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Human gut microbiota may play a significant role in maintaining health

Bacteria and other microorganisms in the digestive tract are linked with dozens of health conditions including high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and body mass index (BMI) according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2020.

28 Aug 2020

Macrophage programming allows the body to fight infections and promotes tissue repair

Macrophages are white blood cells that, depending on the signals they get from the immune system, become specialized in either increasing or decreasing inflammation.

26 Aug 2020

Study reveals key biomolecule that can heal damaged heart tissues

When a person suffers a heart attack, parts of the heart can become stiff and scarred, leading to disability and possible progression toward heart failure.

26 Aug 2020

Excessive consumption of fructose may lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Excessive consumption of fructose -; a sweetener ubiquitous in the American diet -; can result in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is comparably abundant in the United States.

25 Aug 2020

Machines match expert human assessment of stored red blood cell quality

Each year, nearly 120 million units* of donated blood flow from donor veins into storage bags at collection centres around the world.

25 Aug 2020

Lasting nature of IBD linked to long-lived immune cell that causes persistent inflammation

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of intestinal disorders affecting an estimated six to eight million people worldwide.

25 Aug 2020

STING protein activates a pathway that kills tumor-fighting immune cells

The immune protein STING has long been noted for helping protect against viruses and tumors by signaling a well-known immune molecule. Now, UT Southwestern scientists have revealed that STING also activates a separate pathway, one that directly kills tumor-fighting immune cells.

25 Aug 2020

Lipid-based nanoparticles can help treat genetic disorders

Introducing genetic material into the body to treat diseases can work, but making sure that those materials are safely sent to the right location is complicated.

24 Aug 2020

Researchers identify a novel molecular mechanism of intestinal stem cells

Stem cells in the intestines maintain an excellent balance between two promising forms—developing into intestinal epithelial cells, or remaining as stem cells.

24 Aug 2020

Study shows how DUSP8 protein regulates glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity

The brain plays a major role in controlling our blood glucose levels. In type 2 diabetics this glucose metabolism brain control is often dysfunctional. Genetic components for this phenomenon have so far remained elusive.

24 Aug 2020

New study shows promise for developing COVID-19 vaccine

When news about a novel coronavirus switched from a chronicle of its progress in China to headlines about a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Gladstone Institutes scientist Nadia Roan, PhD, was in the midst of publishing several papers on T cells and their role in HIV spread and long-lasting infections.

24 Aug 2020

Programmable DNA nanoswitches can rapidly detect emerging viruses, including SARS-CoV-2

Programmable DNA nanoswitches that bind to viral RNA in human body fluids may provide an inexpensive platform to rapidly detect a wide variety of emerging viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study.

24 Aug 2020

Study provides detailed map of natural killer cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study of 27 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has provided a detailed map of natural killer (NK) cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, revealing that specific characteristics of NK cell activation associate with different levels of disease severity.

24 Aug 2020

Study examines the impact of low-carb, high-fat diet in older people

A new study, published in Nutrition and Metabolism, from researchers with the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Nutrition Obesity Research Center observed improvements in body composition, fat distribution and metabolic health in response to an eight-week, very low-carbohydrate diet.

21 Aug 2020

Eliminating tumors with engineered ‘off-the-shelf’ therapeutic T cells

Personalized cancer treatments are no longer just options of the future. In the past few years, researchers have made significant progress in 'teaching' the body's immune T cells to recognize and kill specific cancer cells, and human clinical trials have shown that this approach can successfully eliminate tumors

21 Aug 2020

A metabolic enzyme could be potential target for immunotherapies

The metabolic enzyme IL4I1 (Interleukin-4-Induced-1) promotes the spread of tumor cells and suppresses the immune system.

21 Aug 2020

Genetic background influences cancer risk in individuals with single-gene variants

Life can change dramatically when someone learns they are genetically predisposed to a disease, such as a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, where a mutated gene can lead to elevated cholesterol and increased risk for a premature heart attack.

21 Aug 2020