Tag: disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) did not cross the species barrier to infect cynomolgus macaque monkeys during a lengthy investigation by National Institutes of Health scientists exploring risks to humans. CWD is a type of brain-damaging and fatal prion disease found in deer, elk and moose; in humans, prion diseases can take more than a decade

Many people of African heritage are protected against malaria by inheriting a particular version of a gene, a large-scale study has shown. Another variation of the same gene can have the opposite effect of raising susceptibility to malaria – but it reduces the risk of other common childhood diseases, the study found. The findings give

Researchers investigating a key signaling protein in Huntington’s disease describe deleterious effects on heart function, going beyond the disease’s devastating neurological impact. By adjusting protein levels affecting an important biological pathway, the researchers improved heart function in experimental animals, shedding light on the biology of this fatal disease. “Heart disease is the second leading cause

Farmers worldwide face mounting pressure to increase agricultural yields to keep up with human population growth. Consequently, chemical use is on the rise – in many cases a cocktail of chemicals, from fertilizers to herbicides to insecticides. But in countries where human population growth is highest, including China, South East Asia and South America, these

People who are 30 pounds or more overweight may want to slim down a bit even if they don’t have high blood pressure or any other heart disease risk, according to scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. In a study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology,

A recent study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides new insights into a link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Parkinson’s disease, and may have significant implications for the treatment and prevention of Parkinson’s disease. The recent study, published in JAMA Neurology, shows that individuals with IBD are at

A new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shines more light on the link between consumption of fish and better long-term neurological health. Parvalbumin, a protein found in great quantities in several fish species, has been shown to prevent the formation of certain protein structures closely associated with Parkinson’s disease. Fish has long been

In preclinical studies using cell models that mimicked liver cells of patients with the rare disease Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug increased a precursor of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), the “good cholesterol,” according to new research published in PLOS ONE from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Decreased HDL

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a new disease model for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and MS that can be used to develop new immunotherapies. The model is described in a publication in the scientific journal Nature Immunology. All of the body’s organs contain macrophages, which, as part of the immune system,

(HealthDay)—The overall rate of heart disease in the United States has declined 38 percent since 1990, a new report shows. Not every state has benefited equally, however. Between 2010 and 2016, 12 states actually saw their heart disease rates begin to creep up again, the data showed. And although the United States as a whole

Professor Sir Ian Wilmut – who led the team that created Dolly the sheep – has backed an initiative to tackle Parkinson’s disease, after being diagnosed with the condition. The eminent scientist announced his diagnosis today – World Parkinson’s Day – ahead of the launch of a major research programme that will see experts at

Chronic focal encephalitis, or Rasmussen’s encephalitis, is a rare and devastating inflammatory brain disease that can lead to the destruction or removal of a part of the affected child’s brain. Through experiments on humanized mice, a team of researchers from Université de Montréal and the CHU Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal Hospital (CHUM) research centres

People living near oil and gas facilities along Colorado’s Northern Front Range may be exposed to hazardous air pollutants, including carcinogens like benzene, that could pose health risks above levels deemed acceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health, Boulder County Public Health, CU Boulder, the

People with Parkinson’s disease who show signs of depression may actually have a condition called demoralization, according to a study published in the April 4, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. That study found demoralization may be common in Parkinson’s disease. Demoralization is a state of feeling

Researchers of Hokkaido University, the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), and Tohoku University demonstrated that a physiologically active substance called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) impairs the immune response by upregulating the expression of an immunoinhibitory molecule, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), in cattle affected with Johne’s disease. The discovery is expected to help develop a