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22-Jul-2018 7:00 PM EDT
Parkinson’s Treatments Being Developed Could Benefit Most People with the Disease
Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh

A gene linked to 3 to 4 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease could play an important role in most, if not all, people with the disease, according to a new study. The findings suggest that treatments being developed for this small group of people may benefit many more patients than previously thought.

22-Jul-2018 7:30 PM EDT
Immune Response Likely Culprit in Eyelid Gland Condition That Causes Dry Eye
Duke Health

Immune cells that normally rush in to protect the eyes from infection might actually be disrupting moisturizing glands and causing dry eye, a disease that afflicts more than 30 million people in the United States.

Released: 25-Jul-2018 11:05 AM EDT
New Strategy for Cancer Therapy Spells Double Trouble for Tumors
Scripps Research Institute

The study, published recently in Nature Communications, shows that a molecule in cells, called Rad52, repairs special kinds of damaged DNA that accumulate in some cancers.

Released: 25-Jul-2018 10:30 AM EDT
Demon in the Details of Quantum Thermodynamics
Washington University in St. Louis

Researcher in physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis are working out a theory of thermodynamics in quantum physics and finding some interesting results, including “negative information.”

Released: 25-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Vibrations at an Exceptional Point
Washington University in St. Louis

A team of international researchers led by engineers at Washington University has developed a way to use a light field to trigger a mechanical movement that will generate an acoustic wave.

Released: 25-Jul-2018 6:00 AM EDT
Women and Older People Under-Represented in Drug Trials for Heart Disease
Universite de Montreal

In the U.S., it's estimated the number of people aged 65 and older will double over the next 30 years. With the first baby boomers now turning 73, the demand for cardiac care is expected to skyrocket, not just in the U.S. but elsewhere as well. Even though they have more cardiovascular problems, fewer women and people over 65 are recruited for randomized clinical trials than men and younger people. To find out, a team of researchers took a close look at the 25 most influential clinical trials for each year in the 20-year period from 1996 to 2015. They compared the age and sex of participants to data published in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2016 on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in America.

Released: 24-Jul-2018 4:40 PM EDT
Unless We Spot Changes, Most Life Experiences Are Fabricated From Memories
Washington University in St. Louis

We may not be able to change recent events in our lives, but how well we remember them plays a key role in how our brains model what’s happening in the present and predict what is likely to occur in the future, finds new research in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

23-Jul-2018 4:30 PM EDT
Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Impacted by the Liver, Diet
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Reduced levels of plasmalogens are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, according to new research presented this week at AAIC 2018.

Released: 24-Jul-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Gas ‘Halos’ Surrounding Young Galaxy Contain Clues to Its Growth
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Most of the ordinary matter in the universe isn’t in the form of a star or a planet, but gas. And most of that gas exists not in galaxies but around and between them. A team of astronomers has found a new way to study the gas surrounding a young galaxy, BX418, with an eye toward finding clues to how the first galaxies formed.

19-Jul-2018 12:05 PM EDT
Pediatric Sepsis Care Within an Hour Decreases Chance of Death, Largest Ever Analysis Finds
Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh

More than one in 10 children hospitalized with sepsis die, but when a series of clinical treatments and tests is completed within an hour of its detection, the chances of survival increase considerably.

Released: 24-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Where Martian Dust Comes From
 Johns Hopkins University

The dust that coats much of the surface of Mars originates largely from a single thousand-kilometer-long geological formation near the Red Planet’s equator,

Released: 24-Jul-2018 10:00 AM EDT
Research Shows a Promising New Class of Antibodies Protects Against HIV-1 Infection
Texas Biomedical Research Institute

A group of scientists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute have zeroed in on a new defense against HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. Led by Ruth Ruprecht, M.D., Ph.D., the team used an animal model to show for the first time that an antibody called Immunoglobulin M (IgM) was effective in preventing infection after mucosal AIDS virus exposure.

17-Jul-2018 10:50 AM EDT
Host Antibodies Shape Gut Microbiome by Changing Bacteria Gene Expression
The Rockefeller University Press

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science in Japan have discovered how antibodies secreted in the gut promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. Their study, which will be published July 24 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, shows that immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies can alter the expression of bacterial genes, allowing different bacterial species to cooperate with each other and form a community that can protect the body from disease.

