No significant side effects noted in pair of clinical trials in U.S., Japan UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM IMAGE: FREDERICK HAYDEN, MD, IS A RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. A single dose of a new influenza drug can significantly shorten the duration of the illness in teens and adults, according to a...
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UCI-led research identifies properties of stem cells that determine cell fate
Discovery may improve ability to control the formation of mature cells from stem cell transplants UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – IRVINE Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have identified intrinsic cell properties that influence the fate of neural stem cells, affecting what type of brain cell they will form: neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes. This discovery...
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Researchers can forecast risk of deadly vascular condition from genome sequence
A new approach that distills deluges of genetic data and patient health records has identified a set of telltale patterns that can predict a person’s risk for a common, and often fatal, cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. This graphical abstract illustrates how a machine-learning approach integrating...
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Predicting the onset and course of Huntington’s disease
An MDC research team reports in the journal Molecular Cell that short protein fibers precede the formation of larger deposits that accumulate in the brains of those affected by the incurable Huntington’s disease, sometimes called Huntington’s chorea. These results could improve diagnosis and aid the search for new medications. Microscopic image of a fly’s brain. The huntingtin deposits that...
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Stray proteins cause genetic disorders
The seizures typically begin in the first months of life. It often takes years, however, before those suffering from the rare glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1) deficiency syndrome obtain a correct diagnosis. If the disorder goes untreated, affected children experience developmental delay and frequently have neurological problems. Various defects in one gene underlie the syndrome....
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Researchers harness virtual reality, motion capture to study neurological disorders
Neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have a powerful new state-of-the-art tool at their disposal to study diseases like Autism, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injury. The Mobile Brain/Body Imaging system, or MoBI, combines virtual reality, brain monitoring, and Hollywood-inspired motion capture technology, enabling researchers to study the movement difficulties that often accompany neurological disorders...
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Study does not support widespread use of statins in healthy older people to prevent heart disease
Statins are not associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease (conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels) or death in healthy people aged over 75, finds a study published by The BMJ today. 3D Model of the heart by Dr. Matthew Bramlet. Credit: NIH However, in those with type 2 diabetes, statins were related to a reduction...
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Swarms Of Tiny Magnetic Nanobots Could Be Used To Treat Blood Clots In The Near Future
In the future, nanobots will save lives. Scientists from Hong Kong have made a breakthrough in controlling swarms of minuscule robots to treat blood clots. A team of scientists has designed and implemented a strategy using oscillating magnetic fields to “reconfigure paramagnetic nanoparticles into ribbon-like swarms.” The strategy was published in the journal Nature. An...
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New Drug a ‘Ground-Breaking’ Advance in Huntington’s Disease
In the first human trial, an experimental antisense drug (Ionis-HTTRx, Ionis Pharmaceuticals) successfully lowered the level of mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) in the spinal fluid of patients with Huntington’s disease, researchers reported today. “The results of this trial are of ground-breaking importance for Huntington’s disease patients and families. For the first time a drug has lowered...
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New non-addictive compound could treat pain and opioid abuse
With an addiction to prescription painkillers a major part of the current opioid crisis in the US, the search for an effective but non-addictive pain medication is on in earnest. And researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine appear to have found a likely candidate in the form of a chemical compound called AT-121. With promising results...