A lab team led by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Andrew Schally at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the University of Miami showed that a synthetic compound based on a brain hormone spurred the growth of cancer cells in Petri dishes but enigmatically had the opposite effect in mice. IMAGE: DR. ANDREW SCHALLY (RIGHT) IS...
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Compound derived from marijuana may benefit children with epilepsy
In recent years, cannabinoids–the active chemicals in medical marijuana– have been increasingly touted as a potential treatment for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In a Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology review, investigators compare their efficacy with antiepileptic drugs for children with epilepsy. One cannabinoid, called cannabidiol (CBD), has the most evidence of antiepileptic...
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New immunotherapy technique can specifically target tumor cells, UCI study reports
A new immunotherapy screening prototype developed by University of California, Irvine researchers can quickly create individualized cancer treatments that will allow physicians to effectively target tumors without the side effects of standard cancer drugs. UCI’s Weian Zhao and Nobel laureate David Baltimore with Caltech led the research team that developed a tracking and screening system...
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Big change from small player—mitochondrial background modulates whole body metabolism and gene expression
About 1.5 billion years ago, tiny visitors came to live inside the cells that later evolved into all plant and animal life—including humans. Those visitors were mitochondria, small organelles whose prominent role is producing 90 percent of the chemical energy cells need to survive. Evolutionarily speaking, humans, animals and plants are thus a combination of...
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Promising new targeted therapy for acceleration of bone fracture repair
There are over six million fractures per year in the U.S. with direct costs in the billions, not to mention lost productivity. The only drug currently available to accelerate the healing process must be applied directly onto the fracture surface during surgery, but not all breaks require such intervention. New research, Bone Fracture-Targeted Dasatinib Conjugate...
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Silicone breast implant patients face greatly increased risk of autoimmune disease
Women with breast implants mostly only had to worry about leaks, but a large-scale Israeli study performed in collaboration with researchers from the University of Alberta confirmed almost one in four implantation patients is at risk of a serious autoimmune disorder. Credit: CC0 Public Domain “The risk of women with breast implantation developing an autoimmune...
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Scientists overturn odds to make Parkinson’s discovery
Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease. Scientists at the University of Dundee have confirmed that a key cellular pathway that protects the brain from damage is disrupted in Parkinson’s patients, raising the possibility of new treatments for the disease. Credit: Wikipedia Parkinson’s is...
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Singing may reduce stress, improve motor function for people with Parkinson’s disease
Elizabeth Stegemöller leads a singing group for people with Parkinson’s disease. Her latest research shows singing can lower stress and improve motor symptoms. Credit: Iowa State University Singing may provide benefits beyond improving respiratory and swallow control in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to new data from Iowa State University researchers. The results from the...
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The Pathways Through which Light Affects Learning and Mood
Research has shown that light is important for more than just vision—it directly impacts mood and learning. In a new study, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) traced the brain pathways responsible for the effects of light on learning and mood. The findings revealed that these effects are brought about by two...
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Gene signature discovery may predict response to immune therapy
(TORONTO, Canada, Nov. 8, 2018) – Scientists led by Dr. Daniel De Carvalho at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have discovered a gene signature biomarker that may predict which patients will respond – or not – to immune therapy. The findings are published online today in Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-06654-8). Dr. De Carvalho, principal investigator, says...