Enrollment has begun in Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of a new investigational drug designed to treat malaria, as well as its effect on the human body. The first-in-human study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is...
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Turning off the brain’s ‘pain center’ could finally bring relief to millions of chronic nerve pain suffers, study finds
About 10 percent of the population lives with chronic nerve pain Neuropathic is especially hard to treat and its burning, numbness and stinging don’t respond well to opioids Scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital discovered a central group of neurons where pain and touch get interpreted in the brain By turning these ‘off’ they brought relief...
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Study cracks open the secrets of the cancer-causing BRCA1 gene
Lawsuits didn’t do it, public shaming didn’t do it, patients and doctors banding together to “free the data” couldn’t do it: For 22 years Myriad Genetics, one of the oldest genetic testing companies, has refused to make public its proprietary database of BRCA1 variants, which lists more than 17,000 known misspellings in that major “cancer risk” gene, along...
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Pilot study identifies strain of bacteria as chief risk factor for stomach cancer
Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a specific strain of Helicobacter pylori strongly correlated with stomach cancer. The research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, could eventually be used to shape treatment and screening strategies for patients. Collaborating with researchers at Zhengzhou University, the Fred Hutch team ran tests on 49 patients’...
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Brain has natural noise-cancelling circuit
To ensure that a mouse hears the sounds of an approaching cat better than it hears the sounds its own footsteps make, the mouse’s brain has a built-in noise-canceling circuit. It’s a direct connection from the motor cortex of the brain to the auditory cortex that says essentially, “we’re running now, pay no attention to...
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Study: Kidney stones have distinct geological histories
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A geologist, a microscopist, and a doctor walk into a lab and, with their colleagues from across the nation, make a discovery that overturns centuries of thought about the nature and composition of kidney stones. The team’s key insight, reported in the journal Scientific Reports, is that kidney stones are built up...
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A potential new way to treat some of the most common blinding diseases
Inhibition of atypical protein kinase C may help manage macular edema and vision loss associated with eye diseases, reports The American Journal of Pathology Philadelphia, PA, September 13, 2018 – Many eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, exhibit an increased permeability of blood vessels in the macula (central) portion of the retina leading...
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The irresistible CCL17
Researchers at the University of Bonn discover a new role for the allergy driver: It influences signal transmission in the brain The chemotactic protein CCL17 attracts immune cells to where they are currently needed. Doctors have long known: A high level of this substance in the body indicates an allergic reaction. A team of scientists led...
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Wearable ultrasound patch monitors blood pressure deep inside body
A new wearable ultrasound patch that non-invasively monitors blood pressure in arteries deep beneath the skin could help people detect cardiovascular problems earlier on and with greater precision. In tests, the patch performed as well as some clinical methods to measure blood pressure. IMAGE: WEARABLE ULTRASOUND PATCH TRACKS BLOOD PRESSURE IN A DEEP ARTERY OR VEIN....
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Disrupting genetic processes reverses aging in human cells
Research has shed new light on genetic processes that may one day lead to the development of therapies that can slow, or even reverse, how our cells age. A study led by the University of Exeter Medical School has found that certain genes and pathways that regulate splicing factors – a group of proteins in...