by UT Southwestern Medical Center Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly metastatic cancer. The liver is one of the common sites of metastases, as seen in this image of mouse liver with metastatic SCLC lesions. SCLC tumors are composed of tightly packed epithelial cells with few immune cells infiltrating inside the tumor. Credit: UT...
Month: <span>February 2021</span>
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Diabetes treatment may protect against COVID-19 mortality
In a new study, the medication metformin significantly reduced the risk of death from COVID-19 in people with diabetes. Share on Pinterest Scott Olson/Getty Images Upon analyzing data from a diverse patient population, the researchers found that individuals who had been taking metformin, a drug for type 2 diabetes, were less likely to die of COVID-19...
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A Closer Look at How Immune Cells Attack and Heal
Macrophages – immune cells that both fight infections and fix the damage they cause – are often placed into two categories: those that increase inflammation (known as “M1”) to attack, and those that decrease inflammation to begin the healing process (“M2”). Researchers in the lab of Kathryn Miller-Jensen, associate professor of biomedical engineering and molecular,...
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The Most Worrying Mutations in Five Emerging Coronavirus Variants
By Sara Reardon Saaberie Chishty Ambulance Service paramedic Ronald Ramaselela leaves after assessing a COVID-19 patient in Lenasia, South Africa, on January 4, 2021. Currently suffering a second wave of infections, of which the majority are a new variant of the coronavirus, South Africa is the hardest hit country on the African continent. Credit: Michele Spatari Getty Images When...
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Scientists create a thermostat for blood pressure to help patients with spinal cord injuries
By THERESA GAFFNEY ADOBE Paralysis or the loss of mobility are among the most pressing and clear consequences of a spinal cord injury. But many patients also face lesser-known complications that can disrupt their daily lives in other ways. One of the most common problems is orthostatic hypotension, or not being able to maintain a stable...
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How a Little-Known Glycoprotein Blocks a Cancer Cell’s Immune Response
It was an unexpected discovery that started with an analysis of more than 1,000 genes. The question: why game-changing cancer immunotherapy treatments work for only a fraction of patients. The analysis shone a light on one that popped up repeatedly in patients and mouse models that did not respond to immune checkpoint therapy: stanniocalcin-1, a...
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How vitamins, steroids and potential antivirals might affect SARS-CoV-2
Evidence is emerging that vitamin D – and possibly vitamins K and A – might help combat COVID-19. A new study from the University of Bristol published in the journal of the German Chemical Society Angewandte Chemie has shown how they – and other antiviral drugs – might work. The research indicates that these dietary supplements and...
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AGEs Contribute to Disc Degeneration via Interaction with RAGE
Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are a form of metabolic waste, sugary compounds that can interact harmfully with structures and cells in the body. A few forms of persistent AGE can form lasting cross-links in the extracellular matrix that change the structural properties of tissues, contributing to the loss of elasticity in skin and blood vessels, for example. Most...
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Host immune classifier HIC assays may predict treatment response
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF LUNG CANCER (Singapore–4:45 p.m. SPT/3:45 a.m. EST January 30, 2021–Using a host immune classifier (HIC) test for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may provide better predictors of treatment response and improve outcomes, according to research presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s 2020 World...
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Study finds potential therapeutic targets to inhibit colorectal cancer progression
NAGOYA UNIVERSITY IMAGE: REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES OF HUMAN COLON CANCER TISSUE SHOWING THE LOCALIZATION OF GREMLIN 1-POSITIVE (LEFT) AND MEFLIN-POSITIVE (RIGHT) CANCER-ASSOCIATED FIBROBLASTS (CAFS) IN THE STROMA. BROWN DENOTES CAFS THAT ARE POSITIVE FOR GREMLIN 1 OR MEFLIN T.,TUMOR CELLS CREDIT: ATSUSHI ENOMOTO Nagoya University researchers and colleagues have revealed that colorectal cancer tissues contain at least two...