A groundbreaking set of studies has found that blocking certain receptors in the brain leads to the growth of remarkably strong bones. Could a new osteoporosis treatment be on the horizon? Primarily a disease of old age, osteoporosis can cause bones to become gradually weaker. Image: Osteoporosis most commonly affects older women. Over time, bones become so porous that minor...
Category: <span>biological sciences</span>
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Engineers create an inhalable form of messenger RNA
Patients with lung disease could find relief by breathing in messenger RNA molecules MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Messenger RNA, which can induce cells to produce therapeutic proteins, holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases. The biggest obstacle to this approach so far has been finding safe and efficient ways to deliver mRNA molecules to...
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Study finds link between obesity and sense of smell
A recent review concludes that people with obesity have a reduced ability to detect and discriminate smell compared with those who are not obese. Obesity is a medical condition characterized by an excessive amount of body fat. It is a global issue that affects millions of people worldwide, and it is a risk factor for diabetes and...
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Why You Should Have Heart Surgery in the Afternoon
“You know how Carl Sagan said that we have billions of stars? Well, we have billions of clocks,” says Carrie Partch. “Someday I think there’s going to be this palm-to-forehead moment where we all say: I cannot believe we didn’t understand that every form of life on this planet has a clock that links us to...
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Skin Lesions Linked With Anti-TNF in IBD
Most paradoxical psoriasiform eruptions were managed locally ORLANDO — Paradoxical psoriasiform eruptions have increasingly been reported among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) being treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, a researcher reported here, describing a case that she had recently seen. The patient was a 27-year-old woman with IBD who presented with a...
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Killing the liver-stage malaria parasite with baculovirus: a drug discovery approach
Researchers at Kanazawa University have discovered that an insect virus (a baculovirus) can completely eliminate liver-stage malaria parasites in mice, thus offering hope for safer and more effective treatments for the disease than existing drugs KANAZAWA UNIVERSITY Kanazawa, Japan – Currently, few antimalarial treatments exist that effectively kill liver-stage malaria parasites, which can lay dormant...
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Enzymes engineered to trap reaction intermediates
Many enzymatic processes involve a mechanism in which reaction intermediates are covalently attached to the enzyme’s active site. A strategy has been devised that enables mimics of these intermediates to be visualized. Andrew M. Gulick Enzyme structure and function are routinely studied by altering the DNA that encodes the enzyme, thus replacing specific amino-acid residues in the enzyme with other...
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Primordial protein translation
Ribosomes can function with iron or manganese ions in place of magnesium, recent results show, providing an insight into the evolutionary history of protein transcription. A recent study that set out to investigate the early development of ribosomes – highly conserved complexes present in all life – and their interactions with different ions at the...
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Ready for a close-up: The science behind face massage rollers
Facial massaging using a roller can increase skin blood flow for more than ten minutes after the massage. It can also improve vasodilation — the widening of blood vessels, — in the long-term, according to a study by researchers in Japan. IMAGE: IMAGING USING LASER-SPECKLE FLOWGRAPHY REVEALED RED COLORS, INDICATING HIGHER SKIN BLOOD FLOW, IN...
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Vaginal problems diminish quality of life but often go unreported
CLEVELAND, Ohio (November 14, 2018)–With symptoms such as dryness, burning, or itching of the vagina, vulvovaginal atrophy is estimated to affect up to 98% of postmenopausal women, many of whom will fail to report symptoms to their healthcare providers or seek help. A new survey demonstrates the negative effect of these symptoms on quality of...