Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified proteins that may be useful in both earlier diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and in more accurate disease prognosis. An MRI with increased signal in the posterior part of the internal capsule which can be tracked to the motor cortex consistent with the diagnosis of ALS....
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Scientists develop method to quickly enhance immune-system proteins
Rice University scientists have found a simple method to attach drugs or other substances to antibodies, the powerful proteins that are central to the body’s immune system. The Rice lab of bioengineer Han Xiao developed a technique called pClick, which uses a cross-linker that snaps to a specific site on antibodies and serves as a...
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Researchers uncover gene that regulates fat accumulation and obesity
With both a normal diet, and a a high-fat diet, a lack of Panx1 increases cell size. Top rows show lower magnification (scale bar = 0.1 mm) and bottom rows are the insets showing higher magnification of the same image (scale bar = 0.05 mm). B. Credit: University of Western Ontario As obesity continues to...
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Researchers show that a high-protein diet does not affect kidney function
A widely held and controversial myth that high-protein diets may cause kidney damage in healthy adults has been debunked by scientists at McMaster University, who examined more than two dozen studies involving hundreds of participants. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Nutrition, challenges the perceived dangers of a protein-rich diet,...
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Pulmonary tuberculosis can be cured with shorter treatment, study finds
Almost half of the nearly 10 million patients with active tuberculosis each year could potentially be cured with significantly shorter treatments than current guidelines recommend, a new analysis from UC San Francisco has found. The results suggest targeted therapies could be more effective in treating TB, which killed an estimated 1.3 million people around the...
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Nanofibres induce remodelling of cell membranes
A nanometre-scale mechanism has been proposed to explain how bacteria improve their grip on human cells. The findings have implications for drug discovery, and might inspire biomimetic applications such as adhesives. John R. Dutcher PDF version Biological membranes serve as the barrier between cells and their surrounding environment, and regulate the transfer of ions and...
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Life span has little to do with genes, analysis of large ancestry database shows
Millions of amateur genealogists assembling family trees on Ancestry.com probably figure they’re just finding lost relatives and assessing their genetic proximity to Prince Harry, but in fact they have unintentionally made a significant contribution to science. An analysis of 54 million of the website’s public family trees finds that the heritability of life span, a...
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Melanoma: More evidence that antioxidants speed up tumor spread
New research evidence backs up previous findings that taking antioxidant supplements can speed up the spread of the deadliest form of skin cancer. close up of a mole Antioxidants either have no effect or hasten the spread of melanoma tumors, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have added...
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New virus could help destroy cancer
A new study examines the behavior of a cancer-killing virus that fits tumor cells perfectly and leaves healthy cells intact. Virus illustration Can we tame viruses to use them as a treatment for cancer? Cancer is a chronic disease that kills millions of people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the...
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MS: How too much salt can cause inflammation
New research, published in the journal Nature Immunology, now shows how a high intake of salt may cause inflammation in multiple sclerosis. salt One recent study reveals how excessive salt consumption may trigger inflammation in people with MS. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system destroys the protective coating...