BOSTON (Oct. 10, 2018)–Studies in mice have demonstrated that obesity-induced inflammation contributes to the risk of colorectal cancer, but evidence in humans has been scarce. A new study shows that two inflammatory proteins in the colon increase in parallel with increasing weight in humans. An incremental rise in these pro-inflammatory proteins (called cytokines) was observed...
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Eczema drug restores hair growth in patient with longstanding alopecia
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physicians are reporting an unexpected side-effect from treatment with dupilumab, which is FDA approved for the treatment of moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis. In their case report published in JAMA Dermatology, the physicians describe how their 13-year-old patient, who has alopecia totalis – a total lack of scalp hair...
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Study finds probiotic bacillus eliminates staphylococcus bacteria
A new study from National Institutes of Health scientists and their Thai colleagues shows that a “good” bacterium commonly found in probiotic digestive supplements helps eliminate Staphylococcus aureus, a type of bacteria that can cause serious antibiotic-resistant infections. The researchers, led by scientists at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), unexpectedly found that Bacillus bacteria...
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PIEZO2, a molecular target for treating clinical pain
If you’ve ever been sunburned, you’ve experienced the dreaded pain of putting on a shirt the next day. Fabric that should feel soft turns into a layer of painful pressure. That kind of pain-from what should feel like a gentle touch-is called allodynia, and it’s a fact of life for many people who suffer from...
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Clues to lupus’s autoimmune origins in precursor cells
DN2 B cells expanded in SLE patients EMORY HEALTH SCIENCES In the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE, the immune system produces antibodies against parts of the body itself. How cells that produce those antibodies escape the normal “checks and balances” has been unclear, but recent research from Emory University School of Medicine sheds light...
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Team gets a closer look at how proteins meet on the cell membrane
JUPITER, FL – Oct. 10, 2018 – Scripps Research scientists have uncovered the workings of a critical process in cell survival. Their study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show exactly how a protein called talin activates another critical protein, called integrin, to do its job...
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Eye scan a promising option for early detection of central nervous system disorders
Partners from Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands are taking part in the EU MOON project to develop new techniques for early diagnosis of age-related diseases of the eye and central nervous system, and successfully apply them in treatment and diagnosis. At 18 months from the start of MOON, researchers are confident that, in the...
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Working out when under the weather
(HealthDay)—Every now and then you might not feel well enough to exercise and decide to skip a workout. But if you have a cold that could last a full week, you probably won’t want to find yourself facing a fitness setback once you’ve recovered. Here’s how to stay in the game. The general guideline is...