repair the heart after heart attack, cardiac arrest
An image of a mouse heart cell shows the presence of the free fatty acid receptor-1 known as FFAR-1, in red, and the nuclei in blue. Credit: University of California, Los Angeles Studies have shown that a simple treatment called lipid emulsion therapy—fatty acids administered intravenously—can heal damage to the heart after a heart attack...
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Beyond killing tuberculosis
How can we tolerate an infection without eliminating a pathogen? IMAGE: THIS IS A COLORED X-RAY OF A PATIENT'S CHEST SHOWING DISSEMINATED, OR MILIARY, TUBERCULOSIS (TB) IN THE LUNGS AND IF LEFT UNTREATED, IT HAS ALMOST 100 PERCENT MORTALITY RATE. Montreal, May 11 2018 — Historically, our view of host defense against infection was that we...
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Scientists just beginning to understand autistic adults’ unique health needs
The researchers found that individuals with ASD had increased risks of developing several health complications, including various cardiovascular issues, hypothyroidism, and other neurological issues. Credit: Unsplash.com In the 1990s, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children rose sharply. These children are now entering adulthood, yet physicians and scientists know very little about the health outcomes...
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Enzyme blocker stops growth of deadly brain tumor
Investigators were able to halt the growth of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, by inhibiting an enzyme called CDK5, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Cell Reports. Glioblastoma cells (orange) spread throughout a fly brain (normal cells in blue), used to model human cancer. Credit: Northwestern University The discovery of this enzyme’s...
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Preliminary research shows noninvasive therapy may reverse atherosclerosis
An injection may one day be able to reverse atherosclerosis, according to emerging research presented at the American Heart Association’s Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions 2018, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in vascular biology for researchers and clinicians. Atherosclerosis is characterized by a narrowing of arteries and blood vessels caused by a...
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Hi-C Maps Used to Inexpensively Generate Chromosome-Length Genome Assemblies
COLD SPRING HARBOR, NY (GenomeWeb) – By relying on the Hi-C approach to map interactions between chromatin regions, researchers have been able to assemble de novo mammalian genomes for less than $1,000. Olga Dudchenko, a postdoc in Erez Lieberman Aiden’s lab at the Baylor College of Medicine, said during her talk at the Biology of Genomes meeting here that...
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Cyramza Delivers New Hope for Patients with Liver CancerShare
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Treatment for liver cancer is often ineffective, prompting pharmaceutical companies to question whether medications used for other types of cancer may be useful. Eli Lilly and Company may have found a valuable contender upon...
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My cancer is in remission – does this mean I’m cured?
We only know if a cancer has been cured in hindsight. Credit: Kaylee Eden on Unsplash So you’ve been through cancer treatment and your doctor has called you in for “some good news”. Satisfied, she tells you your cancer is “in remission.” What does this mean? Are you cured? Is the cancer gone forever? And what about...
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Can a Kim Kardashian lollipop help you lose weight?
Kim Kardashian West has been heavily criticised for promoting “appetite suppresant” lollipops on her Instagram account. Despite the criticism, more than a million people have liked her post, showing the extent of her influence, especially over her mainly young female audience. Appetite is a complex biological and psychological process that isn’t easily controlled with a lollipop – regardless of...