Articles in News
A Little Exercise Might Lengthen Life A little physical activity can go a long way toward extending your life, regardless of your weight, a new study found. People who walked briskly or did other activity at only half the recommended amount gained nearly 2 years in life expectancy compared to inactive people. Those who exercised […]
Gene Therapy for Salivary Gland Shows Promise An experimental trial showed that gene therapy can be performed safely in the human salivary gland. The accomplishment may one day lead to treatments to help head and neck cancer survivors who battle with chronic dry mouth. A mouse embryonic salivary gland.Credit: Melinda Larsen et al., Developmental Biology 255: […]
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Technique Selectively Represses Immune System Researchers devised a way to successfully treat symptoms resembling multiple sclerosis in a mouse model. With further development, the technique might be used to treat multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders. Myelin (green) encases and protects nerve fibers (brown). A new technique prevents the immune system from attacking myelin […]
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Cataloging Human Genetic Variation The world’s largest, most detailed catalog of human genetic variation—used by disease researchers around the world—has more than doubled in size. The newly published information will provide deeper insights into the genomic basis of human disease. Genetically, people are more than 99% alike. Although most of the variations between us have […]
Brain Wave Synchronization Key to Working Visual Memory Short-term memories are stored as synchronized signals between 2 key brain hubs, according to a new study in monkeys. The findings show for the first time how the brain stores visual information for working memory tasks. Plots showing the coherence between activity of cells in different […]
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Dozens of Genes Linked to Bowel Diseases Researchers found 71 new human genes associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis—forms of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affect nearly 2.5 million people worldwide. The study brings the total number of genes linked with IBD to 163. The most common signs of IBD are diarrhea and […]
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Healthy Diet May Fend Off Type 2 Diabetes After Gestational Diabetes By keeping a healthy diet in the years after pregnancy, women who develop diabetes during pregnancy can greatly reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes, a new study found. About 5% of pregnant women nationwide develop high blood sugar levels even though they didn’t […]
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Improved COPD Detection A new technique can distinguish between different types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and track disease progression. The method could allow for more accurate diagnoses and lead to more effective treatments for COPD. PRM images can help distinguish healthy lung areas (green) from those with early-stage damage (yellow) and emphysema […]
Gene Tied to Hearing Loss and Usher Syndrome Scientists discovered mutations in a gene that lead to hearing loss and also contribute to Usher syndrome. The finding adds to a growing body of knowledge about the biological pathways involved in these disorders. CIB2 (green and yellow) is found in inner ear hair cells, including the […]
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Cell Phones Track Malaria’s Spread Researchers used mobile phone data to track malaria parasite movements across Kenya. The results may help guide the design of more effective disease control programs. Nearly a million people die of malaria each year—mostly infants, young children and pregnant women, and most of them in Africa. The disease is caused […]
