Chronic infections of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) are major causes of severe liver damage and liver cancer. A vaccine against hepatitis B exists, but over 250 million people currently have chronic infections. The available treatment rarely leads to the complete disappearance of the infection, which means that the risk […]
Omega-3 and Omega-6 are “healthy fats.” We can get them from foods, but many people also take them as supplements. Omega-3 helps keep the immune system healthy and may lower the risk of heart disease, while Omega-6 promotes immune health and offers other benefits. These fatty acids also play important roles in the proper functioning […]
Previous research has implicated fungi in chronic neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but there is limited understanding of how these common microbes could be involved in the development of these conditions. Working with animal models, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions discovered how the fungus Candida albicans enters the brain, activates […]
Why do we dream? A product of our brain’s neurophysiology, dreaming is a complex experience that can take on many emotional tones and simulate reality to varying degrees. As a result, there is still no clear answer to this question. A study led by the universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Toronto, and the Geneva University […]
A new, bio-inspired drug restores the effectiveness of immune cells in fighting cancer, a team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has found. Many cancers delete a stretch of DNA called 9p21, which is the most common deletion across all cancers, occurring in 25%-50% of certain cancers such as melanoma, bladder […]
Researchers are attempting to uncover the basics of how fat tissue is structured and, specifically, inflammation associated with obesity, in the hopes of unlocking the connection between the accumulation of fat and poor health outcomes. A new study from Lindsey Muir, Ph.DPh.D. and their colleagues uses single cell analysis of gene expression combined with spatial […]
A good night’s sleep prepares us for the next day. Conversely, inadequate sleep diminishes performance in tasks requiring attention, memory, and executive functions that have real world consequences. ‘Readiness scores’ currently provided by consumer fitness and sleep trackers were designed to predict physical performance rather than how we would handle daily tasks and social interactions. […]
Relief could be on the way for people with painful hand osteoarthritis after a Monash University and Alfred Health-led study found an affordable existing drug can help. Until now there has been no effective treatment. Published in The Lancet, the paper investigated methotrexate, a low-cost, effective treatment for inflammatory joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis […]
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common fatal hereditary diseases worldwide. As many as 8,000 children, teens, and adults are living with the disease in Germany today. An imbalance in salt and water transport across mucosal surfaces of the body causes people with cystic fibrosis to produce thick, sticky secretions that harm organs such […]
The link between vitamin D and skin cancers has been studied abundantly in the past, but these studies have mainly focused on serum levels of calcidiol, which is a metabolite of vitamin D, and its association with skin cancers. Findings from these studies have been inconclusive and even contradictory at times, as serum calcidiol levels […]