Sterols, such as cholesterol in our bodies or ergosterol in yeast cells, are among the most abundant lipids in eukaryotic cells, yet are synthesized through notoriously long, complex metabolic pathways. Researchers from UC San Diego and the NIH have used a novel combination of cell…
Category: 5. Health
-
Recessive genes are subject to Darwinian selection
As a group, carriers of recessive disorders are slightly less healthy and have a reduced chance of having offspring. This disadvantage is greatest for carriers of a recessive gene for intellectual disability, and reflected in a shorter school career and increased childlessness, according to…
Continue Reading
-
Cyberbullying in any form can be traumatizing for kids
As concern grows over adolescent mental health, a new national study adds to the growing body of research showing that cyberbullying should be considered an adverse childhood experience (ACE) — a category of childhood trauma linked to long-term emotional, psychological and physical harm.
While…
Continue Reading
-
Patients with glioblastoma who received gabapentin lived longer, study suggests
A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham suggests that gabapentin, a relatively common anti-seizure/pain medication, is linked to improved survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) — the most common and deadly form of brain cancer in adults. The findings, published in Nature…
Continue Reading
-
Focused ultrasound halts growth of debilitating brain lesions
A new, incision-free technique developed at UVA Health to treat debilitating brain lesions called cerebral cavernous malformations, or cavernomas, has shown great promise in early testing, halting the growth of the lesions almost entirely.
The new approach could represent a paradigm shift in how…
Continue Reading
-
South African study identifies two new breast cancer genes in black women
Genetic factors contribute to some 30% of breast cancer cases in SA, necessitating investment in genomic research in African contexts.
A seminal genetic study published in Nature Communication has discovered two genetic variants linked to breast cancer in black South African women, deepening…
Continue Reading
-
Shorter radiation therapy after prostate surgery safe, study finds
For men who undergo a radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer, post-surgery radiation therapy can play a vital role in reducing the risk of recurrence. Despite its benefits, many patients decline or defer radiation because it requires daily sessions for several weeks.
Now, a…
Continue Reading
-
Improved model system allows researchers to study embryo development
Research from Ph.D. candidate Bohan Chen in the lab of Idse Heemskerk of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan Medical School and their colleagues improves upon a popular experimental model and in doing so, reveals more of the inner workings of a critical…
Continue Reading
-
New stem cell model sheds light on human amniotic sac development
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have developed a new stem cell model of the mature human amniotic sac, which replicates development of the tissues supporting the embryo from two to four weeks after fertilisation. This is the first model of amniotic sac development after two weeks.
As…
Continue Reading
-
How rearranged genes drive kidney cancer progression
In findings from a study led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, scientists report that they have learned how certain combinations of rearranged genes can promote the progression of a rare type of kidney cancer. The…
Continue Reading