Picturing plaques and imaging inflammation To determine risk of future coronary artery disease, calcium content in vascular plaques is typically evaluated by coronary calcium scoring, which uses computerized tomography (CT) imaging. To detect inflammation and subclinical coronary artery disease (soft, noncalcified plaques), Antonopoulos et al. developed an alternative metric called the perivascular CT fat attenuation index (FAI)....
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A simple breath test could be the next step in diagnosing breast cancer
The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is recruiting people for a clinical trial that will research the effectiveness of a breath test for breast cancer diagnostics. The BreathLink device captures a two-minute sample of a patient’s breath and provides prompt results on whether there are indications of breast cancer. If proven effective, the test would...
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Scientists develop imaging method for measuring glutathione in real time
Glutathione is the most abundant natural antioxidant in cells. It protects them from damage and regulates a number of important functions, including cell proliferation and death, the synthesis of the genetic material and proteins and the activation of gene expression. These functions are regulated by changes in the concentration of glutathione, but the current methods...
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What does green, yellow, or brown phlegm mean?
Phlegm is a type of mucus that is produced in the lungs and nearby lower respiratory tract airways. This kind of mucus has a crucial role in preventing germs and materials from entering the airways and lungs and potentially causing an infection. Other areas of the body, including the upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth, and...
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T-cells lacking HDAC11 enzyme perform more effectively in destroying cancer cells
GW Cancer Center researchers identified the HDAC11 enzyme as an epigenetic checkpoint of T-cell function in the treatment of cancer tumors WASHINGTON (July 17, 2017) — Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center have discovered a new role for the enzyme, histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11), in the regulation of T-cell function. T-cells can...
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Virtual Reality Helps Reverse Complete Paralysis Post Spinal Cord Injury
Remember the paralyzed man who kicked off the 2014 World Cup in Brazil while using an exoskeleton? That was possible thanks to the lab of Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D. at Duke University from where we now get even more exciting news. A small group of individuals paralyzed due to spinal cord injury have managed to regain some control, as...
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Study identifies source of cell-specific change in Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers led by Arizona State University (ASU) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have identified altered expression of a gene called ANK1, which only recently has been associated with memory robbing Alzheimer’s disease, in specific cells in the brain. Using an extremely precise method of isolating cells called “laser capture microdissection,” researchers looked at three specific cell...
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Peptide complex in the brain is responsible for Alzheimer’s disease
Members of the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine at the Lomonosov Moscow State University have determined the structure of a peptide complex formed in the brain at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The research results will contribute to the rational design of compounds to block the progress of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is associated with...
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Electrical stimulation of brain may help people with schizophrenia learn to communicate better
UCLA researchers have found that people with schizophrenia were able to more accurately determine whether two auditory tones matched or differed, after receiving a type of electrical brain stimulation. Being able to distinguish tones is essential for verbal communication. People with schizophrenia have difficulty discriminating between tones of differing frequencies. This is thought to impair...
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Study identifies new target to preserve nerve function
Scientists in the Vollum Institute at OHSU have identified an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the degeneration of axons, the threadlike portions of a nerve cell that transmit signals within the nervous system. Axon loss occurs in all neurodegenerative diseases, so this discovery could open new pathways to treating or preventing a wide...