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The recent discovery of microRNAs as key regulators of biological processes has fueled an explosion of research activity into their function in health and disease. Researchers have now uncovered a microRNA cluster that regulates synaptic strength and is involved in the control of social behaviour in mammals. The researchers presume that their discovery may point to new therapeutic strategies for […]
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Scientists have identified two distinct control mechanisms in the developmental transition of undifferentiated stem cells into healthy brain cells. This fundamental research using mice may inform regenerative medicine treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries, in the future. When an embryo develops, stem cells differentiate into all the types of cells that the adult will need. Neural stem cells […]
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Imagine being at a packed concert hall with a mosh pit full of dancers creating a wall against outsiders. When targeted drugs try to make their way toward a pancreas tumor, they encounter a similar obstacle in stiff tissue that surrounds and protects the cancer. A new University of Rochester study demonstrates how imaging technology can be used to accurately […]
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It might seem like fruit flies would have nothing in common with computers, but new research from the Salk Institute reveals that the two identify novel information in similar ways. The work, which appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on December 3, 2018, not only sheds light on an important neurobiological problem—how organisms detect new odors—but […]
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It can take up to a year for some bowel cancer patients in the UK to start treatment, according to international research co-ordinated by Cancer Research UK and published in the BMJ Open today. Researchers found that it took a year or more from first spotting a symptom to beginning treatment for 10% of patients in England, Northern Ireland and […]
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A University of Houston pharmaceutical scientist is developing a new drug which could bring relief to children suffering with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a rare genetic disorder characterized by hundreds—if not thousands—of colorectal polyps. This hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome occurs in 3-per-100,000 live births and, if left untreated, causes colorectal cancer in patients nearly 100 percent of the time. Prior […]
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A balanced production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines at two years of age protects against clinical malaria in early childhood, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). The results also indicate that early exposure to the parasite does not affect the risk of developing the disease, although it could affect the parasite-specific immune response […]
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The soccer ball is racing at a speed of 80 km/hr when the player uses their head to redirect it and score. Their team wins the game—but at what cost? UBC Okanagan research suggests the price is high. The study shows that repetitive impacts of a soccer ball on a player’s head could cause damage to the cells of the […]
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Research at the University of York has shown that the accepted hierarchy of human senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell—is not universally true across all cultures. Researchers found that rather than being able to predict the importance of the senses from biology, cultural factors were most important. Study revealed that cultures which placed particular value on their specialist musical heritage […]
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For more than 3 million people around the world, kidney failure is a life-altering diagnosis, if not a life-threatening one. While about 17 percent of people in the U.S. with end-stage kidney disease are now getting transplants, the average time spent waiting is 3-5 years. And much of that time is consumed by planning for, receiving and recovering from treatment. […]
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