In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors tried a variety of medications to determine what was helpful to prevent the deaths caused by a virus which humans had no natural immunity against. It was reported that using dexamethasone, a common steroid, prevented deaths in patients who had severe COVID-19 and were on ventilators […]
It might become possible to inject proteins into specific cells in the body thanks to bacterial “nanosyringes” tweaked to target human cells. This could lead to safer and more effective treatments for a wide range of conditions, including cancer. Large molecules such as proteins can have much more specific and powerful effects than small-molecule drugs […]
A new study led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) brings into sharper focus the structural details of the COVID-19 virus, revealing an elliptical shape that “breathes,” or changes shape, as it moves in the body. “Understanding the SARS-COV-2 virus envelope should allow us to model the actual process of the virus attaching to the cell […]
Using a new way of analysing mortality records, figures from 19 high-income countries suggest that we haven’t yet approached the maximum human lifespan and could see the record start to rise in the next few decades. “We don’t appear to be approaching a maximum limit at the moment,” says the study’s lead researcher David McCarthy […]
Investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai have discovered that patients who have round hearts shaped like baseballs are more likely to develop future heart failure and atrial fibrillation than patients who have longer hearts. “We found that individuals with spherical hearts were 31% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation and 24% more likely […]
In proof-of-concept experiments, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have successfully cultivated human muscle stem cells capable of renewing themselves and repairing muscle tissue damage in mice. To make the self-renewing stem cells, the scientists began with laboratory-grown human skin cells that were genetically reprogrammed to a more primitive state in which the cells have […]
Older cells may fail to make proteins or may make proteins that don’t function as they should, in a discovery that could lead to new drug targets to slow the ageing process. Payel Sen at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland previously found that control over gene expression breaks down in yeast and worm […]
An increasing number of people choose a low-gluten diet, even though they are not allergic to the dietary substance. In an intervention study of healthy Danish adults, reported in Nature Communications, an international team of scientists shows that a low-gluten but fibre-rich diet changes the community of gut bacteria and decreases gastrointestinal discomfort such as […]
Our circadian rhythms help our bodies synchronize different tasks throughout the day, including gene expression, immune function, and cell repair. We’ve long known that chronically disrupted circadian rhythms can predispose us to a number of health issues. Recent work has shown that circadian rhythms are not only involved in tumor onset, but also govern cancer […]
Parkinson’s disease consists in a condition affecting the nervous system that causes movement issues, such as tremors, stiffened limbs, and cognitive problems. There is still not a specific reason why Parkinson’s occurs. However, the disease has been linked to low levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the body. Additionally, people with certain risk factors, such […]