Author Archives: Rocio Gallegos, MD

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder that is defined by irregular menstruation and elevated levels of a hormone called androgen. Other symptoms may include excess hair growth, acne, infertility and poor metabolic health. “Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common reproductive disorder that impacts up to 10% of women,” said study author Heather G. Huddleston, […]

Scientists have engineered a living material resembling human phlegm, which will help them to better understand how a certain kind of infection develops on the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. Biofilms are strong living 3D materials that play key roles in nature, but also cause major problems in the real world, such as in […]

The causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and prion diseases can be many and varied. But there is a common denominator, namely protein misfolding and the occurrence of protein deposits in the brain. Studies on genes associated with pathologies have revealed two basic mechanisms by which misfolded proteins can […]

Research has found that hormone levels are an important indicator of whether post-menopausal women who are most at risk of developing breast cancer will benefit from aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole. This type of drug is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Care and Excellence (NICE) as an option for preventive therapy in postmenopausal […]

UZH researchers now show that a particular enzyme found in cells of the immune system enters the brain under stress. In mice, it causes them to withdraw and avoid social contact. This newly discovered connection between body and mind in stress-related mental illnesses could lead to new treatments for depression. An international research team has […]

Conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — as well as failures within transplanted cells — are all caused by altered cytokine secretion of immune cells within the human body. To find treatments for such diseases, experts need to identify the genetic regulators of the secretion so they can explore the […]