Testosterone injections can trigger drastic long-term weight loss in obese men, a German study has found. Men with an average weight of 18 stone (114kg) saw their weight drop by 4st and 3lbs (27kg) over a decade while having the jabs every three months as part of a study. Their body mass index (BMI) went...
Scientists found out what exercise is the best for the recovery from heart disease
Heart disease is one of the most common causes of death, taking millions of lives every year. You know how you could reduce the risk of it – you need to exercise more and eat healthy. But how do you recover from heart disease that’s already here? Scientists from the University of Queensland found that...
Coaxing single stem cells into specialized cells
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO SINGLE CELLS ENCAPSULATED IN HYDROGEL WITH VARIED DEPOSITION USING A NEW TECHNIQUE DEVELOPED AT UIC. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have developed a unique method for precisely controlling the deposition of hydrogel, which is made of water-soluble polymers commonly used to support cells in experiments or for therapeutic...
Researchers identify nanobody that may prevent COVID-19 infection
IMAGE: FROM LEFT: LEO HANKE, BEN MURRELL AND GERALD MCINERNEY, RESEARCHERS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY, TUMOR AND CELL BIOLOGY AT KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a small neutralizing antibody, a so-called nanobody, that has the capacity to block SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells. The researchers believe this nanobody has...
Does the COVID-19 cytokine storm exist?
Research may have an impact on the chances of success of a specific treatment RADBOUD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Inflammatory proteins, also known as cytokines, play a crucial role in the immune response. If this immune response is too strong, a phenomenon known as “cytokine storm”, it can cause harm to the patient. It has been...
Possible blood-clotting mechanism in COVID-19 found
Why so many COVID-19 patients get blood clots (thrombosis) remains uncertain. But scientists at Uppsala University and the University Hospital have now identified a mechanism they believe to be implicated. A particular protein triggers a part of our immune system that can boost the blood’s tendency to coagulate and form clots. The study is now...
The genetics of blood: A global perspective
by University of Montreal Researchers discovered 5000 genetic associations and used the genetic diversity of their samples to refine association signals and explored the genetic architecture of blood-cell traits across populations. This image illustrates how the authors used genetic data from 746,667 participants from five global populations (African-ancestry, East Asian, European-ancestry, Latino/Hispanic, South Asian) to...
Study targets gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease
by Bob Shepard, University of Alabama at Birmingham The neurons in this image are stained blue, indicating the presence of the BIN1 protein. Points of direct interaction between BIN1 and calcium channels are in purple. Credit: University of Alabama at Birmingham Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are on the track of a...
Unlocking the mystery of tau for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
by Nagoya University Under normal physiological conditions, FUS and SFPQ interact in the nucleus of nerve cells and regulate the alternative splicing of MAPT by excising exon 10. When this functional machinery is impaired, the splicing ratio of MAPT exon 10+/exon 10- is increased, which in turn results in an increased 4R-Tau/3R-Tau ratio. The findings...
Researchers study biological roots for adolescent risk-taking
by Karen B. Roberts, University of Delaware As any parent will tell you, no two children behave in exactly the same way. It is part of what makes each individual unique. So, why do some adolescents take more risks than others? University of Delaware Biomedical Engineer Curtis Johnson and graduate student Grace McIlvain think they...