Researchers have discovered brand new immune cells that are at the frontline of HIV infection. Known as CD11c+ dendritic cells, these new cells are more susceptible to HIV infection and can then transmit the virus to other cells. CD11c+ dendritic cells are a subset of dendritic cells (a type of immune cell) that are only…

A new clinical trial found a cost-effective generic drug works just as well as a more expensive drug in preserving heart function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Results of this multi-center trial are in today’s Journal of the American Heart Association. The researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine compared spironolactone and…

Researchers are trying to identify alternative strategies to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). They highlight how targeting the histone deacetylase HDAC11 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for NSCLC. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are proteins that regulate the expression and activity of genes by altering DNA compaction and modifying proteins. HDACs are often deregulated in…

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory disease of the bile ducts and is difficult to treat, since its causes have not yet been adequately researched. An international research consortium has now succeeded in identifying a new prognostic factor for PSC from liver biopsies. This is so-called cellular ER stress. PSC is a…

Aggressive and relatively common lymphomas called diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) have a critical metabolic vulnerability that can be exploited to trick these cancers into starving themselves, according to a new study. The researchers, whose study was published Dec. 13 in Blood Cancer Discovery, showed that a protein called ATF4, a genetic master-switch that…

Clinical researchers found that giving higher doses of the diuretic spironolactone could safely and effectively treat fluid excess in heart failure patients who did not respond to other diuretics. The findings are in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. UT Health San Antonio kidney and cardiovascular specialists conducted a pilot study in 19 patients to…

A new study has revealed that a key blood marker of cancer could be used to select the most effective treatment for melanoma. The discovery, which has the potential to improve melanoma survival rates, was published today in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. The research found that patients…

Interpersonal trust is a crucial component of healthy relationships. When we interact with strangers, we quickly gauge whether we can trust them. And those important social skills may be shaped by our earliest relationship with caregivers. Adolescents who had an insecure attachment to their mothers as toddlers are more likely to overestimate the trustworthiness of…

Rice University engineers improve simulations that analyze gadolinium-based contrast agents used in clinical magnetic resonance imaging. More efficient simulations could help make better compounds for imaging technologies. The team led by Dilip Asthagiri and Philip Singer of the George R. Brown School of Engineering had studied how nuclear magnetic resonance tools, commonly used in the…

Scientists are increasingly trying to use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. A new study now shows the strategies tumor cells use to evade this attack. The method developed for this work contributes to a better understanding of the »arms race» between immune defense and disease. The results could help to improve modern…