News
Genes and Their Regulatory 'Tags' Conspire To Promote Rheumatoid Arthritis
January 22, 2024 1:22 pm | CommentsIn one of the first genome-wide studies to hunt for both genes and their regulatory “tags” in patients suffering from a common disease, researchers have found a clear role for the tags in mediating genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an immune disorder that afflicts an estimated 1.5 million American adults.
Researchers Turn One Form of Neuron into Another in the Brain
January 22, 2024 1:16 pm | CommentsA new finding by Harvard stem cell biologists turns one of the basics of neurobiology on its head by demonstrating that it is possible to turn one type of already differentiated neuron into another within the brain.
Loneliness, Like Chronic Stress, Taxes the Immune System
January 22, 2024 1:12 pm | CommentsNew research links loneliness to a number of dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that being lonely has the potential to harm overall health. Researchers found that people who were more lonely showed signs of elevated latent herpes virus reactivation and produced more inflammation-related proteins in response to acute stress than did people who felt more socially connected.
Ampio Pharma says eye drug trial can go ahead
January 22, 2024 11:45 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsGREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) — Biotech drugmaker Ampio Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration accepted its application to start testing the eye drug Optina. Optina is designed to treat diabetic macular edema, which can cause blurred vision and blindness. Ampio said it...
Wind in the Willows Boosts Biofuel Production
January 21, 2024 12:58 pm | CommentsWillow trees cultivated for green energy can yield up to five times more biofuel if they grow diagonally, compared with those that are allowed to grow naturally up towards the sky. Researchers have identified a genetic trait that causes this effect and is activated in some trees when they sense they are at an angle, such as where they are blown sideways in windy conditions.
Four-stranded ‘Quadruple Helix’ DNA Structure Proven to Exist in Human Cells
January 21, 2024 12:55 pm | CommentsIn 1953, Cambridge researchers Watson and Crick published a paper describing the interweaving ‘double helix’ DNA structure – the chemical code for all life. Now, in the year of that scientific landmark’s 60th Anniversary, Cambridge researchers have published a paper proving that four-stranded ‘quadruple helix’ DNA structures – known as G-quadruplexes – also exist within the human genome.
Flu season fuels debate over paid sick time laws
January 20, 2024 11:08 am | by JENNIFER PELTZ - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsSniffling, groggy and afraid she had caught the flu, Diana Zavala dragged herself in to work anyway for a day she felt she couldn't afford to miss. A school speech therapist who works as an independent contractor, she doesn't have paid sick days. So the mother of two reported to work and hoped...
Testing brain pacemakers to zap Alzheimer's damage
January 20, 2024 7:45 am | by LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | CommentsIt has the makings of a science fiction movie: Zap someone's brain with mild jolts of electricity to try to stave off the creeping memory loss of Alzheimer's disease. And it's not easy. Holes are drilled into the patient's skull so tiny wires can be implanted into just the right spot. A dramatic...
More than 140 nations adopt treaty to cut mercury
January 19, 2024 10:52 am | by JOHN HEILPRIN - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsA new and legally binding international treaty to reduce harmful emissions of mercury was adopted Saturday by more than 140 nations, capping four years of difficult negotiations but stopping short of some of the tougher measures that proponents had envisioned. The new accord aims to cut mercury...
FDA approves Botox for overactive bladder
January 18, 2024 5:47 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Food and Drug Administration said Friday it has approved Allergan's Botox injection for a new use in treating patients with overactive bladder that does not respond to conventional medications. Patients with overactive bladder experience frequent, unexpected contractions of the bladder, which...
Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study
January 18, 2024 2:05 pm | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | CommentsResearchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study aiming to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it. The drug, called solanezumab (sol-ah-NAYZ-uh-mab), is designed to bind to and help clear the sticky deposits...
Flu remains widespread in US; eases in some areas
January 18, 2024 12:03 pm | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | CommentsNine more children or teens have died of the flu, bringing the nation's total this flu season to 29, health officials reported Friday. In a typical season, about 100 children die of the flu, so it is not known whether this year will be better or worse than usual. So far, half of confirmed flu...
Study Findings Have Potential to Prevent, Reverse Serious Disabilities Affecting Children Born Prematurely
January 18, 2024 11:49 am | CommentsIn a recent study, researchers report for the first time that low blood and oxygen flow to the developing brain does not, as previously thought, cause an irreversible loss of brain cells, but rather disrupts the cells’ ability to fully mature. This discovery opens up new avenues for potential therapies to promote regeneration and repair of the premature brain.
Researchers Identify Enzyme Involved in Deadly Brain Tumors
January 18, 2024 11:41 am | CommentsOne of the most common types of brain tumors in adults, glioblastoma multiforme, is one of the most devastating. Even with recent advances in surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, the aggressive and invasive tumors become resistant to treatment, and median survival of patients is only about 15 months.
Irregular Heartbeat Elevates Risk of Kidney Failure
January 18, 2024 11:37 am | CommentsThe risk of kidney failure is greater for people with chronic kidney disease who also have atrial fibrillation, one of the most common forms of irregular heart rhythm in adults, according to a new study. The finding opens the way for further studies into the relationship between the two factors, which could lead to new treatment approaches that would improve outcomes for people with chronic kidney disease.
