From cancer treatment to sunlight, radiation and toxins can severely damage DNA in both harmful and healthy cells. While the body has evolved to efficiently treat and restore damaged cells, the mechanisms that allow this natural repair remain misunderstood. In a new study, Northwestern University researchers have used cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to visualize this […]
Obese or overweight patients at high risk for having worse COVID-19 outcomes
Patients who are overweight or obese have more severe COVID-19 and are highly likely to require invasive respiratory support, according to a new international study. The research, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and The University of Queensland and published in Diabetes Care, found obese or overweight patients are at high risk for […]
New research shows breast cancer treatment in patients over age 70 can be safely reduced
Oncologists faced with treating older women with breast cancer often must decide if the treatment may be more detrimental than the cancer. A study published today in JAMA Network Open by researchers at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine sheds new light on this choice and suggests the rate […]
Study shows how alcohol may affect the brain, offers potential treatments for alcohol misuse
The slurred speech, poor coordination, and sedative effects of drinking too much alcohol may actually be caused by the breakdown of alcohol products produced in the brain, not in the liver as scientists currently think. That is the finding of a new study led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) […]
New grants could help protect the environment and create new therapy for Parkinson's
New grants from the State University of New York could help researchers at Binghamton University create a new therapy to provide relief to Parkinson’s patients and help locate abandoned oil and gas wells. Binghamton University researchers Christopher Bishop and Timothy de Smet have each received grants from the SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund, which helps faculty […]
Researchers receive $500,000 grant to test novel approach for restoring damaged muscles after injury
Researchers from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center have received a $500,000 grant over three years from the Department of Defense to test a novel strategy using mitochondria transplantation therapy for restoration of neuromuscular structure and function after injury. Poor or incomplete muscle repair after an injury delays or prevents normal function and can […]
COVID19's cytokine storm ushers in a local complement storm in the lungs
A new study published in the journal Science Immunology analyzed lung epithelial cells from patients infected with COVID-19 and found the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces the complement system as a dangerous weapon for viral infection. The complement system is an extension of the innate immune system to recognize pathogens and remove […]
Fauci thanks US health workers for sacrifices but admits PPE shortages drove up death toll
Dr. Anthony Fauci thanked America's health care workers, who "every single day put themselves at risk" during the pandemic, even as he acknowledged that PPE shortages had contributed to the deaths of more than 3,600 of them. "We rightfully refer to these people without hyperbole — that they are true heroes and heroines," he said […]
Powerful algorithms can 'predict' the biological language of cancer and Alzheimer's
Powerful algorithms used by Netflix, Amazon and Facebook can 'predict' the biological language of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, scientists have found. Big data produced during decades of research was fed into a computer language model to see if artificial intelligence can make more advanced discoveries than humans. Academics based at St John's College, […]
Experts call for accelerated research to address concurrent HIV and COVID-19 pandemics
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people with or at risk for HIV both indirectly, by interfering with HIV treatment and prevention services, and directly, by threatening individual health. An effective response to these dual pandemics requires unprecedented collaboration to accelerate basic and clinical research, as well as implementation science to expeditiously introduce evidence-based strategies into […]