Released: 23-Jul-2018 5:05 PM EDT
Diabetes risk higher among LGBQ teens than heterosexual teens, study finds
Northwestern University

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning youth are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, be obese and engage in less physical activity and more sedentary activities than heterosexual youth, a new Northwestern Medicine study has found.

Released: 23-Jul-2018 4:00 PM EDT
Scientists Develop New Materials That Move in Response to Light
Tufts University

Researchers have developed magnetic elastomeric composites that move in different ways when exposed to light, raising the possibility that these materials could enable a wide range of products that perform simple to complex movements, from tiny engines and valves to solar arrays that bend toward the sunlight.

Released: 23-Jul-2018 3:05 PM EDT
Scientists get first look at T cell responses in Ebola virus survivors
Scripps Research Institute

New Scripps Research study offers guidance for more effective Ebola vaccines

   
Released: 23-Jul-2018 3:05 PM EDT
Scientists Introduce New Way to Mimic ‘Machine of Machines’
University of California San Diego

Nature freely puts together microscopic building blocks. To mimic this self-assembly would revolutionize science’s approach to synthesizing materials that could heal, contract or reconfigure. UC San Diego and NYU scientists explored this mimicry and introduced a new way to assemble specially designed microscopic blocks into small gear-like machines.

19-Jul-2018 4:00 PM EDT
Nanocrystals Emit Light by Efficiently ‘Tunneling’ Electrons
University of California San Diego

Using advanced fabrication techniques, engineers at the University of California San Diego have built a nanosized device out of silver crystals that can generate light by efficiently “tunneling” electrons through a tiny barrier. The work brings plasmonics research a step closer to realizing ultra-compact light sources for high-speed, optical data processing and other on-chip applications.

18-Jul-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Curing Breast Cancer but at What Cost? Patients Report Heavy Financial Toll
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

A new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center finds many breast cancer patients are concerned about the financial impact of their diagnosis and treatment, and that they feel their doctor’s offices are not helping with these concerns.

Released: 20-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Scientists Reverse Aging-Associated Skin Wrinkles and Hair Loss in a Mouse Model
University of Alabama at Birmingham

When a mutation for mitochondrial dysfunction is induced in a mouse model, the mouse develops wrinkled skin and extensive hair loss in a matter of weeks. This is reversed to normal appearance when mitochondrial function is restored by turning off the gene responsible for mitochondrial dysfunction.

19-Jul-2018 10:00 AM EDT
Drug Now in Clinical Trials for Parkinson’s Strengthens Heart Contractions in Animals
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A drug currently in clinical trials for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may someday have value for treating heart failure, according to results of early animal studies by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

16-Jul-2018 3:00 PM EDT
Enzyme Identified as Possible Novel Drug Target for Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassemia
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Medical researchers have identified a key signaling protein that regulates hemoglobin production in red blood cells, offering a possible target for a future innovative drug to treat sickle cell disease. Tests in human cells reveal that blocking the protein reduces the characteristic sickling that distorts the shape of red blood cells and gives the disease its name.

Released: 19-Jul-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Memory Foam for Vascular Treatment Receives FDA Clearance
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Shape Memory Medical recently announced FDA clearance for U.S. marketing of their IMPEDE Embolization Plug, a technology funded by NIBIB and created to block irregular blood vessels.

   
Released: 19-Jul-2018 9:40 AM EDT
GW Study Will Examine Molecular Mechanisms of Male Bias in Autism
George Washington University

With more than $2 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a team at GW led by Chiara Manzini, PhD, will study the CC2D1A gene and its role in the development of autism in males versus females.

17-Jul-2018 10:00 AM EDT
‘Good Cholesterol’ May Not Always be Good for Postmenopausal Women
Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh

Postmenopausal factors may have an impact on the heart-protective qualities of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) – also known as ‘good cholesterol.’ The findings bring into question the current use of total HDL cholesterol to predict heart disease risk.

17-Jul-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Study Finds Melanoma Biomarkers Predicting Checkpoint Blocker Response
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Scientists at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) have identified biomarkers in melanoma that could help tailor immunotherapy treatments to maximize the benefits for patients while reducing the likelihood of severe side effects.

Released: 17-Jul-2018 12:05 PM EDT
Close-Ups of Grain Boundaries Reveal How Sulfur Impurities Make Nickel Brittle
University of California San Diego

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have shed new light on a scientific mystery regarding the atomic-level mechanism of the sulfur embrittlement of nickel, a classic problem that has puzzled the scientific community for nearly a century. The discovery also enriches fundamental understanding of general grain boundaries that often control the mechanical and physical properties of polycrystalline materials.

