On an ice hockey team, the players all start off with identical uniforms, skates and a stick. But if you take one of them, add padding, a glove, and a mask; and switch the stick to one with a larger blade, then you get a goalie. Now, the player has morphed—or differentiated—into one with a […]
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Faulty molecular master switch may contribute to AMD
A signaling pathway controlled by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) could be involved in the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that interrupting TGF-beta signals to immune cells called microglia causes the cells to enter an activated, inflammatory state. […]
Newly formed blood vessels may contribute to eye disease
Newly formed blood vessels may be cracks in the barrier between the bloodstream and the eye, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A novel experiment led by Jing Jin, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and senior author […]
Brain function impacts how experiences contribute to depression
A study in adolescent girls reports that recent life events impact depressive symptoms differently, depending on how the brain responds to winning and losing. A strong brain response to winning boosted the beneficial impact of positive experiences on symptoms, whereas a strong response to losing enhanced the detrimental impact of negative experiences on symptoms. The […]
Study offers clues on why sleepless nights can contribute to weight gain
An international team of researchers has found that a single sleepless night can alter metabolic processes leading to weight gain and lack of muscle maintenance. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the team describes their study of the impact of a sleepless night on several volunteers. Prior research has shown that interfering […]
Researchers identify new genes that may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, working with scientists across the nation on the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), have discovered new genes that will further current understanding of the genetic risk factors that predispose people to the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The ADSP was developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) […]
Gene regulator may contribute to protein pileup in exfoliation glaucoma
In exfoliation glaucoma, a protein dandruff clogs the outflow pathway for the fluid in our eyes. Scientists have evidence that variants of the same gene that enables us to make connective tissue by crosslinking proteins is associated with this unusual glaucoma. Now they are looking in human eye tissue at a long piece of RNA […]