Tag: diseases

An enzyme activated in diabetics has been found to cause previously aligned cells in a blood vessel to reverse their orientation, creating misalignments that allow veins and arteries to leak three times more blood proteins than normally constructed blood vessels. Controlling the enzyme could ease symptoms of swelling, nerve pain, localized low blood pressure, and

TUESDAY, Aug. 14, 2018 — A new type of genetic analysis could identify millions of Americans at high risk for five serious and common diseases, researchers report. The diseases include coronary artery disease, the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and breast cancer. Researchers tested and validated the genetic risk

Think back to when you first heard the term sexually transmitted disease (STD). Middle school, right? Probably in a classroom where giggles and darting eyes abounded, sandwiched between information on where babies come from and the lowdown on your period. But fast-forward a few years (to, like, now) and all of a sudden everyone is

Indonesia has made advances in health since 1990, increasing life expectancy by eight years and decreasing rates of health burden from communicable diseases like diarrheal disease and tuberculosis. But the country is facing a growing and expensive wave of health threats from heart disease, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases, according to a new study. “Indonesia

The eye hosts a powerful biological computer, the retina. Understanding how the retina transforms images from the outside world into signals that the brain can interpret would not only result in insights into brain computations, but could also be useful for medicine. As machine learning and artificial intelligence advance, eye diseases will soon be described

These days we can get from most remote villages anywhere to home in 36 hours. And migrating humans can certainly carry microbial “passengers”. This means the increasing globalisation of our world can give infectious diseases a good opportunity to spread. In the age of exploration, introduced infections played a major role in shaping human history.

Prion diseases are slow degenerative brain diseases that occur in people and various other mammals. No vaccines or treatments are available, and these diseases are almost always fatal. Scientists have found little evidence of a protective immune response to prion infections. Further, microglia—brain cells usually involved in the first level of host defense against infections

Inflammation can be good. It’s part of the body’s innate immune system, our first line of defense against illness and injury. However, if the inflammatory response goes on for too long, it can lead to a condition called chronic inflammation, where the body essentially attacks itself, wreaking biological havoc on our organs and systems. Chronic

Researchers have discovered a new family of substances which has been found to display highly potent activity against the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the toxicity induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The novel compounds synthesized and evaluated belong to a family of low molecular weight substances named indolines. In early experiments, these compounds have

Diseases from mosquitoes, ticks and flea bites tripled in the United States from 2004 to 2016, and officials said Tuesday rising temperatures and an increasingly connected global society are to blame. More than 642,000 cases of these illnesses were reported during the 13 years studied in the Vital Signs report from the US Centers for

When compared with nondrinkers, men and women who had one or more alcoholic drinks per day had an overabundance of oral bacteria linked to gum disease, some cancers, and heart disease. By contrast, drinkers had fewer bacteria known to check the growth of other, harmful germs. These are the main findings of a study published

Researchers from the University of Leicester have shed new light on how neurons in the brain communicate with one another. This could potentially help in our understanding of how and why a range of neurodegenerative diseases occur. The team, led by Dr Joern Steinert from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester, has