Released: 17-Jul-2018 12:05 PM EDT
$1.54 Million NIH Grant to Wayne State to Identify Ways to Improve Cardiac Function in Heart Failure
Wayne State University Division of Research

With the help of a $1.54 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, a research team from Wayne State University will establish a targeted approach to sustain cardiac function during an energetic crisis and heart failure.

Released: 17-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
NSF Grant Will Help Fund Engineering Professor’s Research of Bio-Inspired Micro-Air Vehicles
University of Alabama Huntsville

"Dynamics and Control of Long Range Micro Air Vehicles Inspired by Monarch Butterflies" receives NSF grant.

Released: 17-Jul-2018 8:00 AM EDT
Majority of Older Adults with Probable Dementia Are Likely Unaware They Have It, Study Suggests
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Johns Hopkins Medicine analysis of information gathered for an ongoing and federally sponsored study of aging and disability adds to evidence that a substantial majority of older adults with probable dementia in the United States have never been professionally diagnosed or are unaware they have been.

Released: 16-Jul-2018 8:05 PM EDT
Technique May Improve Lung Delivery of Bacteria-Killing Phage
Georgia Institute of Technology

A new delivery system for bacteriophages—viruses that selectively attack harmful bacteria—could help give doctors a new way to battle lung infections that threaten older patients and people with cystic fibrosis.

13-Jul-2018 3:05 PM EDT
New ALS Therapy in Clinical Trials
Washington University in St. Louis

New research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates an investigational therapy for an inherited form of ALS extends survival and reverses signs of neuromuscular damage in mice and rats. The findings, published July 16 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, have led to a phase one/two clinical trial to investigate whether the drug could benefit people with ALS whose disease is caused by mutations in a gene called SOD1.

Released: 16-Jul-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Researchers Engineer Bacteria That Create Fertilizer Out of Thin Air
Washington University in St. Louis

A team at Washington University in St. Louis has created a bacteria that uses photosynthesis to create oxygen during the day, and at night, uses nitrogen to create chlorophyll for photosynthesis. This development could lead to plants that do the same, eliminating the use of some — or possibly all — man-made fertilizer, which has a high environmental cost.

12-Jul-2018 12:05 PM EDT
Overcoming a Major Barrier to Developing Liquid Biopsies
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

An international consortium of labs tested nine different methods for RNA sequencing to understand and standardize the best methods for sequencing small RNAs. The goal was to create a process that could be reproduced from one lab to the next to further the field of liquid biopsies.

Released: 16-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Researchers Find Hidden Signals in RNAs that Regulate Protein Synthesis
Case Western Reserve University

Scientists have long known that RNA encodes instructions to make proteins. The building blocks that comprise RNA—A, U, C, and Gs—form a blueprint for the protein-making machinery in cells. In a new study published in Nature, scientists describe how the protein-making machinery identifies alternative initiation sites from which to start protein synthesis.

   
Released: 13-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Testosterone Research Brings New Hope for Cancer Patients
Texas A&M University

Dr. Melinda Sheffield-Moore, professor and head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology, along with researchers at University of Texas Medical Branch, recently published research showing that the hormone testosterone is effective at combatting cachexia in cancer patients and improving quality of life.

Released: 12-Jul-2018 3:05 PM EDT
NSF's IceCube Observatory Finds First Evidence of Cosmic Neutrino Source
University of California San Diego

An international team of scientists has found the first evidence of a source of high-energy cosmic neutrinos, subatomic particles that can emerge from their sources and, like cosmological ghosts, pass through the universe unscathed, traveling for billions of light years from the most extreme environments in the universe to Earth.

11-Jul-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Scientists ID Protein Exploited by Virus Ravaging West Africa
University of California San Diego

New research has uncovered a protein enabling the replication of arenaviruses, lethal pathogens spreading in West Africa. The research identified DDX3 as a key factor through its unexpected ability to dismantle normal human immune system defenses. The study may pave the way to new therapeutic treatments for arenaviruses and hemorrhagic fever.

   
Released: 12-Jul-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Novel Therapy Delays Muscle Atrophy in Lou Gehrig’s Disease Model
Case Western Reserve University

Supplementing a single protein found in the spinal cord could help prevent symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to a new study out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Researchers found high levels of the protein—called mitofusion 2 or Mfn2—prevented nerve degeneration, muscle atrophy, and paralysis in a mouse model of the disease. Since Mfn2 is often depleted during Lou Gehrig’s, the new study suggests supplementing it could be a novel therapeutic approach for the disease.

