Health News
Researchers have developed a “placenta-on-a-chip” to study the inner workings of the human placenta and its role in pregnancy. The device was designed to imitate, on a micro-level, the structure and function of the placenta and model the transfer of nutrients from mother to fetus. »
Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery about the origin of one of the cell types that make up the ovary. The team also discovered how ovarian cells share information during development of an ovarian follicle, which holds the maturing egg. »
Two drugs already on the market — an antifungal and a steroid — may potentially take on new roles as treatments for multiple sclerosis. These drugs may activate stem cells in the brain to stimulate myelin producing cells and repair white matter, which is damaged in multiple sclerosis. »
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, attacks and destroys immune cells. Current treatment with antiretroviral therapy helps to prevent the virus from multiplying. But despite advances in treatment, scientists haven’t yet designed a vaccine that protects people from HIV. »
A common over-the-counter allergy drug lowered hepatitis C virus levels in infected mice. »
Using an advanced genetic test, researchers were able to detect diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in blood serum before it could be seen on CT scans. »
Heredity accounts for up to 35 percent of small intestinal carcinoid, a rare digestive cancer. The researchers examined families with a history of the disease. Because the disease has long been considered randomly occurring rather than inherited, people with a family history are not typically screened. »
An over-the-counter drug indicated to treat allergy symptoms limited hepatitis C virus activity in infected mice. »
The AIDS virus can genetically evolve and independently replicate in patients’ brains early in the illness process. »
Measurement of circulating tumor DNA in blood can be used to detect disease recurrence in patients with a curable form of cancer known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. »
Cancer immunotherapies harness the potential of the immune system to seek and destroy cancers. One innovative approach being developed is to use dendritic cells. »
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Chronic inflammation plays a role in both of these diseases, and most immune cells have receptors for vitamin D. Binding of vitamin D to its receptor regulates many key processes inside cells. »
Daily iron supplements can help people who donate blood more quickly recover lost iron and hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. »
Age-related brain lesions known as white matter hyperintensities have been linked to movement problems and disabilities later in life. These lesions, which appear as bright spots on MRI images, can be used as a proxy measure of brain white matter disease. They are thought to reflect small blood vessel disease, and have also have been associated with dementia and other health issues in older people. »
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths. Past studies have found many genetic alterations involved in lung cancer development. However, tumor growth and metastasis occurs amid complex, evolving, and diverse genetic changes. »
The digestive tract is home to 100 trillion bacteria. Collectively known as the gut microbiota, these bacteria help with metabolism and maintaining a healthy immune system. »
The immune system has a complex, delicately orchestrated balance. White blood cells called CD4 T cells can mature to become many types of T cells, each of which has a distinct function. Some activate immune responses; others constrain immune responses. »
Researchers working with astronauts on the International Space Station are embarking on a mission to discover the origin of Alzheimer’s. »
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. One promising treatment for MS is high-dose immunosuppressive therapy with autologous hematopoietic cell transplant. »
While most efforts to understand the brain focus on new technologies to magnify small anatomical features, engineers at the MIT-based Center for Brains, Minds and Machines have found a way to make brains physically bigger. »
Young children who have long-term high blood sugar levels are more likely to have slower brain growth, according to researchers at centers including the National Institutes of Health. »
A study comparing low- and high-glycemic index diets found no significant difference between the two plans in reducing cardiovascular risk or reversing insulin resistance. »
Three-year outcomes from an ongoing clinical trial suggest that high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by transplantation of a person's own blood-forming stem cells may induce sustained remission in some people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). »
Researchers revealed how nucleotides damaged by oxidative stress become inserted into DNA strands and block DNA repair mechanisms. The cell death triggered by this process is thought to play a role in many diseases. »
Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which blood doesn’t clot normally. Researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University College London, and the Royal Free Hospital have been studying the long-term effectiveness and safety of using gene therapy to treat the disease. »
Autism is a complex brain disorder characterized by difficulties with social interactions and communication. The symptoms and levels of disability can range from mild to severe. The wide range of disorders is collectively referred to as autism spectrum disorder. »
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder. It’s the most common cause of dementia among older people. The condition, which isn’t a normal part of aging, slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. »
