Proteins found in semen increase the spread of Ebola virus infection

Protein fragments, called amyloid fibrils, in human semen significantly increase Ebola virus infection and protect the virus against harsh environmental conditions such as heat and dehydration. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report these findings in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Although Ebola is […]

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Reducing the risk of dementia through lifestyle changes

There is no treatment yet for dementia; but one day, a family doctor could prescribe a specific diet, an exercise regime, music or language lessons, or documentary discussion groups as treatments to ward off the disease. Canadian researchers are recruiting older adults across Toronto and Montreal to explore the benefits of different types of brain training and lifestyle interventions for […]

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Targeting the engine room of the cancer cell

Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) have developed a highly innovative computational framework that can support personalized cancer treatment by matching individual tumors with the drugs or drug combinations that are most likely to kill them. The study, published today on Nature Genetics, by Dr. Andrea Califano of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Dr. Irvin Modlin of […]

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Electrically stimulating the brain may restore movement after stroke

UC San Francisco scientists have improved mobility in rats that had experienced debilitating strokes by using electrical stimulation to restore a distinctive pattern of brain cell activity associated with efficient movement. The researchers say they plan to use the new findings to help develop brain implants that might one day restore motor function in human stroke patients. After a stroke, […]

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The molecules that energize babies’ hearts

A metabolic process that provides heart muscle with energy fails to mature in newborns with thickened heart walls, according to a Japan–Canada research team. Hokkaido University cardiologist Arata Fukushima, along with a team of University of Alberta scientists led by Gary Lopaschuk, examined the heart tissue of 84 newborns who had undergone surgery for congenital heart disease. Many patients with […]

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