UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Most of the cells in our bodies – be they bone, muscle or pancreas cells – are locked into the right place with the help of tiny anchors (called ‘focal adhesions’). These strong anchors use protein chains to link the cell to collagen, the protein that gives structure to our...
Month: <span>September 2021</span>
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Pet store puppies passing drug-resistant bacteria to people
by Steven Reinberg It’s hard to resist those big, pleading eyes in the pet store window. But buyer beware. Pet store puppies may infect people with a bacteria for which no common antibiotic treatment exists, a new study warns. Campylobacter jejuni (C jejuni) cannot be treated with any common antibiotics and is an increasing public...
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Understanding sickle cell disease
by Laurel Kelly Credit: CC0 Public Domain Sickle cell disease, which is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders, affects approximately 100,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, which makes this a good time to learn about two of the...
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Researchers shed new light on molecular mechanisms in brain diseases
IMAGE: RUTGERS RESEARCHERS HAVE DISCOVERED SOME OF THE FIRST MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO HOW TOXIC PROTEINS ARE REGULATED IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES SUCH AS ALZHEIMER’S AND PARKINSON’S. CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 13, 2021) – Rutgers researchers have discovered some of the first molecular insights into how toxic proteins are regulated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and...
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Vaping is linked to heightened eating disorder risk among U.S. college students
by University of Toronto Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new study published in the journal Eating Behaviors found that vaping or e-cigarette use is associated with a heighted risk of developing an eating disorder among US college students. This finding is particularly important given the common use of vape pens and e-cigarettes and an increase in the prevalence...
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Cancer immunotherapy gets PIP boost
by Kyoto University The new compound EnPGC-1, which activates the mitochondria of mouse T cells, can make cancer immunotherapy more efficient. Credit: Mindy Takamiya/Kyoto University iCeMS A synthetic molecular code shows promise towards improving the response of some cancer patients to immunotherapy treatments. The approach involves using a molecule that can provide energy to anti-cancer immune...
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A fountain of youth for ageing stem cells in bone marrow
by Max Planck Society Stained calcium (dark brown) in stem cells from the bone marrow: Young stem cells (left) produce more material for bone than old stem cells (center). They can be rejuvenated by adding sodium acetate (right). Credit: Pouikli/Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing As we age, our bones become thinner, we suffer fractures...
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Mimicking nature to provide long-lasting local anesthesia
by Children’s Hospital Boston This schematic shows the peptides P1 and P2 with hydrophobic modifications that enable them to self-assemble into nanostructures that bind to tetrodotoxin (TTX). Credit: Tianjiao Ji, PhD, Kohane lab in Nature Biomedical Engineering, Sept. 13, 2021. Site 1 sodium channel blockers such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin are small-molecule drugs with powerful local...
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‘Headspace’ app could benefit people with asthma
by University of Bath (a) Proportion of participants who demonstrated a change in primary endpoint at 6 weeks, relevant to minimum clinically important difference (MCID). (b) Proportion of participants who demonstrated a change in primary endpoint at 3 months, relevant to minimum clinically important difference (MCID). Credit: DOI: 10.1007/s10865-021-00249-3 People with asthma given access to a popular mindfulness...
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Gut microbes are key to health benefit delivered by hops compound
by Oregon State University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The health-enhancing performance of a compound found in hops is dependent upon its interactions with intestinal microorganisms, new research by Oregon State University shows. Understanding how xanthohumol, often abbreviated as XN, works is important for unlocking its potential to counter diet-induced obesity and the health risks associated with a global obesity epidemic,...