Released: 12-Jul-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Study Reveals Opioid Patients Face Multiple Barriers To Treatment
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

In areas of the country disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, treatment programs are less likely to accept patients paying through insurance of any type or accept pregnant women, a new Vanderbilt study found.

Released: 12-Jul-2018 8:00 AM EDT
Scientists Create Nano-Size Packets of Genetic Code Aimed at Brain Cancer ‘Seed’ Cells
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In a “proof of concept” study, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully delivered nano-size packets of genetic code called microRNAs to treat human brain tumors implanted in mice. The contents of the super-small containers were designed to target cancer stem cells, a kind of cellular “seed” that produces countless progeny and is a relentless barrier to ridding the brain of malignant cells.

   
9-Jul-2018 9:20 AM EDT
Database Analysis More Reliable Than Animal Testing for Toxic Chemicals
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Advanced algorithms working from large chemical databases can predict a new chemical’s toxicity better than standard animal tests, suggests a study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Released: 10-Jul-2018 3:05 PM EDT
UC San Diego Biologists Discover Process That Neutralizes Tumors
University of California San Diego

Researchers discovered an unexpected twist in the battle versus tumors. Researchers have found that some tumor cells display not only a weapon, but also a brake, essentially becoming a neutralizing function. The unexpected mechanism could help determine whether a cancer patient will respond to immunotherapy.

   
10-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
How Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Escapes Death in Macrophages
University of Alabama at Birmingham

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are able to escape destruction and grow after they are engulfed by lung macrophages. Now researchers have described key biochemical steps between the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the macrophage responsible for that ability.

Released: 10-Jul-2018 8:00 AM EDT
Research Update: Cellular “Garbage Disposal” Has Another Job
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins researchers have found that the cellular “garbage disposal,” known to scientists as proteasomes, may not only be responsible for the removal of cellular waste, but actually work on some of the most important proteins to neuronal development.

Released: 9-Jul-2018 3:30 PM EDT
Can Fasting Improve MS Symptoms?
Washington University in St. Louis

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can find an abundance of conflicting advice suggesting that special diets will ease their symptoms. But the evidence is scanty. Laura Piccio, MD, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has launched a trial to evaluate whether drastically cutting calories twice a week can change the body’s immune environment and the gut microbiome, and potentially change the course of the disease.

Released: 9-Jul-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Biosensor Chip Detects Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Wirelessly and with Higher Sensitivity
University of California San Diego

A team led by the University of California San Diego has developed a chip that can detect a type of genetic mutation known as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and wirelessly send the results in real time to an electronic device. The chip is at least 1,000 times more sensitive at detecting an SNP than current technology. The advance could lead to cheaper, faster and portable biosensors for early detection of genetic markers for diseases such as cancer.

   
Released: 9-Jul-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Pucker Up, Baby! Lips Take Center Stage in Infants’ Brains, Study Says
University of Washington

Researchers used brain imaging to gauge how the hand, foot and lips are represented in the brains of 2-month-olds – a much younger age than has been studied previously. It is believed to be the first to reveal the greater neurological activity associated with the lips than with other body parts represented in the infant brain. It also indicates how soon infants’ brains begin to make sense of their bodies, a first step toward other developmental milestones.

     
6-Jul-2018 11:30 AM EDT
Study Finds Mutation Driving Deadlier Brain Tumors and Potential Therapy to Stop It
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A poorly understood mutation in the brain cancer glioblastoma (GBM) is now being implicated for the first time as the driver of rare but deadlier cases of the disease, a team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research reported this week in Cancer Cell.

5-Jul-2018 4:00 PM EDT
Preventative HIV Vaccine Candidate Triggers Desired Immune Responses in Humans and Monkeys, and Protects Monkeys from Infection
Beth Israel Lahey Health

In a new study, published July 6 in The Lancet, a team of researchers led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Dan H. Barouch, MD, PhD, in collaboration with Janssen Vaccines & Prevention and other partners, evaluated a series of preventative HIV vaccine regimens in uninfected human volunteers in five countries. In a similarly designed study, Barouch and colleagues tested the same vaccine for its ability to protect rhesus monkeys challenged with an HIV-like virus from infection. The findings showed the vaccines induced robust and comparable immune responses in humans and monkeys and protected monkeys against acquisition of infection.



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