Two variants of an autoimmune disease that affects thousands but is hard to diagnose are relatively common among black Africans, research shows. The findings, relating to systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, could improve the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. They could enable better management of the disease in patients of African descent, particularly in...
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Researchers have warned statins offer no protection to millions of people
‘No evidence’ having high levels of bad cholesterol causes heart disease, claim 17 cardiologists as they call on doctors to ‘abandon’ statins Researchers have warned statins to offer no protection to millions of people The findings add to the ever-growing row over the cholesterol-busting pills High levels of LDL-C has been considered a major cause of...
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Osteoarthritis: Can an antioxidant offer protection?
In a recent series of experiments, scientists found that a specific antioxidant helps prevent the damage that osteoarthritis causes to cartilage. This may also have applications for bone and brain disorders. Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis type, causing pain and stiffness in the joints as cartilage steadily breaks down. Osteoarthritis commonly affects knee joints....
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Decoding depression: could translating mood signals be the start of a new era for treatment of affective disorders?
Novel decoding technology allows for the prediction of mood based on underlying neural signals, potentially revolutionizing the future treatment of affective disorders. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC; CA, USA) have recently reported a breakthrough in neural decoding technology. Using recordings from intracranial electrodes they have discovered a new method of translating the...
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Research in yeast leads to serendipitous finding about a central nervous system disorder
Salk Institute researchers discover how defects in an important quality control mechanism in cells contribute to rare neurodegenerative disease LA JOLLA–(September 14, 2018) Studying the fundamental aspects of biology can sometimes lead to unexpected findings that directly relate to human disease. In one of the latest examples of scientific serendipity, researchers from the Salk Institute...
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“Atypical” virus discovered to be driver of certain kidney diseases
An international research team led by Wolfgang Weninger has discovered a previously unknown virus that acts as a “driver” for certain kidney diseases (interstitial nephropathy). This “atypical” virus, which the scientists named “MKPV” (for Mouse Kidney Parvovirus), belongs to the family of parvoviruses. The results of the study have now been published in the leading...
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Defects in gene expression partially responsible for ALS and dementia
The Xrp1 protein appears to play an important role in the development of certain forms of ALS and dementia caused by a mutation in the FUS gene. This finding of Radboud University researchers was published on September 12th in the Journal of Cell Biology. Neurons in the ‘spinal chord’ of the fruit fly. The Xrp1...
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Breakthrough in schizophrenia identifies importance of immune cells
Researchers from NeuRA and UNSW have made a major discovery in schizophrenia research that could open doors to new treatments, research, and therapies. In one of the biggest breakthroughs in schizophrenia research in recent times, Professor Cynthia Shannon Weickert from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW Sydney have identified immune cells in greater amounts in the brains of some...
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Gene therapy shown to remove core component of Parkinson’s disease
An international team led by Rush researcher Jeffrey Kordower, Ph.D., has moved a step closer to developing a treatment to clear brain cells of a protein that is an integral cause of Parkinson’s disease. The team published the findings of their study in Aug. 22 issue of Nature Parkinson’s Disease. Photomicrograph of regions of substantia nigra...
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Improved early diagnosis and treatment for Graves’ orbitopathy
Despite Graves’ disease and Graves’ orbitopathy affecting around 3 million Europeans and costing billions of euros, treatments can only control symptoms. INDIGO identified risk factors, studied microbiota composition and tested probiotics to improve health outcomes. Credit: Perception7, Shutterstock Graves’ disease (GD)—the commonest cause of an overactive thyroid gland—is a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by the...