LHPP serves as a tumor suppressorPublished 21 March 2018 in Nature, a study (The protein histidine phosphatase LHPP is a tumor suppressor) reveals that a protein called LHPP serves as a tumor suppressor. In addition, measurement of LHPP levels has great...
Detailed information

VCU researchers identify two proteins that regulate EBV replicationThree researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has identified two cellular proteins that regulate the replication of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Their findings will have significant implications for the ...
Detailed information

A Rare Genetic Disease – Hutchinson Gilford Progeria SyndromeIt is unimaginable that a newborn child has an old man's face. In the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, Benjamin, the hero, is such a special man: he was born as a little old man and became younger and you...
Detailed information

Scientists find a novel cell-based therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophyA new study, carried out by researchers from the University of Medical Sciences in Poland, the University of Illinois and Saint Louis University in the USA, has found a novel cell-based personalized therapy for restorati...
Detailed information

High methylglyoxal induces insulin resistance in fliesDespite the prevalence of diabetes, its etiology has not been fully understood. People with diabetes have high blood glucose (sugar). Without appropriate treatment, the disease can cause a range of complications. Diabete...
Detailed information

IL-1RA may play a role in wound healingScientists have gained new insights into why a wound in the mouth heals more quickly than that in the skin. The reason may lie in the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the gingiva. Published in Science Translational Me...
Detailed information

ERRγ is essential for maintaining brown fat's functionFat tissue in our bodies possesses multiple functions. There are mainly two types of fat tissue in our bodies: white fat and brown fat. White fat serves as heat insulation, mechanical cushion, and a source of energy. If ...
Detailed information

An anticancer drug shows promise in reducing typical symptoms of autismResearchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo have demonstrated that an anticancer agent called romidepsin, which is a highly potent HDAC inhibitor, can effectively restore social deficits in mouse models ...
Detailed information

Heart problems induced by a breast cancer drug could be preventedBreast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. There have been significant advances in live-saving treatments against breast cancer in the past few decades. These advances bring new hope to women ...
Detailed information

Why can HIV remain latent in the body?HIV, short for human immunodeficiency virus, is a reverse retrovirus. HIV is transmitted by blood contact (like sharing a needle or syringe), sexual behavior, mother-to-child. Daily contacts with infected patients do not...
Detailed information

High vitamin D confers protection against cancer, a large-scale study findsA high plasma vitamin D level is associated with a low risk of total cancer. This is the main discovery of a study conducted by a team of researchers from National Cancer Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, and ...
Detailed information

Strict dietary schedule could benefit patients with HDA new study, carried out by researchers from the University of British Columbia, has demonstrated that a strict dietary schedule may be beneficial to patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Huntington disease (HD) ...
Detailed information

Novel neurodevelopmental disorder risk gene identifiedA team, composed of researchers from McMaster University, the University of Toronto in Canada, and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, has demonstrated that a gene called TAOK2 may contribute to t...
Detailed information

Penn scientists identify a cell type crucial for lung regenerationRegeneration, the process of renewal, restoration, and growth that makes genomes, cells or tissues following damage, is essential to almost all species, from bacteria to humans. In humans, some tissues such as skin and i...
Detailed information

Resveratrol suppresses replication of poxvirusScientists have found that resveratrol, a chemical that is present in certain types of common food such as berries, grapes, red wine, and chocolate, has beneficial effects in suppressing viral replication. The discovery ...
Detailed information

New tool would facilitate HIV studyA team, composed of researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), has identified new cellular targets for the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu, by using a newly developed, high-throughput proteomi...
Detailed information

Protein is a double-edged sword in cancer progressionMany proteins that normally maintain tissue homeostasis are conversely involved in cancer development. What causes this switch remains unclear. Now, a new study sheds light on this question. Dr. Pradipta Gho...
Detailed information

New clues to pathogenesis of Parkinson's diseaseThere is a dramatic increase in the total population aging. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the number of people aged 65 or above will grows from an estimated 524 million in 2010 to about 1.5 billion in ...
Detailed information

Investigational drug shows safety and efficacy in treating adult-onset Still's diseaseAdult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), a rare autoimmune disease, shares some characteristics with a more common autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis. As its name implies, AOSD begins in adulthood. AOSD generally affect...
Detailed information

New research will aid in development of vaccines for RSV and hMPVA very common virus called RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) usually causes symptoms that resemble that of a mild cold, such as coughing, sneezing and a runny nose. Almost every baby will get infected with RSV during the...
Detailed information

Why can calorie restriction improve intestinal regeneration post injury?Calorie restriction refers to reducing calorie intake without causing malnutrition. The health benefits of calorie restriction have been reported. Experiments in various animals have demonstrated that calorie restriction...
Detailed information

A competitive antagonist of the glucagon receptor shows therapeutic effects against diabetesPublished in Cell Reports, a study (Glucagon Receptor Antagonism Improves Glucose Metabolism and Cardiac Function by Promoting AMP-Mediated Protein Kinase in Diabetic Mice) has demonstrated that a hormone called glucagon...
Detailed information

Clinical trial shows the significant therapeutic effect of a combination treatment against advanced kidney cancerAngiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is a natural process essential for healing and reproduction. Normally, the process of angiogenesis is well controlled by a network of chemical sign...
Detailed information

Study sheds light on the pathogenesis of autismThe endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex, biological system found in the body. Knowledge of the endocannabinoid system is relatively new and lacks depth. But accumulating evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid s...
Detailed information

TBK1 inhibitors may deal with obesityAn enzyme called TBK1 is involved in the control of energy expenditure under different conditions, according to a study carried out by a team composed of researchers from the University of California–San Diego (UCSD) a...
Detailed information

