Megan Brooks February 16, 2023 Treatment with the thiazolidinedione pioglitazone may offer the greatest protection against dementia for older adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who have a history of stroke or ischemic heart disease, new research suggests. Overall, in a large cohort study from Korea, patients who took pioglitazone were 16% less likely to develop dementia over an average of...
Month: <span>March 2023</span>
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‘Breakthrough’ Study: Diabetes Drug Helps Prevent Long COVID
Carolyn Crist March 09, 2023 Metformin appears to play a role in preventing long COVID when taken early during a COVID-19 infection, according to a new preprint study from The Lancet. The preprint hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal. In particular, metformin led to a 42% drop in long COVID among people who had a mild to...
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Estrogen receptor in the heart found to regulate obesity in postmenopausal women
by La Trobe University Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Estrogen is known to play an important role in the protection of women’s hearts, but once women are postmenopausal and estrogen levels drop, they are at an increased risk of a number of diseases and conditions, including heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, the study...
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β-damascone: Aroma Component of Rose Fragrance as a Novel Immunomodulator
Researchers from Tokyo identified a natural immunomodulator, β-damascone, and explored its molecular function in detail. Dendritic cells (DCs) perform several important immunological functions. However, their hyperactivity can result in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. To identify natural compounds that can regulate DC-mediated functions, a group of researchers screened 150 natural aroma compounds. They discovered that β-damascone, a major aroma component...
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Cause of leukemia in trisomy 21
GOETHE UNIVERSITY FRANKFURT IMAGE: BONE MARROW SMEAR FROM A CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME WHO SUFFERS FROM LEUKEMIA. THE PURPLE-COLOURED LEUKEMIC BLASTS DISPLACE NORMAL BLOOD FORMATION. CREDIT: JAN KLUSMANN, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL FRANKFURT FRANKFURT. Leukaemia (blood cancer) is a group of malignant and aggressive diseases of the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. Very intensive chemotherapy and...
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Scientists harness power, precision of RNA to make mutations invisible
by Emily Boynton, University of Rochester Medical Center Graphical abstract. Credit: Molecular Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.01.009 Scientists have discovered a new way to suppress mutations that lead to a wide range of genetic disorders. A study recently published in the journal Molecular Cell describes a strategy that co-opts a normal RNA modification process within cells to transform disease genes into normal genes that produce...
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Advanced imaging may help in clinical treatment of prostate cancer
by European Association of Urology Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An advanced imaging method is showing promise as a way to improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer by giving clinicians a clearer view of suspected tumors during biopsy. A trial conducted at the University Hospital Bonn, in Germany, has been testing the benefit of a scanning...
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Ozone pollution is linked with increased hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease
by European Society of Cardiology Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The first evidence that exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) ozone limit is associated with substantial increases in hospital admissions for heart attack, heart failure and stroke is published today in European Heart Journal. Even ozone levels below the WHO maximum were linked with worsened health. “During...
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Novel rare skin mutation gene identified by whole exome sequencing
by BGI Genomics (A): Pedigree of the patient’s family, including parents, a sister who died of HI disease, a stillbirth boy at 12 weeks of pregnancy, two healthy brothers and sister carrying the mutation and the patient.(B): The Sanger sequencing results of the members in the patient’s family. The results show that the patient’s parents,...
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In search of the ‘inflammatory Achilles heel’
by Kyoto University Credit: iScience (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106081 When our bodies become infected, various immune responses are triggered, starting with a release of granulocytes, white blood cells containing special enzymes that make up about half or more of all human white blood cells. Neutrophils are also granulocytes that fight off invasive bacteria and fungi, often with zero...