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This diagram shows how the effects of Gαs-coupled agonists on T cells can be influenced by sleep or disease. Image credit: Dimitrov et al, doi: 10.1084/jem.20181169.

Study: Sleep Improves Ability of Human Immune Cells to Bind to Their Targets

Feb 18, 2019 by News Staff

A new study published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine describes how sleep can fight off an infection, whereas other conditions, such as...

Beta-carboline compounds offer great promise for the treatment of alcoholism. Image credit: Imagens Evangelicas / CC BY 2.0.

Researchers Identify Gene as Target for Alcoholism Prevention and Treatment

Feb 15, 2019 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health and Sciences University has found that a gene called the G-protein...

Abramson et al developed a drug capsule that could be used to deliver oral doses of insulin. Image credit: Felice Frankel.

Microneedle Pill Could Be Used to Deliver Oral Doses of Insulin

Feb 12, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from the United States, Denmark and Sweden has pioneered a new approach that brings an oral formulation of insulin...

Wei et al developed a biomimetic self-propelling micromotor formulation for use as an oral antivirulence vaccine; the propulsion is provided by a magnesium-based core, and a biomimetic cell membrane coating is used to detain and neutralize a toxic antigenic payload; the resulting motor toxoids leverage their propulsion properties in order to more effectively elicit mucosal immune responses. Image credit: Wei et al, doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b05051.

Self-Propelling Micromotors Deliver Oral Vaccines

Feb 11, 2019 by News Staff

A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego has developed oral antivirulence vaccines powered by self-propelling micromotors that target...

Consuming walnuts may be associated with a lower prevalence and frequency of depression symptoms among American adults. Image credit: Alicja.

Walnut Consumption May Lower Risk of Depression

Feb 8, 2019 by News Staff

In an epidemiological study using data on walnut consumption and depression from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a team...

Statins produce significant reductions in major vascular events, but there is less direct evidence of benefit among patients older than 75 years who do not already have evidence of occlusive vascular disease. Image credit: Heung Soon.

Statins Reduce Major Vascular Events, New Meta-Analysis Study Confirms

Feb 4, 2019 by News Staff

Statin therapy produces significant reductions in major vascular events irrespective of age, including in people older than 75 years, according to a new...

Study: Sleep Deprivation May Damage Your DNA

Jan 29, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new observational study by researchers from Hong Kong demonstrates that disrupted sleep is associated with DNA damage. The findings appear in the journal...

Porphyromonas gingivalis’ gingipains (red) among neurons in the brain of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. Image credit: Cortexyme.

Oral Pathogenic Bacterium May Drive Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

Jan 28, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from the United States, Australia, Poland, Norway, and New Zealand, has found higher levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis,...

Cortical neuron stained with antibody to neurofilament subunit NF-L in green. Image credit: Gerry Shaw / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Simple Blood Test Detects Signs of Brain Damage in People on Path to Developing Alzheimer’s Disease

Jan 24, 2019 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine shows that a protein found in the blood can be used to precisely monitor Alzheimer’s disease progression...

Trans-Cortical Vessels: Scientists Discover New Type of Blood Vessel in Long Bones

Jan 23, 2019 by News Staff

The newly-discovered ‘trans-cortical vessels’ connect the bone marrow with the periosteal circulation, according to new research published in the journal...

Smokers have biological ages that are higher than their chronological ages. Image credit: Insilico Medicine.

Smoking Speeds Up Aging, Says New Study

Jan 18, 2019 by News Staff

By employing age-prediction models developed using supervised deep learning techniques, a research team at Insilico Medicine, Inc. — one of the leaders...

Kinouchi et al reveal that fasting affects peripheral circadian clocks in the liver and skeletal muscle. Fasting operates by influencing the circadian clock and fasting-sensitive transcription factors, thereby cooperatively achieving fasting-specific temporal gene regulation. Image credit: Kinouchi et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.11.077.

Study: Fasting Affects Peripheral Circadian Clocks, Improves Overall Health

Jan 17, 2019 by News Staff

Fasting affects peripheral circadian clocks in the liver and skeletal muscle, causing them to rewire their metabolism, which can ultimately lead to improved...

Zhao et al demonstrate that HSCs have a back-up system in stressed condition. Both reserve and active stem HSCs are maintained in the bone marrow by specific niches. While the latter are chemo-sensitive, the former survive and restore stem cells, and thereby generate the blood system. Image credit: Zhao et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.12.093.

Blood-Forming Stem Cells Have Back-Up System in Stressed Condition, New Study Shows

Jan 16, 2019 by News Staff

Blood-forming (hematopoietic) adult stem cells reside deep in the bone marrow and are responsible for regenerating the body’s blood supply including...

Fever is an evolutionarily conserved response in both endothermic and ectothermic species and confers survival benefits during infection and injury. Lin et al identify that the Hsp90-a4-integrin axis serves as a thermal sensory pathway that responds to fever to promote T cell trafficking and enhance immune surveillance during infection. Image credit: Lin et al, doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2018.11.013.

Fever Helps Fight Off Infection by Altering Immune Cells

Jan 16, 2019 by News Staff

According to a study published in the journal Immunity, fever alters surface proteins on immune cells to make them better able to travel via blood vessels...

Knee osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is typically the result of wear and tear and progressive loss of articular cartilage. Image credit: Bruce Blaus / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy Effective against Knee Osteoarthritis: Study

Jan 15, 2019 by News Staff

A new study, published in the journal Menopause, shows that women receiving menopausal hormone therapy had a significantly lower prevalence of symptomatic...

Singh et al show that urolithin A and its potent synthetic analog, UAS03, significantly enhance gut barrier function and inhibit unwarranted inflammation. Image credit: Praveen Kumar Vemula, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine / Venkatakrishna Jala, University of Louisville.

Microbial Metabolite from Berry- and Pomegranate-Rich Diet Protects against Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Jan 14, 2019 by News Staff

Urolithin A, a major microbial metabolite derived from polyphenolic compounds of berries and pomegranate fruits, and its synthetic structural analog, can...

Mice with AD-like symptoms receiving supplemental levels of choline in the womb improved their spatial memory. A second generation bred from these choline-treated mice also showed improved spatial memory, suggesting epigenetic changes in genes. Choline acts to reduce harmful levels of the amino acid homocysteine, converting it to the beneficial chemical methionine. Image credit: Shireen Dooling, Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University.

Choline: Vitamin-Like Nutrient May Help Protect against Alzheimer’s Disease

Jan 11, 2019 by News Staff

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is anticipated to increase significantly over the next few decades. This is alarming given that no effective...

Irisin is produced by muscles during exercise. Image credit: Free-Photos.

‘Exercise Hormone’ Could Slow Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

Jan 10, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers led by Queen’s University, Columbia University and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro has found that irisin,...

In a proposed neuromodulation device, two of the new chips would be embedded in a chassis located outside the head. Each chip could monitor electrical activity from 64 electrodes located into the brain while simultaneously delivering electrical stimulation to prevent unwanted seizures or tremors. Image credit: Rikky Muller / University of California, Berkeley.

Researchers Develop Wireless ‘Pacemaker for the Brain’

Jan 8, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed a novel neurostimulator that can listen to and stimulate electric current...