MICHIGAN MEDICINE – UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN A new study investigates a genetic culprit behind abdominal aortic aneurysm, a serious condition that puts people at risk of their aorta rupturing – a potentially deadly event. Finding a viable genetic target for AAA could change the game, says senior author Katherine Gallagher, M.D., a vascular surgeon and...
Month: <span>April 2021</span>
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Experimental antiviral proves effective in halting spread and damage of COVID-19
by Mr Alan Williams, University of Plymouth Dr Michael Jarvis, associate professor of virology and immunology. Credit: University of Plymouth An experimental antiviral drug can significantly decrease levels of the virus causing COVID-19 and the damage it causes in the lungs, according to new research. Scientists from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the...
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New factor in the development of psoriasis discovered
by Medical University of Vienna Credit: Estzer Miller on Pixabay Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin condition. The underlying genetic factors have not yet been sufficiently researched. The skin inflammation is usually triggered by external factors such as infections or stress. A research team at the Institute of Cancer Research of the Medical University of Vienna has now managed to...
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Researchers identify genetic variants that impact immune cells’ functioning
by Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute Fig. 1: Properties PU.1 transcription factor QTLs. From: Genetic perturbation of PU.1 binding and chromatin looping at neutrophil enhancers associates with autoimmune disease. Credit: Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22548-8 Researchers have combined genome-wide sequencing and functional profiling of immune cells to understand more about the impact of genetic variants on disease. Certain genetic variants...
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Leg muscle action assists blood flow independently of age
by Kanazawa University T1WI with muscle and vein ROI set on the T1WI of the cross section at the center of the marker. Muscle area was measured for GAS and SOL. The vein area was measured for the PV and the GSV and SSV. PV, popliteal vein;GAS, gastrocnemius muscle; SOL, soleus muscle; GSV, great saphenous vein;...
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Research sheds new light on pancreatic cancer metastasis
by University of Oklahoma Min Li, Ph.D. Credit: OU Medicine With an overall survival rate of 9% for those diagnosed, pancreatic cancer remains exceedingly difficult to treat. However, the patient’s primary tumor typically isn’t what leads to death—it is the cancer’s ability to evade detection and metastasize to other organs. A team of researchers at the OU College...
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Interaction of mitochondria and lysosomes key in Parkinson’s disease
by Will Doss, Northwestern University A tiled image of a single neuron showing the scale of a neuron compared to HeLa cells. The cell body of a dopaminergic neuron is smaller than regular somatic cells, but its neurites are very long in their length, which is one reason why different organelle dynamics were observed in sub-compartments...
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New study shows people with a high Omega-3 index less likely to die prematurely
WRIGHT ON MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS A new research paper examining the relationship between the Omega-3 Index and risk for death from any and all causes has been published in Nature Communications. It showed that those people with higher omega-3 EPA and DHA blood levels (i.e., Omega-3 Index) lived longer than those with lower levels. In other...
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Reschedule your mammogram: COVID vaccine may lead to a harmless lump in your armpit
by Rik Thompson and Thomas Lloyd, The Conversation Credit: www.shutterstock.com Australian women are being asked to think about the timing of breast cancer screening as they prepare to receive their COVID vaccine. This is in light of US evidence that a normal consequence of COVID vaccination, temporary swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpit, may interfere with how doctors interpret...
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Neuro-researchers find repetitive head impacts can result in functional brain impairments
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY IMAGE: HOCKEY PLAYER GETS HIS BRAIN VITAL SIGNS CHECKED. RESEARCHERS FIND REPETITIVE HEAD IMPACTS CAN RESULT IN FUNCTIONAL BRAIN IMPAIRMENTS IN YOUTH HOCKEY. CREDIT: HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY DISTRICT Surrey, B.C. Canada and Rochester, Minn., U.S. (April 22, 2021) – Neuroscience researchers at Mayo Clinic Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.,...