Shining light on rare nerve tumors illuminates a fresh path for fighting cancer

When a protein named “Merlin” fails to do its job, people can develop slow-growing, life-disrupting auditory nerve tumors that can disrupt their hearing and balance. This rare condition is called neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). Now scientists at Cincinnati Children’s have discovered much more about how Merlin does its job—by working behind the scenes through a network of more than 50 other […]

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Fighting deadly drug resistant bacteria in intestines with new antibiotic

A new antibiotic developed by a Flinders University researcher is being heralded as a breakthrough in the war against a drug resistant superbug. Bacteria are winning the fight against antibiotics as they evolve to fight off traditional treatments, threatening decades of advancements in modern medicine, with predictions they will kill over 10 million people by 2050. The scientific development of […]

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Higher doses of rifampin appear more effective in fighting tuberculosis without increasing risk of adverse events

Higher daily doses of rifampin, a cornerstone of tuberculosis treatment, killed more TB bacteria in sputum cultures, and the higher doses did so without increasing the adverse effects of treatment, according to a randomized controlled trial published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In “Efficacy and Safety of High-Dose Rifampin in Pulmonary […]

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Size matters when fighting cancer, study finds

Doctors could be a step closer to finding the most effective way to treat cancer with a double whammy of a virus combined with boosting the natural immune system, according to a pioneering study by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and The Ohio State University. “The findings of this research are very exciting […]

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Characterizing ‘keyhole’ is first step to fighting obesity at cellular level

An international team has uncovered the potential to beat obesity at the cellular level, characterizing for the first time a complex, little-understood receptor type that, when activated, shuts off hunger. Jens Meiler, professor of chemistry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, said pharmaceutical companies long have attempted to develop a small-molecule drug that could do just that. But until now, nobody […]

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Scientists discover sweet spot of activity in immune system key to fighting cancer

Scientists at the University of Southampton have shown how stimulating a specific location on the surface of immune cells can be targeted with antibodies to help in their fight against cancer. The new work concerns a receptor called CD40 found of the surface of certain immune cells which regulates their activity. The CD40 receptors are normally dispersed over the surface […]

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