UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE PHILADELPHIA–Piperlongumine, a chemical compound found in the Indian Long Pepper plant (Piper longum), is known to kill cancerous cells in many tumor types, including brain tumors. Now an international team including researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has illuminated one way in which...
Month: <span>April 2021</span>
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New approach to gene therapy can correct any disease-causing mutation within a gene
by Gail McCormick, Pennsylvania State University Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new approach to gene editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system bypasses disease-causing mutations in a gene, enabling treatment of genetic diseases linked to a single gene, such as cystic fibrosis, certain types of sickle cell anemia, and other rare diseases. The method, developed and tested in...
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Mice master complex thinking with a remarkable capacity for abstraction
by Max Planck Society Mice form categories to simplify their world. Showing that, researchers identified neurons that encode learned categories. Credit: MPI of Neurobiology/ Kuhl Categorization is the brain’s tool to organize sensory inputs. Grouping information into categories simplifies the complex world and helps people to react quickly and effectively to new experiences. Scientists at the Max Planck...
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Shedding light on the robustness of short-term memory during distractions
by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A team of researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute has learned more about the brain processes involved in short-term memory retention when distractions occur. In their paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the group describes memory experiments they conducted with lab mice and what they learned from...
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Nicotinamide Riboside Supplementation Beginning in Mid-Life Slows Osteoporosis in Mice
In today’s open access paper, researchers report that long-term supplementation with nicotinamide riboside in mice, starting from mid-life and continuing into old age, slows the pace of osteoporosis. The extracellular matrix of bone tissue is constantly remodeled over time, broken down by osteoclasts and built up by osteoblasts. Osteoporosis is caused by a growing imbalance...
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New genetic clues point to new treatments for ‘silent’ stroke
Scientists have identified new genetic clues in people who have had small and often apparently ‘silent’ strokes that are difficult to treat and a major cause of vascular dementia, according to research led by the University of Cambridge and published in The Lancet Neurology. Researchers discovered changes to 12 genetic regions in the DNA of people who have had...
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Mysterious “Nuclear Speckle” Structures Inside Cells Enhance Gene Activity, May Help Block Cancers
A team led by scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has illuminated the functions of mysterious structures in cells called “nuclear speckles,” showing that they can work in partnership with a key protein to enhance the activities of specific sets of genes. The discovery, which is published in Molecular...
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New Urine-Based Test Holds Promise for Detecting Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have developed a new urine-based, multi-biomarker test to detect aggressive prostate cancer that performed better than existing biomarker tests in initial preclinical evaluations. The Urine Prostate Seq test, or UPSeq for short, uses next-generation genomic sequencing to analyze urine collected from men following a digital rectal exam. Most prostate cancers are...
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Light up your mind: A novel light-based treatment for neurodegenerative diseases
Researchers review growing knowledge on the methods and applications of light therapy in treating neurodegenerative diseases. A lot about the human brain and its intricacies continue to remain a mystery. With the advancement of neurobiology, the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases (ND) has been uncovered to a certain extent along with molecular targets around which current...
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Researchers at MUSC use AI software to predict coronary artery plaque composition and significance without the risks of invasive procedures
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA IMAGE: ELUCID’S VASCUCAP SOFTWARE GIVES PHYSICIANS A COLOR-CODED MAP OF CARDIAC VESSELS THAT SHOWS DIFFERENT PLAQUE TYPES AND INDICATES WHICH DESERVE THE MOST ATTENTION. CREDIT: LABORATORY OF U. JOSEPH SCHOEPF Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease and is present in about 18.2 million American adults. This...