KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab in Sweden describe in a study published in Science how they have improved the ability of a protein to repair oxidative DNA damage and created a new protein function. Their innovative technique can lead to improved drugs for diseases involving oxidative stress, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and lung...
Month: <span>June 2022</span>
Post
Hair-raising research: Scientists find surprising link between immune system, hair growth
by Salk Institute Glucocorticoid hormone signal in regulatory T cells promotes hair follicle stem cell activation and new hair growth. Left: After hair loss, skin cells (blue) from a normal mouse can activate hair follicle stem cells (red). Right: Cells from mice without glucocorticoid receptors in their regulatory T cells cannot activate hair follicle stem...
Post
Wearable chemical sensor is as good as gold
UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO IMAGE: SERS, OR SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, IS A METHOD OF DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF A CHEMICAL INDIRECTLY BY USING LASER LIGHT AND A SPECIALIZED SENSOR. THE GOLD MESH PROVIDES AN IDEAL SURFACE FOR TAKING MEASUREMENTS AS IT DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE SUBSTANCE BEING MEASURED. CREDIT: ©2022 GODA ET AL. Researchers...
Post
New study indicates sight problems may increase dementia risk in older adults
TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP Older adults with untreated sight conditions may be at increased risk of dementia, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 studies involving 76,373 participants. The results of the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Aging and Mental Health, highlight a need for further research to examine the impact...
Post
Single-cell map of heart failure suggests possible therapeutic targets
by Allessandra DiCorato, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Fibroblasts, a kind of connective tissue cell in the heart, showing cell nuclei (gray), tubulin (red), and actin (green). Credit: Maria (Masha) Kost-Alimova and Michelle Melanson, Center for the Development of Therapeutics Scientists from the Precision Cardiology Lab (PCL) of the Broad Institute of MIT and...
Post
Researchers untangle the APOE4 gene, the most significant genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease
by Boston University School of Medicine Graphical abstract. Cell (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.05.017 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 5.8 million individuals in the U.S. Scientists have discovered some genetic variants that increase the risk for developing Alzheimer’s; the most well-known of these for people over...
Post
Study shows why many cancer cells need to import fat
by Columbia University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Columbia and MIT researchers are revealing the surprising reasons why cancer cells are often forced to rely on fat imports, a finding that could lead to new ways to understand and slow down tumor growth. The research, led by Dennis Vitkup, Ph.D., associate professor of systems biology at...
Post
A new model sheds light on how people learn motor skills
by University of Tsukuba Credit: Olimpik/Shutterstock Even seemingly simple movements are very complex to perform, and the way we learn how to perform new movements remains unclear. Researchers from Japan have recently proposed a new model of motor learning that combines a number of different theories. A study published this month in Neural Networks revealed that their...
Post
Study identifies unique underlying molecular factors driving melanoma development
by Ohio State University Medical Center Melanoma in skin biopsy with H&E stain—this case may represent superficial spreading melanoma. Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0 A new study reveals important molecular information that could help scientists develop more effective treatment and prevention strategies for a difficult-to-treat form of melanoma skin cancer. In this new report, The Ohio...
Post
Mother’s blood may carry the secret to one type of autism
by UC Davis Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Autism is a neurodevelopment condition affecting 1 in 44 children in the U.S. It has a wide range of characteristics with different intensities and causes. One type of autism is maternal autoantibody-related autism spectrum disorder (MAR ASD). MAR ASD is marked by the presence of specific maternal immune...