Medical News
Fungus-Farming Ants Might Hold the Secret to Fighting Drug-Resistant Microbes
Discover - 26 Sep 2019 23:22
Leafcutter ants carry vegetation to their nests. The species farm fungi for sustenance. (Credit: Ivan Kuzmin/Shuttestock In 2017, a woman in Nevada died from a fairly common bacterial infection, Klebsiella pneumoniae. He...
Going with the (slow) flow: New technique could improve biotech, precision medicine
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 22:14
Researchers have developed an optical system that accurately measures the flow of extraordinarily tiny amounts of liquids -- as small as 10 billionths of a liter (nanoliters) per minute.
Discovery in gallium nitride a key enabler of energy efficient electronics
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 22:13
Gallium nitride, a semiconductor that revolutionized energy-efficient LED lighting, could also transform electronics and wireless communication, thanks to a new discovery.
Immune response against Toxocara roundworms helps explain disease
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:50
Neurotoxocarosis (NT) occurs in humans when larvae of the Toxocara roundworm migrate into the central nervous system. That infection is accompanied by a complex molecular signaling cascade, including changes to anti-infl...
Researchers uncover molecular changes associated with treating lymphatic filariasis
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
The Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis delivers mass drug administration to 500 million people each year, and adverse events are common following treatment. Now, researchers have reported that certain chang...
Dog rabies vaccination programs affect human exposure, prophylaxis use
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
The World Health Organization has made it a goal to eliminate human rabies deaths due to dog bites by the year 2030. An increase in dog rabies vaccination rates decreases dog rabies cases, human exposure, and human death...
Anxiety disorders linked to disturbances in the cells' powerhouses
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
The powerhouse of the cell, the mitochondria, provides energy for cellular functions. But those activities can become disturbed when chronic stress leads to anxiety symptoms in mice and humans.
Neurons' response to seizure-induced stress reduces seizure severity
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
In response to seizures, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a network of flattened tubes in the cell that packages and transports proteins, triggers a stress response that reduces brain activity and seizure severity. The ne...
How fungus-farming ants could help solve our antibiotic resistance problem
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
For the last 60 million years, fungus-growing ants have farmed fungi for food. In their cultivation of those fungi, they've successfully relied on bacteria-produced antimicrobial ingredients to protect their crops from o...
Can excessive athletic training make your brain tired? New study says yes
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
You'd expect excessive athletic training to make the body tired, but can it make the brain tired too? A new study suggests that the answer is 'yes.'
Potential diagnostic tool, treatment for Parkinson's disease
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
Investigators have pinpointed a molecular defect that seems almost universal among patients with Parkinson's disease and those at a high risk of acquiring it.
How neural circuits form in a developing embryo
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
A new imaging method follows young neurons in a developing embryo as they progress from a messy jumble of cells into a coordinated control center. The approach lets scientists track development and emerging cell function...
Tasmanian devil research could help tackle immunotherapy resistance
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
A cluster of interacting proteins that are active in both human cancers and Tasmanian devil facial tumours, may give clues to how cancers evade the immune system, according to a new study.
Tracking Alzheimer's disease pathology in single neuronal cells
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:17
Researchers have developed a superior method to describe the very earliest effects that Alzheimer's Disease proteins have on the properties of brain cells.
Genomic map implicates broad immune cell involvement in multiple sclerosis
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 20:16
In a study of 115,803 individuals, the authors have identified 233 sites or loci in the human genome that contribute to the onset of MS. This is the largest study to date in MS.
Intense Stress Might Hurt Our Cells' Ability to Make Energy, Study Finds
Discover - 26 Sep 2019 20:00
(Credit: Alliance Images/Shutterstock) For many, stress is an all-too familiar emotion. It can come from daily challenges, like juggling work and child care, or major life events, like getting divorced or losing a loved ...
Plastic Tea Bags Release Billions of Microplastics Into Every Cup
Discover - 26 Sep 2019 19:40
Tea bags made of plastic can release billions of microplastics into our bodies. (Credit: AnikonaAnn/Shutterstock) There's a new trend in tea -- out with the old, flat paper tea bags and in with the pyramid-shaped mesh ba...
Pancreatic cancer discovery reveals how the aggressive cancer fuels its growth
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 18:20
A new discovery about pancreatic cancer sheds light on how the cancer fuels its growth and may help explain how promising cancer drugs work -- and for whom they will fail.
As we age, oral health plays increasing role in overall health
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 17:40
Oral health is a critical component to overall health for all ages, but according to dental and medical experts, vigilance is especially critical for the elderly.
How neural circuits drive hungry individuals to peak performance
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 17:40
Success is no accident: To reach your goal you need perseverance. But where does the motivation come from? Scientists have now identified the neural circuit in the brain of fruit flies which makes them perform at their b...
Trial finds high-dose radiation effective for men whose prostate cancer has spread
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 17:40
A randomized clinical trial of targeted, high-dose radiation for men with oligometastatic prostate cancer has shown the treatment to be an effective and safe option for patients who wish to delay hormone-suppression ther...
Molecular link between chronic pain and depression revealed
Science Daily - 26 Sep 2019 17:26
Researchers have identified the brain mechanism linking chronic pain and depression in rats. Their research could lead to the development of new treatments for chronic pain and depression.