Novel drug for asthma identifiedA new study, titled "Transgelin-2 as a therapeutic target for asthmatic pulmonary resistance" and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on 7 Feb 2018, demonstrates that a drug called TSG12 could have th...
Detailed information

Why do some patients with basal cell carcinoma become resistant to vismodegib?Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for approximately 80% of all skin cancers. In addition, BCC is also one of the most common human cancers and its incidence is rising globally....
Detailed information

SAA1 could be targeted for treating pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer is very aggressive. This type of cancer often takes its victims within five years after diagnosis. Among the several forms of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most commo...
Detailed information

Scientists find a way to predict which patients with triple-negative breast cancer are at risk of metastasisTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancers. This breast cancer subtype is hard to combat due to a lack of therapeutic targets. Therefore, many works have been done in order to find nov...
Detailed information

Compounds derived from grapes treat depression in miceDepression, or major depressive disorder, is a common but serious mood disorder that affects how you feel, think and behave. The disorder is a result of complex interactions of genetic, biological, environmental, and psy...
Detailed information

DPI found to inhibit proliferation of cancer stem cellsCancer is characterized by an uncontrolled, abnormal cell growth. Therefore, inhibition of the abnormal growth is considered a promising therapeutic strategy. Now, scientists from the University of Salford, the Universit...
Detailed information

Explanation for reduced survival seen in prostate cancer patients with diabetesDiabetes is associated with increased risk of many different types of cancer. However, recent studies have shown that men with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are less likely to develop prostate cancer compared with men without T2...
Detailed information

GSK3 inhibitors restore T cell proliferation and prevent immune pathologyLymphopenia, also known as lymphocytopenia, is a medical condition in which the levels of lymphocytes (a subtype of white blood cells) are abnormally low in the blood. Lymphocytes are key components of the immune system....
Detailed information

CDK2 inhibitors hold promise in treating Ewing sarcomaEwing sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises in the bone or in soft tissue. This cancer is considered a pediatric, or childhood, cancer because it occurs more frequently in children than in adults. There is a gende...
Detailed information

Unique expression patterns and functions of AKTs identifiedA team, composed of six researchers from the University of Colorado-Boulder and Linda Crnic Institute, has shown that different isoforms of a protein called AKT are expressed by different cells in the central nervous sys...
Detailed information

Scientists identify potential biomarkers for progeriaProgeria is an extremely rare medical condition characterized by premature aging. Strictly speaking, progeria refers to all diseases associated with premature aging. But in practice, progeria is often used to specificall...
Detailed information

Novel combination therapy shows great therapeutic effects against glioblastomaGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most commonly diagnosed type of primary brain tumors in adult people. Despite advances in understanding the molecular basis of GBM, patient prognosis is still very poor. GBM typically results in...
Detailed information

New gene mutation found to trigger diabetes and insulinomaA multinational team has identified a gene that correlates with two opposing conditions: diabetes and insulinoma. The gene, called MAFA, has not been associated with human diseases before. Findings of this study may faci...
Detailed information

New genes confirmed to elevate breast cancer riskTwo genes implicated in Lynch syndrome may also elevate the risk of breast cancer, according to a study carried out by researchers from GeneDx and Columbia University. Lynch syndrome (LS) is sometimes called...
Detailed information

Chromosomal instability contributes to cancer metastasisThe vast majority of cancer-related deaths are attributed to metastasis, the process that cancer cells migrate from their primary site to distant parts of the body. For this reason, scientists have long been seeking to u...
Detailed information

LIGHT found to correlate with inflammatory skin diseaseA team, composed of nine researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LJI), has found that a cytokine called LIGHT could be a therapeutic target for treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. ...
Detailed information

Blockage of G-CSF in brain treats cocaine addiction in miceCocaine is a highly addictive drug that can cause huge harm to a person's health and well-being. The substance was first synthesized from the leaves of the coca plant in 1980. Cocaine abuse has become an important social...
Detailed information

Explanation for why only some obese people are prone to diabetesThe negative health consequences of obesity have been well-established. Obesity is a major risk factor for metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, recent evidence reveals that n...
Detailed information

Upregulation of ApoE reduces immune suppression and promotes anti-cancer immune responseA team, composed of researchers from the Rockefeller University, Downstate Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the University of California, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Rgenix, has found an appro...
Detailed information

Study provides potential way to treat inflammatory bowel diseaseFindings of a new study by researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine in the USA would lead to novel treatments for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. The researchers have identified a group of immune cells, known a...
Detailed information

Critical cells involved in scleroderma identifiedScleroderma, a term that is often used interchangeably with systemic sclerosis, refers to an autoimmune disease that mainly affects the skin and the connective tissue. Regardless of age and gender, all people may be affe...
Detailed information

New tool to assess the effect of immunotherapyA team, led by Prof. Preet Chaudhary at the University of Southern California, has developed a new tool to test the effect of immunotherapy. The tool may also apply to other types of therapeutics and may be used to scree...
Detailed information

Research finds new genetic link to severe obesityAlmost everyone knows that maintaining a healthy weight is important. To determine whether your body weight is healthy, you can calculate your body mass index (BMI), which is reported as weight in kilograms (kg) divided ...
Detailed information

Leptin regulates glucose homeostasis during starvation, study findsThe brain accounts for less than 2% of the body's weight. However, even at rest, it consumes approximately 20% of the body's energy. Why does the brain have so large an energy budget? Although this question has not been ...
Detailed information

Scientists identify gut bacteria that increase immunotherapy efficacyImmunotherapy has significantly improved cancer treatment. But less than half of patients with melanoma respond well to immunotherapy. If we can find ways to increase their response rate, it will lead to considerable imp...
Detailed information