Researchers at Brown found that alcohol hijacks a conserved memory pathway in the brain and changes which versions of genes are made, forming the cravings that fuel addiction PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — One of the many challenges with battling alcohol addiction and other substance abuse disorders is the risk of relapse, even after progress...
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Chemotherapy drug paclitaxel also acts as an immune response modulator
Trends The ER is a key organelle in cell physiology, and it evolved as an elaborated signaling pathway to cope with life-threatening perturbations of its homeostatic state. This process, called the UPR, is exploited by cancer cells to survive in their microenvironment and to promote tumor progression. Many approaches have been investigated to inhibit or...
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T-cell biofactories find, fight disease in one fell swoop
NIBIB-funded researchers have transformed T cells into drug factories engineered to find cells carrying specific diseases in the body—and then produce therapeutic proteins localized to the diseased cells. Senior author Parijat Bhatnagar, Ph.D., director of cell-based medicine at the SRI International Center for Chemical Biology, Menlo Park, California, and his colleagues engineered the T-cell “biofactories”...
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Bioactive compound from the Rhodiola plant improves memory
In an aging society, more people are suffering from memory disorders. The progressive loss of memory severely impairs the quality of life of those affected. So far, no drugs are known to prevent age-related cognitive decline. For the first time, a study conducted by scientists from the Leibniz Institutes for Neurobiology (LIN) and for Plant Biochemistry (IPB) and published in the...
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Cannabis pain relief without the ‘high’
In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical “high” or euphoria produced by the THC. The findings of their study have...
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Skeletal stem cells regress when tasked with extensive regeneration
Adult mouse skeletal stem cells in the jaw revert to a more developmentally flexible state when called upon to regenerate large portions of bone and tissue, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is the first to show that mammalian adult stem cells can march backward along...
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Can a vitamin combo prolong your life?
Vitamins are nutrients that when synthesized or assimilated in the right quantities support our health and well-being. A new review suggests that a set of known and newly categorized vitamins can help prolong a person’s lifespan, and promote health well into old age. The review, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,...
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Patients at risk of coverage denial
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed a national sample of Emergency Department visits between 2011-15 to determine what proportion of them could be denied coverage if commercial insurers across the U.S. adopted the policy of a large national insurer, Anthem, Inc., to potentially deny coverage, after the visit, based on ED discharge diagnoses. Researchers studied visits by...
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Home remedies: Treating anxiety with herbal remedies
Several herbal remedies have been studied as a treatment for anxiety, but more research is needed to understand the risks and benefits. Here’s what we know—and don’t know: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Kava Kava appeared to be a promising treatment for anxiety, but reports of serious liver damage—even with short-term use—caused the Food and Drug Administration to issue warnings about...
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5 questions and answers about acute flaccid myelitis, the polio-like illness confirmed in two Mass. children
The state Department of Public Health is investigating four other suspected cases of the condition. Two children in Massachusetts have contracted a serious, rare illness that causes muscle weakness and paralysis, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. The state’s first case this year of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, was confirmed in August, according to the department, which is investigating four other...