Biochemistry

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Eating chocolate is linked with reduced risk of heart disease

Eating chocolate at least once a week is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

23 Jul 2020

Researchers identify the role of calcium channel subunits in synapse development

The ability of the human brain to process and store information is determined to a large extent by the connectivity between nerve cells. Chemical synapses are very important in this context as they constitute the interface for the transmission of information between individual nerve cells.

23 Jul 2020

New pathways that could help treat RNA viruses discovered

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified new pathways in an RNA-based virus where inhibitors, like medical treatments, unbind.

23 Jul 2020

Boosting metabolic resources in the brain could be a way to slow neurodegeneration

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have shown for the first time that when one optic nerve in the eye is damaged, as in glaucoma, the opposite optic nerve comes to the rescue by sharing its metabolic energy.

From Vanderbilt University 22 Jul 2020

Fasting-mimicking diet combined with hormone therapy has potential to treat breast cancer

A USC-led team of scientists has found that a fasting-mimicking diet combined with hormone therapy has the potential to help treat breast cancer, according to newly published animal studies and small clinical trials in humans.

22 Jul 2020

Edible coating made with green tea extract kills microbes

Infusing prepared foods with an edible coating that contains green tea extract may lower consumers' chances of catching the highly contagious norovirus by eating contaminated food, new research suggests.

22 Jul 2020

Silver-plated gold nanostars could be used to detect early cancer biomarkers

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have engineered a method for simultaneously detecting the presence of multiple specific microRNAs in RNA extracted from tissue samples without the need for labeling or target amplification.

22 Jul 2020

New tools developed to test the ability of antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at The Rockefeller University in New York have developed new tools to rapidly test the ability of antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 Jul 2020

Josep Carreras Institute creates spin-off to develop CAR-T based therapies for leukemia

The Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, a public centre pertaining to the Generalitat de Catalunya's (Government of Catalonia) CERCA network, has created the OneChain Immunotherapeutics spin-off, the aim of which is to develop new immuno-oncological therapeutic tools with various preclinical candidates, based on CAR-T technology for different tumors, such as cortical T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (coT-ALL), a rare subtype of leukemia that mainly affects children, and which has a poor prognosis.

21 Jul 2020

Novel nano drug candidate kills triple negative breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a new nano drug candidate that kills triple negative breast cancer cells.

21 Jul 2020

A new method to fortify shellfish for tackling human nutrient defiiciencies

Cambridge scientists have developed a new way to fortify shellfish to tackle human nutrient deficiencies which cause severe health problems across the world. The team is now working with major seafood manufacturers to further test their microencapsulation technology, or "Vitamin Bullets".

20 Jul 2020

Simple blood test could advance life-saving treatment for heart failure

Biomedical experts believe that half of heart failure patients likely have low levels of the thyroid hormone T3 in their cardiac tissue.

20 Jul 2020

Rapid laboratory test can aid in early diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients

A rapid laboratory test, the eosinophil count, readily obtained from a routine complete blood cell count (CBC) can aid in the early recognition of COVID-19 in patients, as well as provide prognostic information, according to new research in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

20 Jul 2020

Ultra-small titanium dioxide crystals may help produce methane and other fuels

Imagine tiny crystals that "blink" like fireflies and can convert carbon dioxide, a key cause of climate change, into fuels.

From Rutgers University 20 Jul 2020

Research may help design new, highly selective generation of Alzheimer's drugs

With over 1.2 million people affected in Germany alone and over 50 million people worldwide, Alzheimer's disease, also referred to simply as Alzheimer's, is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of our time.

20 Jul 2020

Using blood samples to detect positive COVID-19 cases in 20 minutes

World-first research by Monash University in Australia has been able to detect positive COVID-19 cases using blood samples in about 20 minutes, and identify whether someone has contracted the virus.

20 Jul 2020

Type 1 interferon deficiency in the blood could be a hallmark of severe COVID-19

Approximately 5% of people with Covid-19 progress to a severe or critical form, including the development of severe pneumonia that progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome.

20 Jul 2020

Emerging hydrogel material could improve delivery of oral drugs

An emerging hydrogel material with the capacity to degrade and spontaneously reform in the gastrointestinal tract could help researchers develop more effective methods for oral drug delivery.

From Lehigh University 20 Jul 2020

Modified mRNAs improve efficiency of protein synthesis

Since mRNAs play a key role in protein synthesis in vivo, the use of mRNAs as medicines and for in vitro protein synthesis has been desired.

17 Jul 2020

Beautyberry leaf extract boosts drug's activity antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria

Scientists discovered a compound in the leaves of a common shrub, the American beautyberry, that boosts an antibiotic's activity against antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria. Laboratory experiments showed that the plant compound works in combination with oxacillin to knock down the resistance to the drug of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

17 Jul 2020