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Scientists at the University of Strathclyde are researching a system to measure and monitor blood chemistry levels in premature and sick babies through their skin, which if successful, could eventually replace the need for invasive blood tests. When babies are born early or sick there is a medical need to track levels of electrolytes such as glucose, lactate, sodium and […]
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Using a small noncoding RNA, microRNA 211, and tools that track the stability and decay of the protein-coding and noncoding RNAs in lab-grown melanoma cells, a team led by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researcher identified highly unstable RNA molecules in human melanomas, including a novel miR-211 target gene DUSP3. Ranjan J. Perera, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology at […]
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A retrospective, five-year study of 1,314 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has found that atrophied brain lesion volume is the only marker from MRI scans that can accurately predict which patients will progress to the most severe form of the disease. Secondary progressive MS, known as SPMS, typically appears 10 to 20 years after the initial onset and causes patients […]
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Findings from an innovative new study led by researchers at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and published this week in Nature Microbiology reveal that the way in which human fungal pathogens form colonies can significantly impact their ability to cause disease. Highly diverse and adaptable, these colonies, known as biofilms, allow invasive fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus to grow […]
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is to introduce a second vaccine next month to combat the Ebola virus, which has killed more than 2,100 people in the country, the World Health Organization said Monday. The announcement came as the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) accused the WHO of rationing the first Ebola vaccine in the DRC. “The health […]
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In people with diabetes, fat mass index, not body mass index (BMI), is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Heart disease is a major cause of death worldwide, and obesity is a major risk factor. Body mass index, a common measure of obesity, has been recently shown to […]
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DNA “echoes” of viruses that infected our ancestors millions of years ago could help the immune system to identify and kill cancer cells, according to new research from Crick scientists. The new study, published in Genome Research, looked at “endogenous retroviruses,” fragments of DNA in the human genome that were left behind by viruses that infected our ancestors. Over millions […]
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A report investigating travel habits in seven European cities reveals environmental and social drivers that make people choose to walk. The new research reveals these include social factors such as how safe people feel and how concerned they are about air pollution, and urban design, such as how connected streets are and how close people are to public transport links. […]
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Researchers at The Wistar Institute have described the role of mitochondrial fission factor (MFF) in controlling survival of cancer cells, suggesting the protein could represent a promising therapeutic target. They also found that expression of MFF is regulated by Myc, a ubiquitous mediator of cell proliferation that contributes to development of many cancer types. These results were published online in […]
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In an unprecedented scale, researchers have begun to unravel the genetics that may predispose some individuals to develop kidney disease once they have diabetes, independent of the degree of blood sugar control. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of JASN. Many individuals with type 1 diabetes develop kidney disease despite adequate blood sugar control, while others maintain normal kidney […]
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