by Lancet The first study to report use of the rheumatoid arthritis drug anakinra to treat COVID-19 patients found that high-dose anakinra was safe and was associated with respiratory improvements and reduced signs of cytokine storm in 72% (21/29) of patients, according to results from patients studied for 21 days (enrolled from 17 to 27...
Newly discovered mechanism can explain increased risk of dementia
by Karolinska Institutet Millions of people around the world use proton pump inhibitors for conditions like heartburn, gastritis and stomach ulcers. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now report that the long-term use of these drugs could increase the risk of developing dementia. Their results are published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “We’ve been...
Research team develops vaccine platform applicable to viruses
by National Research Council of Science & Technology Bang Eun-kyoung(left) from the KIST’s Center for Neuro-Medicine are discussing the efficacy of RNA stabilizer containing zinc complex. Credit: Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) MERS, which struck South Korea in a 2015 outbreak, was caused by a coronavirus, the same family of viruses that is...
Unexpectedly potent protein droplets help explain hereditary diseases
by Max Planck Society Microscopic image of cell nuclei of cultured cells. HOXD13 condensates are labelled in red. The DNA is stained in blue. Credit: MPI f. Molecular Genetics/ Shaon Basu Repeats of individual building blocks within proteins are the cause of many hereditary diseases, but how such repeats actually cause disease is still largely...
Is vitamin K the secret key to bone strength?
by Monica Jimenez, Tufts University colonize the gut could also bolster bones, according to Kyla Shea of the Vitamin K Laboratory at the USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University. Credit: Ingimage When we think of strong bones, we usually think of milk, a rich source of the nutrients that promote...
Overlooked researchers researchers researchers could play important part in pneumonia and COVID-19, researchers say
by Karolinska Institutet In severe cases of COVID-19, a massive release of the endogenous protein HMGB1 in the lungs may contribute to pulmonary inflammation and tissue damage, according to a review article published today in the scientific journal Molecular Medicine. The researchers conclude that the inflammation could hypothetically be treated with an HMGB1 inhibitor. Severe...
More selective elimination of leukemia stem cells and blood stem cells
by University of Zurich Novel immunotherapy against leukaemia: Genetically modified immune cells (white) attack the cancer cells (orange). Credit: iStock/wildpixel Hematopoietic stem cells from a healthy donor can help patients suffering from acute leukemia. However, the side effects of therapies are often severe. A group of researchers led by the University of Zurich have now...
Protein found that keeps the circadian clock on schedule
by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress RUVBL2 protein (in red) acts to integrate the circadian repressive super-complex, and how the physiological metabolite of cordycepin (CoTP, the green key) breaks down the complex and causes a 12-hour clock phase-shift. Credit: Zhancong Xu A team of researchers from several institutions in China and two in the U.S....
Newly discovered cell type plays a crucial role in the immune response to respiratory infections
by VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) With a discovery that could rewrite the immunology textbooks, an international group of scientists, including the teams of Bart Lambrecht, Martin Guilliams, Hamida Hammad, and Charlotte Scott (all from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) identified a new type of antigen-presenting immune cell. These cells, that are part...
Artificial intelligence jump starts clinical trial for rare genetic disease
by Bob Shepard, University of Alabama at Birmingham It was a pretty simple e-mail. Just a couple of lines. “It looks like low-dose ketamine is an up-regulator for ADNP. Do you think this makes sense for ADNP patients?” Matt Might sent that e-mail to Matt Davis on Feb. 18, 2019. Might is the director of...