More than 35 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Once in the body, HIV attacks and destroys immune cells, which normally protect the body from infection. Current treatments help to prevent the virus from multiplying. However, scientists haven’t yet designed a vaccine that can protect people from HIV. »
A University of Queensland study suggests eating eight or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day not only leads to better physical health but improves mental well-being. »
In autoinflammatory diseases, the innate immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes activated and triggers inflammation. This part of the immune system is the body’s rapid first line of defense against infection. The short-term heat, swelling, and redness of inflammation are a normal part of the body’s protective response to injury or infection. But prolonged inflammation can seriously damage the body. »
Diabetes is a disorder in the use of glucose, a sugar that serves as fuel for the body. When blood glucose levels rise, beta cells in the pancreas normally make the hormone insulin. Insulin triggers cells throughout the body to take up sugar from the blood. »
When skeletal muscle becomes damaged, the regeneration process involves a specialized population of cells called satellite cells. These cells normally lie dormant inside adult muscle. In response to injury or exercise, they become active and divide. Some satellite cells mature to replace the damaged muscle tissue, while others serve to replenish the pool of cells available for future repair. »
Scientists determined the detailed structure and movement of the glutamate receptor, a protein in nerve cells involved in learning, memory, and several diseases. »
Autoinflammatory diseases are conditions in which the innate immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes activated and triggers inflammation. The innate immune system is the body’s rapid first line of defense against infection. The heat, swelling, and redness of inflammation are a normal part of the body’s protective response to injury or infection. »
Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling brain disorder that usually strikes during young adulthood and lasts a lifetime. It affects about 1 in 100 people, causing hallucinations, delusions, and other mental problems. Because schizophrenia tends to run in families, scientists have long suspected a genetic component. »
Superbugs are pathogens, or disease-causing microorganisms, resistant to multiple antibiotics. Such antibiotic resistance is now a major public health concern. Could the answer to this threat be hidden in clays formed in minerals deep in the Earth? »
Using data from over 18,000 patients, scientists have identified more than two dozen genetic risk factors involved in Parkinson’s disease, including six that had not been previously reported. »
Early transplantation of blood-forming stem cells is a highly effective treatment for infants with severe combined immunodeficiency, a group of rare, life-threatening inherited immune system disorders. »
Scientists used a novel microchip-based method to isolate and grow tumor cells circulating in blood. The technique provides an opportunity to test treatments on tumor cells, an important step toward personalizing cancer therapy. »
Men exposed to a cool environment overnight for a month had an increase in brown fat with corresponding changes in metabolism. The finding hints at new ways to alter the body’s energy balance to treat conditions such as obesity and diabetes. »
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder. The condition arises from a genetic defect that alters the structure of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein found in red blood cells. The modified hemoglobin causes normally round red blood cells to become stiff, sticky, and sickle-shaped. The deformed cells can block blood flow, causing severe pain, organ damage, and stroke. »
Emotional and behavioral problems show up even with low exposure to lead, and as blood lead levels increase in children, so do the problems, according to research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. »
Invading glioblastoma cells may hijack cerebral blood vessels during early stages of disease progression and damage the brain’s protective barrier, a study in mice indicates. This finding could ultimately lead to new ways to bring about the death of the tumor, as therapies may be able to reach these deadly cells at an earlier time point than was previously thought possible. »
Mice exposed to low doses of arsenic in drinking water, similar to what some people might consume, developed lung cancer, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found. »
Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease are closely intertwined, with each disease a risk factor for developing the other and sharing other risk factors in common, as well as sharing causes for the diseases to get worse, and outcomes, suggests a comprehensive analysis. »
Exposure to certain allergens and bacteria within the first year of life may protect children from wheezing and allergies. The study’s findings suggest potential strategies for preventing asthma. »
The effectiveness of certain cancer therapies may depend on microbes that live in the intestine, according to a study in mice. The findings suggest that antibiotics used to treat infections might hinder the effects of anti-cancer therapies. »
A genetic variation in the receptor for oxytocin, a hormone involved in social bonding, affects the ability to remember faces in families with a child who has autism. The finding points the way to a better understanding of oxytocin’s role in social behavior. »
A study of professional baseball players showed that some benefits of building bone during youth can last a lifetime. The research also confirmed that continued physical activity can help maintain bone strength as we age. »
Scientists may have discovered how the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease destroys brain cells and devastates many patients worldwide. The results may help scientists develop new therapies. »
