What’s the secret to aging well? University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have answered it- on a cellular level. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Aging starts in our cells, and those aging cells can hasten cellular senescence, leading to tissue dysfunction and related health impacts. New research involving University of Minnesota Medical School faculty Paul D. Robbins and Laura J....
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Study: The eyes may have it, an early sign of Parkinson’s disease
Thinning of retina linked to loss of brain cells that control movement AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY MINNEAPOLIS – The eyes may be a window to the brain for people with early Parkinson’s disease. People with the disease gradually lose brain cells that produce dopamine, a substance that helps control movement. Now a new study has...
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Scientists discover new method of diagnosing cancer with malaria protein
UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES In a spectacular new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a method of diagnosing a broad range of cancers at their early stages by utilising a particular malaria protein, which sticks to cancer cells in blood samples. The researchers hope that this method can be used...
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Retinoic acid may improve immune response against melanoma
Immunotherapies use the immune system to fight cancer. But cancers like melanoma have found ways to turn off the immune system, allowing them to resist treatments and often leading to recurrence. Now University of Colorado Cancer Center clinical trial results published today in the journal International Immunopharmacology describe a promising strategy to remove one of melanoma’s most...
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Newly identified role for inhibition in cerebellar plasticity and behavior
August 16, 2018, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Almost everyone is familiar with the unique mixture of surprise and confusion that occurs after making a mistake during an everyday movement. It’s a fairly startling experience—stumbling on a step or accidentally missing your mouth when taking a drink. These actions are so ingrained that any mishap...
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Working memory might be more flexible than previously thought
Breaking with the long-held idea that working memory has fixed limits, a new study by researchers at Uppsala University and New York University suggests that these limits adapt themselves to the task that one is performing. The results are presented in the scientific journal eLife. Credit: CC0 Public Domain You can read this sentence from beginning to end...
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Discovery of a key protein involved in the development of autism
Most individuals with autism spectrum disorder cannot be distinguished by physical traits or by severe neurological symptoms. In fact, these cases can be identified only on the basis of certain behaviours, namely their obsessive focus on certain activities and difficulties with social communication and interactions. Recent years have brought about important breakthroughs in autism research through the...
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Scientists discover why some people with brain markers of Alzheimer’s have no dementia
A new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered why some people that have brain markers of Alzheimer’s never develop the classic dementia that others do. The study is now available in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: public domain Alzheimer’s disease,...
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Autoimmunity plays role in development of COPD, study finds
Autoimmunity plays a role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study led by Georgia State University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center that analyzed human genome information stored in Vanderbilt’s DNA biobank. Micrograph showing emphysema (left – large empty spaces) and lung tissue with relative preservation of the alveoli (right)....
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New CRISPR technique skips over portions of genes that can cause disease
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study in cells, University of Illinois researchers have adapted CRISPR gene-editing technology to cause the cell’s internal machinery to skip over a small portion of a gene when transcribing it into a template for protein building. This gives researchers a way not only to eliminate a mutated gene...