Curated News: Grant Funded News

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For marine protected areas established to help coral reefs recover from overfishing, size really does seem to make a difference.

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Evolution is often thought of as a gradual remodeling of the genome, the genetic blueprints for building an organism. But in some instance it might be more appropriate to call it an overhaul. Over the past 100 million years, the human lineage has lost one-fifth of its DNA, while an even greater amount was added, report scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Until now, the extent to which our genome has expanded and contracted had been underappreciated.

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Young men who have sex with men (YMSM), particularly racial/ethnic minorities and youth living in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, are disproportionately affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the United States. By examining multilevel studies for evidence of how geospatial indicators are associated with HIV prevention and care outcomes for this population, a new study proposes strategies to intensify prevention efforts in communities where HIV is heavily concentrated.

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Using Harvard-developed technology, scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have catalogued more than 20,000 brain cells in one region of the mouse hypothalamus. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, revealed some 50 distinct cell types, including a previously undescribed neuron type that may underlie some of the genetic risk of human obesity. This catalog of cell types marks the first time neuroscientists have established a comprehensive “parts list” for this area of the brain. The new information will allow researchers to establish which cells play what role in this region of the brain.

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Over the past two decades there has been a sharp rise in the number and severity of infections caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile often shortened to C. diff now the most common hospital acquired infection in the United States. But a new study suggests that the most routinely prescribed antibiotic is not the best treatment for severe cases. Scientists at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and University of Utah School of Medicine report that patients with a severe C. diff infection (CDI) were less likely to die when treated with the antibiotic vancomycin compared to the standard treatment of metronidazole.

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Neurosurgeons want the quickest, most accurate information to help them make decisions during brain tumor surgery. A new technique could help.

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A team of investigators, led by Bradley S. Peterson, MD, director of the Institute for the Developing Mind at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Paul Siegel, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Purchase College of the State University of New York, have found that exposure to phobic images without conscious awareness is more effective than longer, conscious exposure for reducing fear.

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Living systems dynamics about as predictable as a chemical reaction: Bacteria that stab and poison for defense and conquest can be charted using math equations that apply to phase separation of metals.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes about 60,000 hospitalizations of children aged 0 to four, and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths among adults 65 and older. However, there are virtually no vaccines or treatments for these infections. In a study published online ahead of print in PLoS Pathogens, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine found evidence that the cytokine, Interleukin 27 (IL-27), may be the key to fighting and treating these infections.

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Berkeley Lab is set to receive nearly $4.6 million over four years as part of an ongoing, federally funded project to create a comprehensive catalog for fundamental genomics research. This latest expansion of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, or ENCODE 4, is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute.

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Studying mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have fortified evidence that a key purpose of sleep is to recalibrate the brain cells responsible for learning and memory so the animals can "solidify" lessons learned and use them when they awaken -- in the case of nocturnal mice, the next evening.

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Comet, the petascale supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), an Organized Research Unit of UC San Diego, has easily surpassed its target of serving at least 10,000 researchers across a diverse range of science disciplines, from astrophysics to redrawing the “tree of life”.

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After a decade of using a novel approach to select patients for laryngeal cancer treatment, researchers are reporting "exceptional" survival rates nearing 80 percent, even for the most advanced patients.

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A new Zika vaccine candidate has the potential to protect against the virus with a single dose, according to a research team led by scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. As reported in Nature this week, preclinical tests showed promising immune responses in both mice and monkeys.

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Cocaine use has long been tied anecdotally to higher-than-usual rates of impulsive behavior, including risky sex, but the tie-in has been difficult to study with any scientifically controlled rigor.

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Frequent soccer ball heading is a common and under recognized cause of concussion symptoms, according to a study of amateur players led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers. The findings run counter to earlier soccer studies suggesting concussion injuries mainly result from inadvertent head impacts, such as collisions with other players or a goalpost. The study was published online today in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Chikungunya virus causes a painful, debilitating arthritis for which there is currently no treatment. A new study has found that combining a drug for rheumatoid arthritis with one that targets the chikungunya virus can eliminate the signs of arthritis in mice in the early stage of the disease.

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A large-scale international study involving more than 300 researchers, published today in Nature, heralds the discovery of 83 genetic variations controlling human height. To discover the 83 genetic variations, the research team measured the presence of 250,000 genetic variations in the study’s 700,000 participants – an enormous job. This study paves the way for precision medicine.

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Researchers report they have discovered how two problem proteins known to cause Parkinson's disease are chemically linked, suggesting that someday, both could be neutralized by a single drug designed to target the link. A report on their discovery appears in the Jan. 24 issue of Cell Reports.

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Results of a multicenter study of 129 women with advanced breast cancer show that a blood test that spots cancer-linked DNA correctly predicted that most of those patients with higher levels of the tumor markers died significantly earlier than those with lower levels.

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The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received two five-year grants totaling more than $3.75 million to fund college readiness programs for low-income and first-generation college students in Pulaski and Jefferson counties.

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A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is giving researchers a first look at the early stages of brain development in patients with Fragile X syndrome, a disorder that causes mild to severe intellectual disability and is the most common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder.

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. Jefferson researchers pieced together the three-dimensional atomic structure of a doughnut-shaped protein that acts like a door or ‘portal’ for the DNA to get in and out of the capsid, and have now discovered that this protein begins to transform its structure when it comes into contact with DNA.

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Using immature stem cells to create a miniature model of the gut in the laboratory, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Pittsburgh have determined how infection-causing enteroviruses enter the intestine.

