Month: <span>January 2017</span>

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Curb your immune enthusiasm

Salk Institute researchers discovered that inhibiting a protein called phospholipid scramblase 1 (PLSCR1) controls the infected cell’s antiviral response and provides long-term protection from immune attack and excessive inflammation. Salk Institute researchers discovered that inhibiting the protein PLSCR1 controls the infected cell’s antiviral response and provides long-term protection from immune attack and excessive inflammation. In...

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Enzyme found to limit collateral damage from immune system

MPO gives the immune system a sniper-like ability to burn holes in bacteria When unwanted microbes enter your body, your white blood cells rush to the scene to begin fighting them off. But much like a battalion of soldiers, the process by which the cells fight off the invaders needs to be extremely precise, otherwise...

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‘Goldilocks’ drug prevents chronic kidney disease in primates

A new monoclonal antibody reduces ischemia/reperfusion injury in a primate model by binding target molecule without activating it Cells in any organ will die if their blood supply is cut off — such as during a heart attack, stroke, or organ transplant — but restoring circulation can also cause damage. Now a Massachusetts General Hospital...

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Trapped by the game: Why professional soccer players don’t talk about their mental health

Professional footballers (soccer players) do not feel it is safe to show vulnerability or admit to experiencing emotional struggles. That is the conclusion of research being presented at the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology Annual Conference in Liverpool by clinical psychologist Dr Susan Wood. Dr Wood wanted to understand professional footballers’ experience of...

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Patient Consent No Longer Required In Further Blood, DNA Research

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alongside 15 other federal agencies, issued Jan. 18 a final rule updating regulations to safeguard individuals participating in research. According to the final rule, consent forms are to include concise explanations at the beginning of the document, stating key information most relevant to people considering participating in...

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Getting closer to an effective treatment for Parkinson’s

Charalampos Tzoulis is closer to solve the Parkinson´s riddle. A new Norwegian study shows new mechanisms behind Parkinson’s disease, which can be key mechanisms for future treatment. More than 10 million people worldwide have Parkinson’s disease. The cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown and thus no effective treatments exist. A study from the University of...

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Life, but not as we know it: Scientists engineer first semisynthetic organism with three-base-pair DNA

Scientists claim to have created the first stable, replicating semisynthetic organism to contain an extra pair of artificial bases in its genetic code   Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) claim to have created the first stable semisynthetic organism with extra bases added to its genetic code. The single-celled organism is also able to continually...

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A Pharmaceutical Company is Officially Using Cannabis to Treat Disease

IN BRIEF Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women – in the U.S. alone, more than 610,000 people die from it annually. GrowBlox Life Sciences LLC announced that they plan to develop a drug that could prevent and treat cardiovascular disease using cannabis. STOKES’ SECRET INGREDIENT Heart disease is...

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Cachexia: Symptoms, Treatment and Outlook

Cachexia is a condition that causes extreme weight loss as well as muscle wasting. The name comes from two Greek words: kakos, meaning “bad,” and hexis, meaning “condition.” The condition is a symptom or side effect of chronic conditions, such as cancer, type 1 diabetes, HIV, and multiple sclerosis. Older individuals with “failure to thrive” syndrome may also develop cachexia....