International team of scientists discover link between genes and penicillin allergy using biobanks from Estonia, UK and USA Penicillin, a life-saving medicine, is the most common cause of drug allergy, with clinical manifestations ranging from temporary skin reactions to life-threatening systemic syndromes. Thus far, genetic factors have only been found for rare severe allergic reactions...
Month: <span>September 2020</span>
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Attacking tumors from the inside
Two experimental drugs fight non-small cell lung cancer by affecting their blood vessels, oxygen levels, and other environmental factors UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER FROM LEFT: DRS. RALPH MASON, LI LIU, AND YIHANG GUO, AND RESEARCHER JENI GERBERICH USED A NEW TOOL CALLED MULTISPECTRAL OPTOACOUSTIC TOMOGRAPHY TO EXAMINE NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER TUMORS GROWING. DALLAS –...
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How mechanical forces nudge tumors toward malignancy
by Katherine Fenz, Rockefeller University Epidermal stem cells (green) form small bud-shaped structures that later become tumors. Credit: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Development at The Rockefeller University All cancers are the result of cells that have gone haywire, multiplying out of control and expanding beyond their normal constraints. But not all tumors are the...
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Brain cell death in ALS, dementia tied to loss of key biochemical transport structure in nucleus
by Vanessa McMains, Johns Hopkins University (Top) The nuclear pore protein Pom121 in healthy brain cells. (Bottom) Brain cells with an ALS/dementia genetic mutation have less of the nuclear pore protein Pom121 than healthy brain cells, which leads to disrupted transport routes and ultimately cell death. Credit: Alyssa Coyne Researchers have long sought to explain...
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Schizophrenia: Nurture cannot overcome nature
by Nicole Feldman, University of California, Irvine Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and other brain imaging technologies allow for the study of differences in brain activity in people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The image shows two levels of the brain, with areas that were more active in healthy controls than in schizophrenia patients shown in orange,...
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‘Hotspots’ of a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human body
by German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases An infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can affect multiple organs. With this in mind, researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Cornell University in the US have investigated cellular factors that could be significant for an infection. To this end, they analyzed the activity of 28...
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New molecule repairs cartilage and relieves symptoms of osteoarthritis
by Joel Winston, Queen Mary, University of London A newly discovered molecule has been found to provide long-lasting regeneration of bone and cartilage defects, as well as symptom relief, and could potentially play a role in treating osteoarthritis, according to early research in animals led by Queen Mary University of London. Cartilage overlies bones to...
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Investigational drug stops toxic proteins tied to neurodegenerative diseases
by Melissa Moody, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania An investigational drug that targets an instigator of the TDP-43 protein, a well-known hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), may reduce the protein’s buildup and neurological decline associated with these disorders, suggests a pre-clinical study from researchers at Penn...
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Toxicity of dorsal root ganglia is widely associated with CNS AAV gene therapy
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC./GENETIC ENGINEERING NEWS JOURNAL IN THE FIELD AND PROVIDES ALL-INCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE CRITICAL PILLARS OF HUMAN GENE THERAPY: RESEARCH, METHODS, AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS New Rochelle, NY, September 2, 2020—A meta-analysis of non-human primate (NHP) studies showed that adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy often caused dorsal root ganglion (DRG) pathology. There were...
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Methods to quickly reduce swelling in the knee
Swelling in the knee can reduce mobility and cause pain and other symptoms. Fortunately, a few simple techniques may quickly ease the swelling. Swelling of the knee may result from overuse, injury, or arthritis. A person may be able to ease the swelling at home, but in some cases, professional treatment is necessary. This article...