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Postnatal screening and treatment may prevent females from being raised as males.

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A research team led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) worked with a major United States multinational corporation to investigate employee perceptions of road risks and strategies to reduce road traffic injuries. This research was conducted in two Indian cities with some of the highest road traffic injury rates worldwide that are also centers for multinational corporations in the software and technology sectors.

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An international consortium of academic research institutions have been awarded a $21 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop better ways to prevent epilepsy in patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

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Iowa State's Neal Iverson is working with an international team on two projects that aim to build more realistic computer models of glacier flow. The researchers hope to understand how glaciers will speed up and add to sea-level rise as the climate warms.

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Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in the gut. Their findings in animal models could have implications for future pharmaceutical development.

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While the world waits for a vaccine against the ancient disease malaria, Terrie E. Taylor is working to save the lives of children who are currently afflicted by the deadliest form of the disease. Taylor, MSU University Distinguished Professor of internal medicine and an osteopathic physician, will use an $8.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health to build on her groundbreaking research that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015.

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A new study led by clinician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that hospital-led interventions over a seven-year period were associated with a significant reduction in the hospital’s Cesarean delivery rate. During the intervention period, researchers found that the Cesarean rate for low-risk women having their first delivery decreased from 34.8 percent to 21.2 percent. The hospital’s overall Cesarean rate also declined from 40 percent to 29.1 percent over the same period.

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When a cell is dividing, two identical structures, called centrosomes, move to opposite sides of the cell to help separate its chromosomes into the new cells.

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Findings could transform cancer drug development and patient care

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A new survey of 51 youth-serving, nonclinical, community-based organizations in Baltimore, Maryland, found that the majority did not offer HIV testing, nor did they have established links to refer youth to testing. Organizations that did provide HIV tests were more likely to offer general health services and referral services for sexually transmitted infections screening outside of HIV, and had staff members who were more comfortable talking about sexual health issues.

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Quick digital surveys before eye health appointments could help clinicians target care and improve record keeping, a Michigan Medicine study finds.

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After decades investigating a rare, life-threatening condition that cripples the muscles, Duke Health researchers have developed a gene therapy they hope could enhance or even replace the only FDA-approved treatment currently available to patients. The therapy uses a modified virus to deliver a gene to the liver where it produces GAA, an enzyme missing in people with Pompe disease.

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Johns Hopkins researchers report that a new peptide holds promise for improving treatment for degenerative retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy. These vascular diseases often result in central vision loss as blood vessels grow into tissues at the back of the eye, where such growth should not occur.

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Generating mature and viable heart muscle cells from human or other animal stem cells has proven difficult for biologists.

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In a paper published this week in the journal Nature Materials, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology identified the opportunities they see ahead for scalable membrane materials based on rigid, engineered pore structures. They say the most promising materials are scalable for use in compact modules and take advantage of entropy at the molecular level to moderate the separation selectivity of membranes.

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Cardiac muscle patches in this proof-of-concept research may represent an important step toward the clinical use of 3-D-printing technology, as researchers have grown heart tissue by seeding a mix of human cells onto a 1-micron-resolution scaffold made with a 3-D printer.

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In some people, the brain protein tau collects into toxic tangles that damage brain cells and contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a drug that can lower tau levels and prevent some neurological damage.

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Once breast cancer spreads through the body, it can degrade a patient’s healthy bones, causing numerous problems. Scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have identified a new way that bones get destroyed through cancer. And they’ve also learned how to block that destruction with a new drug. Initial tests with patients show promising results.

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An important step in planning tumor surgery includes assessing the tumor stiffness to aid in surgical planning. Because tumors within the skull cannot be examined non-invasively, researchers used Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) to assess pituitary tumor stiffness. MRE reliably identified tumors that were soft enough for removal with a minimally-invasive suction technique versus harder tumors requiring more invasive surgery.

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Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that the metabolic enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) helps cancer cells repair their DNA and found that inhibiting PGAM1 sensitizes tumors to the cancer drug Olaparib (Lynparza). Their findings in the study “Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 regulates dNTP pool and promotes homologous recombination repair in cancer cells,” which has been published in The Journal of Cell Biology, suggest that this FDA-approved ovarian cancer medicine has the potential to treat a wider range of cancer types than currently indicated.

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New research indicates that people who had more infections as babies harbor a key marker of cellular aging as young adults: the protective stretches of DNA which "cap" the ends of their chromosomes are shorter than in adults who were healthier as infants.

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Dr. Timothy Anderson, Scientist in the Department of Genetics at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, received a five-year, $4.6 million MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health.

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To understand how metformin changes the biology of cancer cells, researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University tested tumor cells before and after metformin treatment in non-diabetic cancer patients. The pilot clinical trial results were published today in The Laryngoscope.

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Investigators at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, led by Tracy C. Grikscheit, MD, have mapped the genetic changes resulting from short bowel syndrome (SBS) using a novel zebrafish model and by performing intensive gene sequencing. This approach to determining which genes are markedly over or under expressed in SBS may assist scientists in developing future therapies for children and adults with this condition.

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An interdisciplinary team of Michigan State University scientists will use a $2.6 million National Science Foundation grant to investigate new ways of producing hydropower, increasing food production and lessening the environmental damage caused by dams.

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For the first time, artificial intelligence has been used to discover the exact interventions needed to obtain a specific, previously unachievable result in vivo, providing new insight into the biophysics of cancer and raising broad implications for biomedicine.