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Child with Bachmann-Bupp Syndrome successfully treated in just 16 months

Diagnosing a rare medical condition is difficult. Identifying a treatment for it can take years of trial and error. In a serendipitous intersection of research expertise, an ill patient in this case a child and innovative technology, Bachmann-Bupp Syndrome has gone from a list of symptoms to a successful treatment in just 16 months.

20 Jul 2021

A low-cost biopolymer dressing to help heal chronic wounds

Tens of millions of patients around the world suffer from persistent and potentially life-threatening wounds. These chronic wounds, which are also a leading cause of amputation, have treatments, but the cost of existing wound dressings can prevent them from reaching people in need.

19 Jul 2021

Researchers discover major metabolite involved in regulating intestinal bacteria

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) have discovered that acetate, a major metabolite produced by some intestinal bacteria, is involved in regulating other intestinal bacteria.

19 Jul 2021

MIT engineers create new diagnostic nanoparticle that can pinpoint tumor location

Most of the tests that doctors use to diagnose cancer -- such as mammography, colonoscopy, and CT scans -- are based on imaging. More recently, researchers have also developed molecular diagnostics that can detect specific cancer-associated molecules that circulate in bodily fluids like blood or urine.

16 Jul 2021

New study finds an association between alcohol use and higher risk of several cancers

A new study from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published in the journal Lancet Oncology, has found an association between alcohol and a substantially higher risk of several forms of cancer, including breast, colon, and oral cancers.

14 Jul 2021

Shape of extracellular vesicles in body fluids could be a biomarker for identifying cancer types

A recent study by scientists from Japanese universities has shown that the shape of cell-derived nanoparticles, known as "extracellular vesicles" (EVs), in body fluids could be a biomarker for identifying types of cancer.

7 Jul 2021

New PET imaging method tracks immunotherapeutic efficacy in mouse models

Several cancer tumors grow through immunosuppression; that is, they manipulate biological systems in their microenvironments and signal to a specific set of immune cells--those that clear out aberrant cells--to stop acting. It is no wonder that immunotherapy designed to re-establish anti-tumor immunity is rapidly becoming the treatment of choice for these cancers.

2 Jul 2021

Researchers reveal a promising target for designing anti-cancer therapies

Chances are, every one of us has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Unlike some other deadly diseases, cancer can take many forms inside the human body, so learning more about a single enzyme linked to many types of this disease could lead to more effective treatments.

2 Jul 2021

Solar irradiation inactivates SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses, finds study

Coronaviruses irradiated with simulated sunlight used to infect cells showed reduced infectivity and reduced viral replication compared to viruses that were not irradiated.

30 Jun 2021

Acidic environment enhances production of butyric acid from apple pectin by fecal microbiota

Researchers from Tallinn University of Technology, Grete Raba, Signe Adamberg, and Kaarel Adamberg showed that an acidic environment enhances the production of butyric acid from apple pectin by fecal bacterial consortia - microbiota.

29 Jun 2021

Why SARS-CoV-2 delta variant is more infectious

German experts recently explained why the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant is more infectious and pathogenic than its ancestor. By conducting a series of in vitro experiments, they have revealed that increased ability to induce cell-to-cell fusion (syncytia) and reduced susceptibility to vaccine and infection-induced antibodies make the delta variant more infectious than previously circulating variants. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

28 Jun 2021

New dietary fiber formulation improves the potency of cancer immunotherapies

Many people don't realize that the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi residing within the gastrointestinal tract--collectively called the gut microbiome-- are connected to overall health, and specifically to cancer.

24 Jun 2021

Could type III interferons be used as a SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic?

Researchers have found that both type I and type III interferons can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in human intestinal cells, but type III interferons can act faster and for a longer period, making them suitable for potential therapeutics.

17 Jun 2021

Macrophages can aid tumor growth by distracting cancer-killing CD8+ T cells

A Ludwig Cancer Research study adds to growing evidence that immune cells known as macrophages inhabiting the body cavities that house our vital organs can aid tumor growth by distracting the immune system's cancer-killing CD8+ T cells.

11 Jun 2021

Lack of screening may be behind the increased risk of colon cancer among Black people

Black people have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than white people, but this risk is likely not due to genetics.

10 Jun 2021

Common antidepressant drugs help the immune system to attack tumors in mice

A class of drug called monoamine oxidase inhibitors is commonly prescribed to treat depression; the medications work by boosting levels of serotonin, the brain's "happiness hormone."

10 Jun 2021

Study reveals how high fat diets can cause intestinal and colon cancer

For decades, physicians and dieticians have urged people to limit their intake of high fat foods, citing links to poor health outcomes and some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

9 Jun 2021

New bacterium shows promise for treating type 2 diabetes, obesity

It all started, when Patrice Cani, FNRS researcher at University of Louvain (UCLouvain), and his team repeatedly observed that a bacterium (called Subdoligranulum) is almost absent in obese and diabetic people, while it is systematically present in healthy people. So, they decided to take a closer look at this "family" of bacteria.

9 Jun 2021

Study confirms the importance of low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet

Researchers at the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre conducted the largest ever study of nutrient interactions by examining the health of mice on 33 different diets containing various combinations of protein to carbs, and different sources of carbohydrate.

8 Jun 2021

New national screening guidelines on colorectal cancer

Most Americans should get screened for colorectal cancer beginning at age 45 instead of age 50, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which includes UVA Health's Li Li, MD, PhD, MPH.

7 Jun 2021