Researchers have developed a new technique to analyze cell membrane proteins in situ which could revolutionize the way in which we study diseases, such as cancer, metabolic and heart diseases.
Long-term exposure to road traffic noise is associated with an increased risk of obesity. This was the conclusion of a study involving the participation of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a research centre supported by the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation. The study has been published in Environment International.
Researchers found that the filamin A-Drp1 complex mediates mitochondrial fission in a mouse model of hypoxic heart cells. Results show that hypoxic stress brought about the interaction of filamin A with Drp1 and increased Drp1 activity in heart cells. This process led to mitochondrial fragmentation and cell senescence. Further investigation demonstrated that the drug cilnidipine suppressed Drp1-filamin A complex formation and preserved heart cell function.
A new method developed by Finnish researchers to compare different treatment alternatives and to identify patients who will benefit from treatment.
A large study links social isolation with a higher risk of death from all causes combined and heart disease for all races studied, and with increased cancer mortality in white men and women. The study, appearing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, says addressing social isolation holds promise if studies show interventions are effective, as they could be relatively simple and could influence other risk factors, as social isolation is also associated with hypertension, inflammation, physical inactivity, smoking, and other health risks.
A single season of high school football may cause microscopic changes in the structure of the brain, according to a new study. A new type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed significant changes in the structure of the gray matter in the front and rear of the brain and changes to structures deep inside the brain. The study is published in Neurobiology of Disease. ?
Study confirms biological mechanism responsible for latent HIV reservoirs; suggests strategies for a functional HIV cure. A majority of the HIV-infected cells that persist in HIV-infected individuals even during suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) originated from cellular proliferation, not viral replication, according to new research published in Nature Communications.
Lowering mutation rates in harmful bacteria might be an as yet untried way to hinder the emergence of antimicrobial pathogens. One target for drug development might be a protein factor, DNA translocase Mfd, which enables bacteria to evolve rapidly by promoting mutations in many different bacterial species.
This action speeds antibiotic resistance, including multi-drug resistance. Working on drugs to block Mfd and similar factors could be a revolutionary strategy to address the worldwide crisis of treatment-resistant infectious diseases.