About 50 percent of people who reach the age of 85 will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Most will die within about five years of exhibiting the hallmark symptoms of the disease – severe memory loss and a precipitous decline in cognitive function. But the molecular processes that lead to the disease will have begun years earlier. […]
New ceria nanoparticles attack Parkinson’s disease from three fronts
Researchers at the Center for Nanoparticle Research, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS, South Korea), have developed a set of nanoparticles for Parkinson’s disease treatment. Tested in mice and published in Angewandte Chemie as a “hot paper,” this study represents the first biomedical application of nanoparticles in the clearance of reactive oxygen by-products in […]
Right-sided colon cancer patients have poorer survival than those with left-sided disease
ORLANDO (July 23, 2018): Patients with colorectal cancer tumors on the right side may have poorer five-year survival rates than those whose tumors are located on the left side. However, a new large-scale retrospective study is the first to demonstrate a potential improvement of these outcomes. Study results show that nearly doubling the benchmark number […]
Eight new mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease available to researchers
The MODEL-AD Center, an ambitious project to develop and distribute precise mouse models of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), has released eight new models carrying genetic mutations found in patients. In past decades, most AD researchers had to rely on mouse models that carried a genetic mutation associated with the relatively rare, early-onset, familial version of […]
Study describes enzyme’s key role in immune response to Chagas disease parasite
In an article published recently in the journal Nature Communications, researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil describe the central role played by an enzyme called phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) in regulating the immune response against Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. “Our results show that the expression […]
New protocol produces large numbers of mature human podocytes, enabling kidney disease modeling, drug discovery
Human stem cells are of great interest in the fields of regenerative medicine and medical research because they reproduce indefinitely and can differentiate into every other cell type found in the body. While stem cells naturally occur in very few places in the adult body, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) can be produced directly […]
The ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer’s: Scientists ID genesis of disease, focus efforts on shape-shifting tau
Scientists have discovered a “Big Bang” of Alzheimer’s disease – the precise point at which a healthy protein becomes toxic but has not yet formed deadly tangles in the brain. A study from UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell Brain Institute provides novel insight into the shape-shifting nature of a tau molecule just before it begins sticking to […]
Chronic heart disease poses high financial burden to low-income families
The financial burdens of long-term care for a family member with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) disproportionately affect low-income American families, even those who have insurance, found researchers at Yale University’s Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) and the University of Texas. The study appears in the July 3 issue of JAMA Cardiology. Using the […]
Economic burden of fatty liver disease in US is $32 billion annually, new study finds
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, which affects roughly 100 million Americans, costs the United States healthcare system $32 billion annually, according to a first-of-its-kind study by Intermountain Healthcare researchers on the economic impact of the disease. The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease mirrors the rising trend of obesity in the United States. Globally, […]
Gum disease makes men twice as likely to suffer erectile dysfunction
Gum disease makes men twice as likely to have difficulty getting an erection, finds study Men with erectile dysfunction are also more likely to have gum disease Spanish scientists found their results in the first study of its kind on Europeans Gum and erection problems are linked to the same molecule made in the liver […]