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Unveiling HIV's "latch": New study reveals key to blocking infection

As the HIV virus glides up outside a human cell to dock and possibly inject its deadly cargo of genetic code, there's a spectacularly brief moment in which a tiny piece of its surface snaps open to begin the process of infection.

2 Feb 2024

Study sheds light on 7-DHC's potential to induce cell death-resistant state in tumors

Cell death is fundamental to life and, thus, healthy aging. In the realm of cellular biology, ferroptosis (a form of programmed cell death) has emerged not only as a focal point of research for its potential in eliminating cancer cells, but also its role in a plethora of other diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, eye diseases such as Retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, as well as ischemia, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, acute kidney injury and inflammation.

1 Feb 2024

CRISPR revolutionized: New method edits genes directly in the body

Most approved gene therapies today, including those involving CRISPR-Cas9, work their magic on cells removed from the body, after which the edited cells are returned to the patient.

1 Feb 2024

Immune protein Ku70 key in fighting bowel cancer

Study establishes Ku70's role in tumor suppression, showing that reduced expression or mutations in this DNA repair protein significantly increase intestinal cancer risk.

30 Jan 2024

Tomato juice can get rid of enteric bacteria that can harm people's health

Tomato juice can kill Salmonella Typhi and other bacteria that can harm people's digestive and urinary tract health, according to research published this week in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Salmonella Typhi is a deadly human-specific pathogen that causes typhoid fever.

30 Jan 2024

New drug kills tumor cells by triggering a deadly calcium storm

Calcium ions are essential for cells, but can be toxic in higher concentrations. A team of researchers has now designed and prepared a combination drug that kills tumor cells by modulating the calcium influx into the cell.

30 Jan 2024

Netherlands sees unexpected surge in Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases, younger population more affected

A study in the Netherlands reports a significant rise in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections since October 2023, with a notable decrease in the median age of patients compared to the last epidemic.

28 Jan 2024

Study identifies plasma markers linked to mental health in young adults

Study in "Translational Psychiatry" explores plasma proteins related to the p-factor in young adults, revealing potential biomarkers for overall mental health status and insights into common underlying factors of mental health disorders.

28 Jan 2024

Study establishes the ideal immunosuppression regimen for pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation

Currently used Food and Drug Administration-approved transplant drugs -; with the addition of an also already FDA-approved complement inhibitor -; are the optimal immunosuppression regimen for pig-to-human kidney transplants, according to a landmark discovery by University of Alabama at Birmingham investigators.

25 Jan 2024

Unbiased assessment of vamorolone for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The drug vamorolone (Agamree) has been hailed as a promising new drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

25 Jan 2024

Curcumin spray shows promise in fighting SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses

A study in the Virology Journal reveals a curcumin-containing oro-nasal film spray with potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, boosting mucosal immunity without cytotoxic effects.

24 Jan 2024

Ultrasound method helps identify pregnant women at risk for preterm birth

Researchers have developed a way to use ultrasound to predict whether a pregnant person is at risk of delivering a baby prematurely, which occurs in upward of 10% of pregnancies in the U.S.

24 Jan 2024

Study finds patients with long COVID exhibit complement dysregulation with signs of thromboinflammation

Researchers explore inflammatory signatures restricted to patients with active post-acute COVID-19 sequelae.

23 Jan 2024

Persistent presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in long COVID patients

Researchers conduct blood digital transcriptomics to determine the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with long COVID-19.

23 Jan 2024

Scientists demonstrate way to produce SARS-CoV-2 receptor protein in mouse cells

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University has demonstrated a way to produce large quantities of the receptor that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, binds to on the surface of human cells.

22 Jan 2024

Aerobic exercise could help combat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

According to a study conducted on animal models and published in the journal Metabolism, aerobic exercise could help fight the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common liver disease worldwide: it affects nearly 24% of the global population and it usually causes a certain stigma among the affected people.

22 Jan 2024

The role of glucose in inducing tolerance to amphotericin B for fungal meningitis treatment

Researchers investigate the mechanism responsible for amphotericin B tolerance of Cryptococcus neoformans.

18 Jan 2024

ALS progression linked to mitochondria-associated membrane-ER disconnection

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have discovered a relationship between the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and the disruption of mitochondria-associated membranes (MAM), the contact point between the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the cell.

17 Jan 2024

Monkey study points to HIV vulnerability for vaccine attack

Three different HIV antibodies each independently protected monkeys from acquiring simian-HIV (SHIV) in a placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study intended to inform development of a preventive HIV vaccine for people.

17 Jan 2024