Researchers Discover New Mechanism for Rapid Liver Regeneration to Restore Damaged Livers

Getty Images for Unsplash+Researchers at the National Cancer Research Centre in Spain (CNIO) have discovered a mechanism that is triggered just minutes after acute liver damage occurs—and it could lead to treatments for those with severe liver problems.The avenues for future treatments of liver damage include a diet enriched with the amino acid glutamate.“Glutamate supplementation can promote liver regeneration and benefit patients in recovery following hepatectomy or awaiting a transplant,” wrote the authors in a paper published in ‘Nature’.The liver is a vital organ, crucial to digestion, metabolism, and the elimination of toxins. It has a unique ability to regenerate, which allows it to replace liver cells damaged by the very toxins that these cells eliminate.However, the liver stops regenerating in cases of diseases that involve chronic liver damage–such as cirrhosis—and such diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent, associated with poor dietary habits or alcohol consumption. So activating liver regeneration is key to treating the disease.Learning to activate liver regeneration is therefore a priority today, to benefit patients with liver damage and also those who’ve had part of their liver cut out to remove a tumor.The research has discovered in animal models this previously unknown mechanism of liver regeneration. It is...

Read More........→April 17, 2025

Newly Identified Neural Stem Cells Could Transform Parkinson's Treatment

Credit: Gerd Altmann/ PixabayThe detection of peripheral neural stem cells could transform treatment of Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries.A team of researchers from more than ten laboratories in Europe, Asia and North America examined newly identified cells in mice called peripheral neural stem cells. These cells share important molecular and functional characteristics with neural stem cells of the brain. Peripheral neural stem cells have the same cell morphology, self-renewal and differentiation capacity as neural stem cells of the brain. They express several specific markers and have genome-wide transcriptional and epigenetic profiles that are consistent with those of neural stem cells in the brain. Furthermore, many peripheral neural stem cells that migrate out of the neural tube can differentiate into mature neurons and, to a limited extent, glial cells during embryonic and postnatal development.The discovery of the new cell type not only provides new insights into the development of the mammalian nervous system. Their existence also challenges a long-standing hypothesis in neuroscience and, because they can be grown in substantial numbers in the petri dish, opens up new possibilities for regenerative medicine. Furthermore, obtaining neural stem cells from the brain is not a favoured method. By contrast, obtaining...

Read More........→April 16, 2025

Those Who Got Shingles Vaccine Were 20% Less Likely to Get Dementia in Study of 280,000 Seniors

CDC library – public domainOlder people who received the vaccine for shingles had a 20% lower risk of dementia, according to researchers who called the results “remarkable”.The study looked into the health records of seniors in Wales and revealed that those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who didn’t receive the jab.Scientists say the findings support an emerging theory that viruses which affect the nervous system can increase the risk of dementia.The new findings suggest that a preventive intervention for dementia is already close at hand.Shingles is a viral infection that produces a painful rash, and is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, varicella-zoster. After people contract chicken pox, usually in childhood, the virus remains dormant in the nerve cells for life. In people who are older or have weakened immune systems, the dormant virus can reactivate and cause shingles.Previous studies based on health records have linked the shingles vaccine with lower dementia rates, but the research could not account for one major source of bias: people who are vaccinated also tend to be more health conscious.The study’s senior author, Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford Medicine, said that most studies suffered from the basic problem. “In general,...

Read More........→April 14, 2025

Early-onset Alzheimer’s: new drug shows promise in slowing the disease

The drug also caused a notable decrease in amyloid plaque buildup, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. ART-ur/ Shutterstock Rahul Sidhu, University of SheffieldAlzheimer’s disease is usually associated with old age. But around 5%-10% of all Alzheimer’s cases occur in people under the age of 65. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease progresses more rapidly and often strikes people in the prime of their lives. Treatment options remain limited. But new data from a recent clinical trial suggests that a previously discontinued experimental drug, called gantenerumab, could help. The study found that gantenerumab reduced the buildup of amyloid plaques – one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease – in the brain. This may help slow cognitive decline in people with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Early-onset Alzheimer’s is often linked to genetic mutations in three specific genes. These mutations cause the brain to produce excessive amounts of amyloid beta, a protein that clumps together to form plaques. These plaques disrupt brain function, leading to memory loss. Early-onset Alzheimer’s advances quickly – and the rapid decline is devastating. That’s why researchers are racing to find treatments that can slow the disease. The recent clinical trial was a randomised, placebo-controlled study to evaluate gantenerumab’s effects on people...

