Tag: potential

A study led by researchers at the University of Chicago and Indiana University has determined that a protein called elF5A is necessary for driving inflammation in macrophage cells in obesity. Blocking DHPS, the enzyme that modifies and activates elF5A, led to reduced inflammation and improved glucose control in mice. The study was published on September

New research has discovered that common artificial sweeteners can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall, potentially leading to serious health issues. The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is the first to show the pathogenic effects of some of the most widely used artificial sweeteners—saccharin,

New data from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge suggests that a single dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine can reduce by four-fold the number of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. This implies that the vaccine could significantly reduce the risk of transmission of the virus from people who are asymptomatic, as well as protecting others from getting ill.

A team of researchers has discovered an antibody that blocks the ability of the dengue virus to cause disease in mice. The findings open the potential for developing effective treatments and designing a vaccine for dengue and similar diseases. Dengue virus, a member of a group of viruses called flaviviruses, causes 50 to 100 million

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine have developed a possible new antibiotic for a pathogen that is notoriously resistant to medications and frequently lethal for people with cystic fibrosis and other lung ailments. The pathogen, called Mycobacterium abscessus, is related to a better-known bacterium that causes tuberculosis and leprosy but has recently emerged as

New research has uncovered the previously unknown presence of CD19—a B cell molecule targeted by chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy to treat leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma—in brain cells that protect the blood brain barrier (BBB). This discovery may potentially be the cause for neurotoxicity in patients undergoing CD19 directed CAR T cell

Cannabis appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for the chronic pain that afflicts people with sickle cell disease, according to a new clinical trial co-led by University of California, Irvine researcher Kalpna Gupta and Dr. Donald Abrams of UC San Francisco. The findings appear in JAMA Network Open. “These trial results show

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects an estimated 22 million Americans. In addition to sleep problems, the condition can cause other health issues, including high blood pressure, chronic heart failure and stroke. Some patients with OSA are at an even higher risk of cardiovascular problems because of a phenomenon called “reverse dipping” that causes blood pressure

A potential drug to treat heart attacks and to prevent heart failure—for which no cure currently exists—may result from pioneering research by a University of Guelph professor. Prof. Tami Martino, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Ph.D. student Cristine Reitz have discovered what they believe is a novel drug target controlling the body’s repair responses after

Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School have uncovered a potential mechanism behind cancer suppression in bats that may lead to future therapies for human cancers. The research shows that bat cells accumulate less toxic chemicals than human cells, where these chemicals are moved out of the system mediated by a cell surface pump protein, known as

An approved drug normally used to treat fungal infections could also do the job of a protein channel that is missing in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, operating as a prosthesis on the molecular scale, says new research from the University of Illinois and the University of Iowa. Cystic fibrosis is a lifelong

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have published a study in the peer-reviewed medical journal Laryngoscope exploring the merits of integrating gamification into the graduate medical education curriculum. “With gamification, we take aspects of gaming and put it in a learning software,” said senior author Do-Yeon Cho, M.D., director of Otolaryngology Research in

Scientists at the University of Glasgow have discovered a potential combination therapy for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common form of leukaemia in the Western world, diagnosed in more than 3,500 people in the UK each year. The research, carried out in collaboration with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and

In an article published online by Frontiers in Endocrinology, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) report that they have identified a potential therapeutic target for lung fibrosis or scarring. They showed in a preclinical model that the protein promotes fibrosis by turning on profibrotic genes and increasing levels of profibrotic factors, including

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have reported PeptiENV, a cancer vaccine platform that can be used to improve the therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic enveloped viruses currently in clinical use. With the help of this new cancer vaccine platform, the activation of the human immune response against cancer cells becomes significantly more effective. “What is

A scoping review of studies on game interventions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) self-management found that the use of digital games improved exercise capacity and energy expenditure significantly. Average adherence rates for the game interventions ranged from 70% to 100% across all studies, and they were enjoyed by a majority of participants in studies that assessed

The findings have already prompted recalls in more than 50 countries, affecting several Chinese and Indian companies.  (iStock) European and North American regulators have said they are examining a second potentially cancer-causing substance in a commonly-used blood pressure drug made by Chinese firm Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals. Statements from health regulators in the EU, United States

Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered that a modified version of an important immune cell protein could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which will be published August 29 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that soluble versions of a protein called TLR5 can reduce the buildup of amyloid plaques

Individuals with defects in copper metabolism may soon have more targeted treatment options thanks to a discovery by a research team led by Dr. Vishal Gohil of Texas A&M AgriLife Research in College Station. A paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that an investigational anticancer-drug, elesclomol, can restore the production

The incidence of food allergies has increased in recent decades: It affects three to four percent of the adult population and five percent of children. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) can cause allergic reactions due to the presence of various allergenic proteins. Of particular note are proteins that resemble the primary allergen