A new study has identified a previously undescribed role for a type of unconventional T cell with the potential to be used in the development of new therapies for infection and cancer. The study, published today in Nature Communications, shows that Gamma Delta T cells are able to generate immunological memory against previous infections and cancerous...
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Snail venom could knock out pain – and opioid addiction
With an epidemic of addiction to opioid painkillers on the rise, researchers say they’ve found an alternative for pain relief from an unlikely source – a small snail found in the Caribbean Sea. Scientists from the University of Utah say the little cone snail Conus regius produces a venom that blocks a pain pathway different from the...
Are ibuprofen and aspirin the cures for sepsis? Similar drugs found to prevent blood poisoning which kills thousands
Sepsis is a life-threatening inflammatory response to an infection, doctors say NSAIDs work by blocking an enzyme in the body that causes inflammation But scientists found they can also inhibit another enzyme responsible for it Sepsis can rob someone of their life in minutes. But a potentially life-saving treatment has been under our noses for...
The stem cell dynamics of wound healing
Researchers at the Université libre de Bruxelles, ULB define for the first time the changes in the stem cell dynamics that contribute to wound healing. One of the key questions in biology is to identify how tissues are repaired after trauma and understand how stem cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate to repair tissue damage. In a study...
From Alzheimer’s to autism, nuclear neurology could launch revolution in diagnosing and treating brain diseases
Image of glucose metabolism PET overlaid on CT in an Alzheimer’s patient with mild dementia. Green arrow points to regional hypometabolism in the medial parietal lobe, (which processes biographical information and memory),a proposed biomarker for Alzheimer’s. UB researcher with database of 16,000 brain scans proposes that powerful imaging can transform neurology as it did cardiology...
Discovery could help doctors to spot cardiovascular disease at an earlier stage
Screening methods for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes could be improved by measuring different biological signposts to those currently being tested, a new study led by researchers from King’s College London suggests. Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study could allow doctors to better predict the development of...
Scientists spot signs that predict worsening multiple sclerosis
(HealthDay)—Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more likely to progress to advanced disease among patients who suffer from fatigue and limited use of their legs, new research suggests. “Better understanding who is at high risk of getting worse may eventually allow us to tailor more specific treatments to these people,” said study author Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman. She...
Highly prevalent gene variants in minority populations cause kidney disease
Preclinical study is first proof-of-concept to pave way for development of new therapeutics Representative images of kidney tissue from APOL1-G1 and APOL1-G2 mice, showing severe scarring of the kidney filter. African Americans have a heightened risk of developing chronic and end-stage kidney disease. This association has been attributed to two common genetic variants — named...
Anti-aging gene identified as a promising therapeutic target for older melanoma patients
Pharmacologic activation of anti-aging gene with anti-diabetic drug could be used as adjuvant therapy for older melanoma patients who have developed resistance to targeted therapy PHILADELPHIA — (Feb. 23, 2017) — Scientists at The Wistar Institute have shown that an anti-diabetic drug can inhibit the growth of melanoma in older patients by activating an anti-aging...
Why is pancreatic cancer so hard to treat? Stroma provides new clues
In the dense stromal tissue that envelops pancreatic tumors, Tuveson and colleagues have discovered two varieties of a cell type called fibroblasts which help create the stroma. One of these varieties is seen in left image: fibroblasts (red) close to proliferating cancer cells (green) that express high levels of a protein called aSMA. In the...