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Magnification of a lab-grown, fully matured human egg ready for fertilization. Image credit: University of Edinburgh.

Human Eggs Fully Grown in Laboratory for the First Time

Feb 13, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers led by the University of Edinburgh has grown human egg cells (oocytes) — which were removed from ovary tissue at their earliest...

Painkiller Acetaminophen Has Unexpected Effects on Regulation of Sex Hormones: Study

Feb 13, 2018 by News Staff

A study published in the journal EBioMedicine has shown the potentially negative impact of acetaminophen (paracetamol) — one of the most common medications...

Researchers have demonstrated that cells of naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) undergo cellular senescence similarly to mouse cells but have distinct features that may explain the species’ low cancer and aging rates, such as being more resistant to DNA damage and undergoing metabolic reprogramming. Image credit: Benny Mazur / CC BY 2.0.

Resistance to DNA Damage and Downregulation of Metabolic Processes May Contribute to Low Cancer Rates in Naked Mole Rats

Feb 13, 2018 by Zvi Cramer

Scientists have revealed that senescent naked mole rat cells downregulate key metabolic processes and are more resistant to DNA damage than their mouse...

Section from a kidney progenitor-derived mass harvested from a mouse intravenously injected with low-molecular-weight, fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran. Image credit: Bantounas et al, doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.01.008.

Researchers Create Functioning Human Kidney Tissue Using Stem Cells

Feb 12, 2018 by News Staff

An international research team led by University of Manchester scientists has generated human kidney tissue within a living organism which is able to produce...

Welch et al show for the first time that far-UVC efficiently inactivates airborne aerosolized viruses. These fluorescent images show epithelial cells infected with H1N1; the viruses were exposed in aerosolized form in the irradiation chamber to doses of 0, 0.8, 1.3 or 2.0 mJ/cm2 of 222-nm far-UVC light; infected cells fluoresce green. Image credit: Welch et al, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21058-w.

Study: Far Ultraviolet C Light Inactivates Airborne Viruses

Feb 12, 2018 by News Staff

Low doses of far ultraviolet C light can inactivate airborne influenza and other viruses without harming human tissues, according to a study published...

This is the first study to report the detection of DNA of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in the blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Image credit: Edwin P. Ewing, Jr. / CDC.

Study: Mycobacteria in Milk and Beef May Be Trigger for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Feb 6, 2018 by News Staff

Scientists at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine have discovered a link between rheumatoid arthritis and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis,...

Chondroitin sulfate (marked in red), virtually absent in healthy human heart tissue (left panel), is found to accumulate in hearts of patients with heart failure, forming dense molecular ‘nets’ around the heart muscle cells (right panel). Cell nuclei are marked in blue. Scale bar - 50 μm. Image credit: National University Heart Centre, Singapore.

Scientists Find Molecular ‘Nets’ inside Human Heart Muscles

Feb 6, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of scientists led by the National University of Singapore’s Cardiovascular Research Institute has discovered that chondroitin sulfates...

Dual immunotherapy led to shrinkage of distant tumors and long-term survival of the animals, even in a stringent spontaneous tumor model. Image credit: Rilson S. Avelar.

Dual Immunotherapy Eliminates Tumors in Animal Cancer Models

Feb 5, 2018 by News Staff

Injecting amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into tumors in multiple types of mouse cancer models can eliminate all traces of cancer, according...

Vitamin D3 may be effective in the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, myocardial infarction, vasculopathy, stroke and diabetes. Image credit: Aloísio Costa Latgé.

Vitamin D3 Could Help Prevent, Repair Cardiovascular System Damage

Feb 2, 2018 by News Staff

Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D3, can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension,...

Aerobic exercise may mildly delay, improve Alzheimer’s symptoms. Image credit: Christian Northe.

Aerobic Exercise May Improve Cognitive Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

Jan 31, 2018 by News Staff

Exercise training may delay the decline in cognitive function that occurs in individuals who are at risk of or have Alzheimer’s disease, with aerobic...

This illustration depicts a 3D computer-generated image of three multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Image credit: James Archer / CDC.

Forgotten Antibiotic Octapeptin Offers Hope against Drug Resistant Bacteria

Jan 30, 2018 by News Staff

An old antibiotic called octapeptin could help develop new drugs against extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. This illustration depicts a...

A person performs a glucose screening. Image credit: Sgt. Jessica A. DuVernay, U.S. Army.

Study Reveals Link between High Blood Sugar and Long-Term Cognitive Decline

Jan 30, 2018 by News Staff

Rates of long-term cognitive decline are steeper in those who have diabetes compared with people with normal blood sugar control, according to a new study...

There is no safe level of smoking, scientists say. Image credit: Myriams Fotos.

Even Light Smoking Greatly Increases Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke

Jan 26, 2018 by News Staff

Smoking only about one cigarette per day carries a risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke much greater than expected — around half...

Perera et al find babies exposed in the womb to high levels of air pollution had shortened telomeres. Image credit: Chris LeBoutillier.

Study: High Levels of Air Pollution May Shorten Telomeres in Newborns

Jan 25, 2018 by News Staff

A new study, conducted before and after the 2004 closure of a coal-burning power plant in China, found children born before the closure had shorter telomeres...

Turmeric contains curcumin, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Image credit: Joachim Schlosser / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Turmeric Compound Boosts Cognitive Power, Reveals New Study

Jan 24, 2018 by News Staff

Daily consumption of a certain form of curcumin, a bioactive compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, improved memory and mood in people with age-related...

Zou et al found the fermentable fiber inulin restored gut health and protected mice against metabolic syndrome induced by a high-fat diet by restoring gut microbiota levels, increasing the production of intestinal epithelial cells and restoring IL-22 expression, which prevented gut microbiota from invading epithelial cells. Image credit: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dietary Fiber Intake Protects against Diet-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Jan 23, 2018 by News Staff

Consumption of fermentable fiber can prevent obesity, metabolic syndrome and adverse changes in the intestine by promoting growth of ‘good’ bacteria...

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of negatively stained SW31 (swine strain) influenza virus particles. Image credit: NIAID / CC BY 2.0.

Study: Flu Virus Can Be Spread Just by Breathing

Jan 19, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it is alarmingly easy to spread the influenza virus by simply...

This study is the first to unveil a gut-brain connection linking high dietary salt intake to neurovascular and cognitive impairment. Image credit: Justin Kolenc.

Study: High-Salt Diet Causes Dementia in Mice

Jan 17, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, a high-salt diet reduces resting blood flow to the brain and causes dementia in...

Research from the Rockefeller University suggests that variability between strains of the same bacterial species could influence patient immune response. Image credit: Mogana Das Murtey / Patchamuthu Ramasamy / CC BY-SA 3.

Genetic Variation between Pathogen Strains Contributes to Diverse Patient Immune Responses

Jan 15, 2018 by Zvi Cramer

Individuals have wide-ranging physiological responses to the same species of pathogen. Researchers have demonstrated that different strains of a given...