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Action of "gatekeeper" cells could be ground zero for Alzheimer's

A new pathway in to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s?   In the hunt for a cause and cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative ailments, much attention has been focused on sticky proteins called beta-amyloid plaques that build up in the brain and cause nerve damage. A new potential target has been identified by researchers however, in...

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Life-saving breast cancer drug considered as 'the closest thing to a cure' set to be rejected for use on the NHS because of its cost

Breast cancer drug Palbociclib freezes the growth of aggressive tumours This delays the need for chemotherapy, enabling women to lead normal lives Rationing watchdog NICE rejecting the drug due to its £2,950 a month cost Drug will only be viewed as cost-effective if its price can be cut to £590 a month  A revolutionary drug considered...

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'Helper cells' can turn toxic in brain injury and diseases

For many years, research on neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord and brain injury has focused on damage to nerve cells, or neurons. Now, a new study of astrocytes – a type of cell that surrounds and supports neurons – finds that there is a subtype that can turn rogue and kill neurons, instead of helping...

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Genetic defect found to cause disease in multiple organs

New research from Queen Mary University of London has identified a novel syndrome in patients with kidney and adrenal disease New research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has identified a novel syndrome in patients with kidney and adrenal disease. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, identified defects in a novel gene...

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Vitamin D discovery could prove key to new treatments for metabolic disorders and certain cancers

A team led by Motonari Uesugi, professor and deputy director of Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), found that a vitamin D metabolite known as ’25-OHD’ inhibits proteins that regulate lipid production. Those proteins, called sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), cannot then stimulate expression of lipid-producing genes. “To our knowledge, this is the...