An international team led by Emory scientists has gained insight into the pathological mechanisms behind two devastating neurodegenerative diseases. The scientists compared the most common inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) with a rarer disease called spinocerebellar ataxia type 36 (SCA36). Both of the diseases are caused by abnormally expanded and...
Month: <span>May 2020</span>
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Trial questions benefits of organic nitrates for bone health
Several clinical trials have reported beneficial effects of organic nitrates on bone health, which could lead to a reduced risk of fractures. Some of these trials have been retracted because of scientific misconduct; however. A new study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found that organic nitrates do not have clinically relevant...
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Cortexyme publishes data on P. gingivalis ability to infect neurons
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – May 6, 2020 – Cortexyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRTX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel, disease-modifying therapeutic approach to treat what it believes to be a key underlying cause of Alzheimer’s (AD) and other degenerative diseases, today announced the publication of research further documenting the ability of the pathogen...
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SMART researchers uncover new anti-phage defence mechanisms in bacteria
Groundbreaking discovery explains why some bacteria have been able to defend against phage therapy, and opens new ways for the medical community to overcome existing challenges Singapore, 6 May 2020 – Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, have discovered a new anti-phage defence mechanism found in some...
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Unraveling one of prion disease’s deadly secrets
AMHERST, Mass. – A molecular biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who has for decades studied the nightmarish group of fatal diseases caused by prions – chronic wasting disease in deer, mad cow in cattle and its human analog – credits a middle-of-the-night dream for a crucial insight, a breakthrough she hopes could lead...
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Interleukin-12 electroporation may sensitize ‘cold’ melanomas to immunotherapies
by American Association for Cancer Research Combining intratumoral electroporation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) DNA (tavokinogene telseplasmid, or TAVO) with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) led to clinical responses in patients with immunologically quiescent advanced melanoma, according to results from a phase II trial published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for...
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COVID-19 may increase blood clotting and blockage of brain blood vessels
Clinical observations of COVID-19 patients, who went on to have a stroke, suggest coronavirus may cause clots within blood vessels (arteries) in the brain, finds a team of neurologists from UCL and UCLH (the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery), London. The findings suggest early testing for D-dimer, a protein fragment in the blood associated...
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Genetic variation in a brain-cleansing water channel affects human sleep
by Public Library of Science The reason why we sleep remains an unresolved question of the 21st century. Research by Sara Marie Ulv Larsen, Sebastian Camillo Holst and colleagues from the Neurobiology Research Unit at the University Hospital Copenhagen, published this week in the open access journal PLoS Biology, now shows that the depth of...
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Why are Women More Likely to have Brain Aneurysms Compared to Men?
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD A brain aneurysm is a diseased or abnormal dilatation of the cerebral arteries at a weak spot. These typically thin-walled aneurysmal sacs of blood may continue to enlarge because of the force of the arterial pulsatile flow. A ruptured aneurysm leads to a subarachnoid hemorrhage, an SAH. Skewed Gender Representation...
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New information on viral antigens could improve COVID-19 testing
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc The team says that as well as improving the sensitivity and specificity of serology tests for early diagnosis of current infection, the findings could aid the identification of previous infection, which is essential for determining the rate of infection spread. They could also lay the foundations for identifying which antigens should...