By Rich Haridy January 21, 2021 Researchers reported durable immune responses to cancer cells up to four years after receiving a personalized vaccine lightsource/Depositphotos VIEW 1 IMAGES New research published in the journal Nature is outlining the long-term efficacy of a novel type of cancer vaccine. The research followed eight skin cancer patients and discovered the experimental treatment offers durable and...
Beyond changing DNA itself, mutagens also cause errors in gene transcription
Exposure to mutagens, or mutation-causing agents, can not only bring about changes in DNA but also appear to induce errors when genes are transcribed to make proteins, which may be an important factor in age-related diseases. USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Assistant Professor Marc Vermulst and colleagues made the discovery by using state-of-the-art circle sequencing techniques...
New study on the role of monocytes in sarcoidosis
The cause of inflammatory lung disease sarcoidosis is unknown. In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated whether a type of immune cell called a monocyte could be a key player in sarcoidosis pathogenesis and explain why some patients develop the more severe and chronic disease than others. The study, which is published in The...
Chemists invent shape-shifting nanomaterial
Chemists have developed a nanomaterial they can trigger to shape-shift — from flat sheets to tubes and back to sheets again — in a controllable fashion. The Journal of the American Chemical Society published a description of the nanomaterial, which was developed at Emory University and holds the potential for a range of biomedical applications, from controlled-release drug delivery...
Nearly pain-free microneedle patch can test for antibodies and more in the fluid between cells
by Brandie Jefferson, Washington University in St. Louis Engineers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a microneedle patch that can be applied to the skin, capture a biomarker of interest from interstitial fluid and, thanks to its unprecedented sensitivity, allow clinicians to detect its presence. Credit: Sisi Cao...
New maintenance treatment for acute myeloid leukemia prolongs the lives of patients
WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE IMAGE: BLOOD SMEAR UNDER MICROSCOPY SHOWING ADULT ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA. CREDIT: WCM Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of acute leukemia in adults, that has gone into remission following initial chemotherapy remain in remission longer and have improved overall survival when they are given a pill form of...
NSAIDs might exacerbate or suppress COVID-19 depending on timing, mouse study suggests
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY Washington, DC – January 22, 2021 – New research shows that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduced both antibody and inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. The study appears this week in the Journal of Virology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. The research is important because “NSAIDs are arguably the most commonly used...
Anyone Flying to U.S. Must Show Negative Test: CDC
Carolyn Crist January 13, 2021 Passengers on all flights entering the U.S. will soon be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding the airplane, the CDC announced Tuesday. Passengers will need to take a test within 3 days of boarding their flight to the U.S. and provide written documentation of their result or recovery from...
Quarantine weight gain: Causes and tips to manage and reverse it
If a person has gained some weight during the quarantine period, it is important for them not to be too self-critical. Several manageable adjustments can help people lose the weight they gained in lockdown. Quarantine is an effective measure to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, life under lockdown comes with its own mental...
Proteins unspool DNA so cells can take on unique properties
Biologists have long wondered how complex organisms contain a variety of dramatically different types of cells with specialized functions, even though all of those cells are genetically identical. New research reveals how proteins, called “pioneer transcription factors,” help turn on key genes that give cell types their unique properties and functions. These pioneer factors, it turns out,...