Read More........→April 04, 2025

Giving blood could be good for your health – new research

Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Michelle Spear, University of BristolBlood donation is widely recognised as a life-saving act, replenishing hospital supplies and aiding patients. But could donating blood also benefit the donor? Frequent blood donors may experience subtle genetic changes that could lower their risk of developing blood cancers, according to new research from the Francis Crick Institute in London. Alongside this, a growing body of evidence highlights a range of health benefits associated with regular donation. As we age, our blood-forming stem cells naturally accumulate mutations, a process known as clonal haematopoiesis. Some of these mutations increase the risk of diseases such as leukaemia. However, the new Francis Crick Institute study has identified an intriguing difference in frequent blood donors. The study compared two groups of healthy male donors in their 60s. One group had donated blood three times a year for 40 years, while the other had given blood only about five times in total. Both groups had a similar number of genetic mutations, but their nature differed. Nearly 50% of frequent donors carried a particular class of mutation not typically linked to cancer, compared with 30% of the infrequent donors. It is thought that regular blood donation encourages the body to produce fresh blood cells, altering...

Read More........→March 31, 2025

Eye tests can help predict stroke risk: Study

Sydney, (IANS): Routine eye tests can accurately predict a person's risk of stroke, according to an international research team on Tuesday.The research, led by the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) in Melbourne, Australia identified a blood vessel "fingerprint" at the back of the eye that can be used to predict a person's stroke risk as accurately as traditional risk factors, but without the need for invasive tests, Xinhua News agency reported.The research found that the fingerprint consists of 118 indicators of vascular health and can be analyzed from fundus photography, a common tool used in routine eye tests.The team used a machine learning tool called the Retina-based Microvascular Health Assessment System (RMHAS) to analyse fundus photos of the eyes of 45,161 people in the UK with an average age of 55.During an average monitoring period of 12.5 years, 749 participants had a stroke.The researchers identified 29 of the 118 indicators as being significantly associated with first-time stroke risk.Of the 29, about 17 of the indicators were related to vascular density, the percentage of a region of tissue that is occupied by blood vessels. Low density in the retina and brain is associated with an increased risk of stroke.According to the study, each change in density indicators was associated with an increased stroke risk...

Read More........→January 22, 2025

Mentally stimulating down time activities linked to better brain health: study

Canberra, (IANS) Engaging in mentally stimulating activities during down time, such as reading, can be beneficial for brain health, according to an Australian research.In a new study, researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) found that some sedentary, or sitting, activities are better for cognitive function than others.The researchers assessed the 24-hour activity patterns of 397 adults aged 60 and above, and found that socially or mentally stimulating activities such as reading, playing musical instruments, crafting or talking to others are beneficial for memory and thinking abilities.Watching television or playing video games was found to be detrimental.The researchers said the findings could help reduce the risks of cognitive impairment, including from dementia."We already know that physical activity is a strong protector against dementia risk, and this should certainly be prioritised if you are trying to improve your brain health. But until now, we hadn't directly explored whether we can benefit our brain health by swapping one sedentary behavior for another," Xinhua news agency quoted Maddison Mellow, a co-author of the study from UniSA, as saying in the report.She recommended breaking up time spent watching TV or gaming with five-minute bursts of physical activity or more cognitively-engaged seated activity.The...

Read More........→December 26, 2024

‘Unseen world’: researchers capture fascinating footage of the world’s smallest penguins in a bid to save them

Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Flinders UniversityOn Granite Island off South Australia, a colony of little penguins is fighting to survive. About two decades ago, the penguins numbered 1,600 adults – now there are just 30. It is important for scientists to monitor and study this little penguin colony, to observe their behaviours and stop their numbers from declining. In our latest research project, my colleagues and I captured footage of the penguins over several breeding seasons, as part of a study into their parenting behaviours. It provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the unseen world of these vulnerable birds. So let’s take a look at what Granite Island’s little penguins get up to when humans aren’t watching. Granite Island’s colony of little penguins is fighting to survive. ShutterstockThe world’s tiniest penguin Little penguins (Eudyptula novaehollandiae) are the world’s smallest penguin species. They typically grow to about 35 centimetres and weigh an average 1.2 kilograms. They live in coastal waters in Tasmania and southern Australia – including on Granite Island, about 100 kilometres south of Adelaide. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, and draws up to 800,000 visitors a year. The stark decline in little penguin numbers on Granite Island is due to several factors. They include...

