Robert P. van Waateringe, from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective analysis involving 72,880 participants from the Dutch Lifelines Cohort Study who had validated baseline skin autofluorescence values available and were not known to have diabetes or CVD. (HealthDay)—Skin autofluorescence predicts incident type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and...
Year: <span>2018</span>
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Tuberculosis survives by using host system against itself, study finds
In a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, scientists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) releases RNA into infected cells. This RNA stimulates the production of a compound known as interferon beta that appears to support the growth of the pathogen. Jeff Schorey talks...
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Honeybee protein keeps stem cells youthful
An active protein component of royal jelly helps honeybees create new queens. Stanford researchers have identified a similar protein in mammals, which keeps cultured embryonic stem cells pluripotent. Kevin Wang holds a flask of cells that have been engineered to produce the Regina protein, a mammalian protein similar in structure to the active component of...
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New study suggests Alzheimer’s is not one disease but six different conditions
A large team of researchers has developed a new way to classify patients with Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting we should think of the disease as six distinctly different conditions instead of one single disease. Based on a new study, researchers are aiming to reclassify Alzheimer’s disease into a set of six biologically different conditions(Credit: ADragan/Depositphotos) Currently Alzheimer’s disease...
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Queen bee’s secret sauce uncovers a key ingredient that keeps stem cells young
The simply named and intriguingly effective royal jelly is what separates queen bees from the rest. These lucky bees are selected by the colony during the larval stage and coated in the milky, nutritious substance and then go on to become large and fertile leaders of the pack. For the first time, scientists at Stanford...
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A new molecular player involved in T cell activation
When bacteria or viruses enter the body, proteins on their surfaces are recognized and processed to activate T cells, white blood cells with critical roles in fighting infections. During T-cell activation, a molecular complex known as the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) moves to a central location on the surface of the T-cell. Microtubules have several important...
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Another Medical cold case cracked by the MUHC’s ‘Dr. House’
A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by Dr. Donald Vinh, the RI’s so-called “Dr. House” because of his research into rare diseases, has discovered a new human disease and the gene responsible for it, paving the way for the proper diagnosis of patients globally and the development...
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New molecular tool identifies sugar-protein attachments
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new molecular tool they call EXoO, which decodes where on proteins specific sugars are attached–a possible modification due to disease. The study, published in issue 14 of Molecular Systems Biology, describes the development of the tool and its successful use on human blood, tumors and immune cells....
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Scientists cut main heart disease risk locus out of DNA by genome editing
LA JOLLA, CA – Over the past decade we’ve learned that billions of people carry a mysterious specter in their DNA that strongly increases their risk for life threatening cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks, aneurysms or strokes, no matter what diet, exercise or medical regimen they follow. IMAGE: MICROSCOPY IMAGE SHOWING VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCULAR...
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Stanford researchers use zinc to target insulin-producing cells with regenerative drug
An insulin injection can manage diabetes symptoms, but actually curing the disease would mean healing cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in blood. One promising approach may be to stimulate the regeneration of those cells with drugs. But there’s a major obstacle: The growth triggered by...