UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that a strain of coronavirus that has recently alarmed the swine industry may have the potential to spread to humans as well. The coronavirus strain, known as swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), emerged from bats and has...
Month: <span>October 2020</span>
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Scientists home in on the mechanism that protects cells from premature aging
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FÉDÉRALE DE LAUSANNE IMAGE: A NEW STUDY BY EPFL RESEARCHERS SHOWS HOW RNA SPECIES CALLED TERRA MUSTER AT THE TIP OF CHROMOSOMES. Molecules that accumulate at the tip of chromosomes are known to play a key role in preventing damage to our DNA. Now, researchers at EPFL have unraveled how these molecules home in on...
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Scientists uncover new clues about Parkinson’s disease
Tool developed at MIT simultaneously measures chemical and electrical brain signals, revealing unexpectedly complex relationship between brain signals. As the brain processes information, electrical charges zip through its circuits and neurotransmitters pass molecular messages from cell to cell. Both forms of communication are vital, but because they are usually studied separately, little is known about...
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How anti-ageing drugs could boost COVID vaccines in older people
COVID-19 poses the greatest threat to older people, but vaccines often don’t work well in this group. Scientists hope drugs that rejuvenate the immune system will help. Older adults, like these nursing-home residents in Spain, are more vulnerable to infection and can respond poorly to vaccines. Unlike fine wine, the human body does not improve...
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Predictive planning
Predicting the spread of COVID-19 with smart thermometers Kinsa’s predictive map of COVID-19 outbreaks on Oct. 14, with flashing lights indicating states where cases are projected to rise. A company that makes internet-connected thermometers has shown success in predicting likely COVID-19 hot spots days or even weeks before case counts rise. Why it matters: Even as the...
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Scientists identify sensor protein that underlies bladder control
by The Scripps Research Institute An image of sensory neurons, with those that detect signals in the bladder labeled in magenta and the “mechanosensor” protein PIEZO2 in cyan. A team co-led by scientists at Scripps Research has found that the main sensor protein enabling our sense of touch also underlies the feeling of having a full bladder and makes normal...
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Virus-mimicking drug helps immune system target cunning cancer cells
by University of California, Los Angeles Researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a drug that activates the body’s natural defenses by behaving like a virus may also make certain stealthy melanoma tumors visible to the immune system, allowing them to be better targeted by immunotherapy. The findings, published today in the journal Science...
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Protein that keeps immune system from freaking out could form basis for new therapeutics
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN DIEGO IMAGE: TWO MACROPHAGES (BLUE) FIGHTING TO ENGULF THE SAME PATHOGEN (GREEN). GIV/GIRDIN IS SHOWN IN RED. v The immune response to infections is a delicate balance. We need just enough action to clear away the offending bacteria or viruses, but not so much that our own bodies suffer collateral damage. Macrophages...
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Study reveals the role of our ‘second brain’ in diabetes
Researchers have uncovered new clues to the mystery of how the gut’s nervous system affects glucose metabolism in the rest of the body. Their findings could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes causes the body’s cells to become less sensitive to signals from insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating levels of...
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Cell-type mapping used to identify cellular substrates that underlie two types of thirst
by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress A team of researchers from the California Institute of Technology, Nankai University and the University of California, Berkeley, has found that the cellular substrates that underlie two types of thirst could be identified using a certain kind of cell-type mapping. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group outlines their...