Monthly Archives: September 2023

Nanobody May Lead to Treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa

A team of scientists from the University of California, Irvine, believe they have discovered a special antibody which may lead to a treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa, a condition that causes loss of central vision, as well as night and color vision. The study, Structural basis for the allosteric modulation of rhodopsin by nanobody binding to […]

Type 2 Diabetes and Lung Disorders

Groundbreaking research published today in Nature Genetics describes the largest-ever study into the genetics of random “round-the-clock” blood glucose levels. The study, involving almost half a million people of diverse backgrounds, describes new DNA variants influencing blood sugar levels measured “at random.”  The team of researchers, led by Professor Inga Prokopenko at the University of […]

New Pathways Could Offer Hope for Cancer Patients Unresponsive to Chemotherapy

Scientists have discovered two new genes that cause head and neck cancer patients to be resistant to chemotherapy, and that silencing either gene can make cancer cells previously unresponsive to chemotherapy subsequently respond to it. The researchers looked through a chemical library, commonly used for drug discovery, and found two substances that could target the […]

Women May Experience Different PCOS Symptoms Depending on Where They Live

PCOS affects 7-10% of women of childbearing age and is the most common cause of infertility. Women are diagnosed with PCOS if they have two of the following criteria: androgen excess (excess male sex hormones such as testosterone), ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovaries. “Our study found geographical differences in PCOS in black and white women, […]

New Cause of Alzheimer’s, Vascular Dementia

Researchers have discovered a new avenue of cell death in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. A new study, led by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and published online in the journal Annals of Neurology, reveals for the first time that a form of cell death known as ferroptosis — caused by a buildup […]

Keto Diet and Improvements in Fertility

The ketogenic (keto) diet may lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a new paper published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. PCOS is the most common hormone disorder in women, affecting 7-10% of women of childbearing age. It can cause infertility and raises the risk of developing diabetes, […]

How Sleep Deprivation Can Harm the Brain

Not only does a lack of sleep make you feel awful, research has shown it impairs the brain. What’s more, sleep loss over long periods can even increase risk for Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.  Researchers want to understand how sleep deprivation causes this harm. In a new study in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research, […]

Concussions Early in Life Tied to Late Life Cognitive Decline

A study of twins shows that having a concussion early in life is tied to having lower scores on tests of thinking and memory skills decades later as well as having more rapid decline in those scores than twins who did not have a concussion, or traumatic brain injury (TBI).  The study is published in […]

Study Identifies Biomarkers Linked to Autism Risk

A large study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health has identified molecular signatures of gestational inflammation linked to the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These findings, which provide insights into abnormal brain development, could eventually lead to a test to screen […]

New Therapy to Fight Blood Clots

Various medical circumstances, including heart attacks and extreme cases of COVID-19, necessitate the use of anticoagulants, medicines that prevent blood clots. But the most commonly used, heparin, can induce potentially fatal side effects by making the blood clots worse rather than better.  For the first time, researchers have proposed a side-effect-free anticoagulating treatment that has […]