Oregon State University researchers have led the development of a new model for studying vitamin D’s role in infection prevention, and tests using the model suggest that vitamin D treatment can dramatically reduce the number of disease-causing bacteria in skin wounds. In addition to shedding light on infection-prevention potential, the study is important because it...
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Caffeine may offset some health risks of diets high in fat, sugar
A new study in rats suggests that caffeine may offset some of the negative effects of an obesogenic diet by reducing the storage of lipids in fat cells and limiting weight gain and the production of triglycerides. Rats that consumed the caffeine extracted from mate tea gained 16% less weight and accumulated 22% less body...
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Plants to the rescue
In Pakistan, there grows a plant that goes by the scientific name Withania coagulans. Local shamans have used it for centuries to cure a long list of ailments, from headaches and nausea to insomnia and impotence. Farmers use it to help coagulate cheese. The plant’s compact kernels, known commercially as Indian rennet, are sold as...
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Researchers discover new autoinflammatory condition
A team of specialists from Australia and the United States has identified a new autoinflammatory condition in humans. They also understand what causes it, which can help researchers find an adequate treatment. Researchers have identified a new autoinflammatory condition, which they have named CRIA syndrome. Autoimmune conditions occur when the body’s immune response becomes abnormally...
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Good News for Dogs with Cancer
New therapies for beloved pets are getting developed in hopes of treating humans as well By Amy Sutherland on December 30, 2019 Truman’s owners first thought he had twisted his ankle: The Bernese mountain dog was limping and might have landed awkwardly after jumping off the couch. But when he was still hobbled a few...
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Making blood on demand: How far have we come?
by Bentham Science Publishers The reconstitution of the blood system in humans holds great therapeutic potential to treat many disorders, like blood cancers, sickle-cell anemia and others. Successful reconstitution requires the transplantation and engraftment of hematopoietic (or blood) stem cells (HSCs), which after reaching their niche, start producing all types of blood cells, including platelets,...
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Scientists discover molecular ‘lock’ that prevents genetic mistakes when cells divide
Research from Queen Mary University of London has provided new insight into how dividing cells control the separation of their DNA. The study, published in the journal eLife, has shown that a protein called Astrin is important for the timely and even separation of chromosomes during cell division. During cell division our chromosomes, containing a...
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Mutant proteins linked to DNA damage, muscular dystrophy
New Cornell-led research has found a strong connection between DNA damage triggered by mutations in proteins that surround the cell nucleus, known as lamins, and muscular dystrophy. By exploring the mechanisms that cause the damage, the researchers are hopeful their discovery can help shape better treatments. The team’s paper, “Mutant Lamins Cause Nuclear Envelope Rupture...
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Delivering TB vaccine intravenously dramatically improves potency, study shows
by University of Pittsburgh Worldwide, more people die from tuberculosis (TB) than any other infectious disease, even though the vast majority were vaccinated. The vaccine just isn’t that reliable. But a new Naturestudy finds that simply changing the way the vaccine is administered could dramatically boost its protective power. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh...
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Alzheimer ‘tau’ protein far surpasses amyloid in predicting toll on brain tissue
Tau PET brain imaging could launch precision medicine era for Alzheimer’s disease UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN FRANCISCO Brain imaging of pathological tau-protein “tangles” reliably predicts the location of future brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s patients a year or more in advance, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Memory and...