Read More........→December 24, 2024

Vaccine that Could Cure and Even Prevent Brain Cancer Developed by Scientists

In Boston, a potentially-revolutionary treatment for deadly brain cancer is showing promising early signs in mice both for the eradication and prevention of tumors and individual cancer cells.A vaccine in the true sense of the word, the method involves repurposing living cancer cells to destroy the tumors which spawned them.Cancer cells have very particular characteristics, one of which potentially makes them even better cancer-killers than immune molecules. That characteristic is their ability to travel long distances through the body returning to the tumor they came from.By using a similar technique to CRISPR called CRISP-CAS9, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston were able to change proteins within the living cancer cells to prime tumors and other cells for destruction. The priming got the immune system involved, which then resulted in the mice in immunological memory just like vaccines for viruses.In experiments, it worked on mice carrying cells derived from humans, mimicking what will happen in patients, which had the deadliest form of brain cancer called glioblastoma.“Our team has pursued a simple idea: to take cancer cells and transform them into cancer killers and vaccines,” said corresponding author Dr Khalid Shah.“Using gene engineering, we are repurposing cancer cells to develop a therapeutic that kills...

Read More........→December 19, 2024

Gorillas Use Chest Beating to Prevent Conflict, Not Provoke it, a New Study Finds

Male gorilla – credit Kabir Bakie at the Cincinnati Zoo CC 2.5.A gorilla’s chest beating is an incredible sight, and sound, to behold, but new research based on years of observation of mountain gorillas shows there’s much we never understood about this iconic acoustic.Since people first went to see King Kong, or since gamers first met Donkey Kong from the Mario Bros franchise, most might say male gorillas beats their chests with their fists, and as a sign of challenge or triumph.Apart from the fact that they use cupped hands, it seems to serve a number of functions—a challenge not necessarily being one of them.Edward Wright, a primatologist at the Max Planck Institute, spent between 2014 and 2016 observing 500 chest beats from 25 different silverback mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s national parks.Using acousitc monitoring equipment he and his colleagues determined that the chest thumping was an honest demonstration of body size. This hints at several organizational aspects of gorilla social life. The first is that larger animals were recorded at lower frequencies which could travel half a mile.By beating their chests, air sacks underneath their larynx reverberate from the kinetic energy, producing a sound, and the bigger the male, the deeper the sound. This is believed to broadcast how big and dominant a male gorilla is as a means...

Read More........→December 18, 2024

How light can shift your mood and mental health

llaszlo/Shutterstock Jacob Crouse, University of Sydney; Emiliana Tonini, University of Sydney, and Ian Hickie, University of SydneyThis is the next article in our ‘Light and health’ series, where we look at how light affects our physical and mental health in sometimes surprising ways. Read other articles in the series. It’s spring and you’ve probably noticed a change in when the Sun rises and sets. But have you also noticed a change in your mood? We’ve known for a while that light plays a role in our wellbeing. Many of us tend to feel more positive when spring returns. But for others, big changes in light, such as at the start of spring, can be tough. And for many, bright light at night can be a problem. Here’s what’s going on. An ancient rhythm of light and mood In an earlier article in our series, we learned that light shining on the back of the eye sends “timing signals” to the brain and the master clock of the circadian system. This clock coordinates our daily (circadian) rhythms. “Clock genes” also regulate circadian rhythms. These genes control the timing of when many other genes turn on and off during the 24-hour, light-dark cycle. But how is this all linked with our mood and mental health? Circadian rhythms can be disrupted. This can happen if there are problems with how the body clock develops or functions,...

Read More........→December 11, 2024

Chimps are upping their tool game, says study

WASHINGTON - "Planet of the Apes" may have been onto something.Chimpanzees are steadily honing their tool-using skills -- a process unfolding over millennia, driven by the exchange of ideas through migrations between populations, according to a new study published Thursday in Science.The finding in chimps -- humans' closest living relatives -- holds relevance for us too, as it supports the idea that, deep in the mists of time, our own ape ancestors leveraged social connections to improve their technologies, lead author Cassandra Gunasekaram told AFP.Scientists have long marvelled at chimps' ability to pass down intricate behaviours, like tool use, from one generation to the next.Yet while human civilisation has leapt from the Stone Age to the Space Age, chimpanzee "culture" -- defined as socially learned behaviours -- seemed to have remained static.Gunasekaram, a doctoral student at the University of Zurich, set out to challenge this assumption.She and colleagues combined genetic data tracing ancient chimpanzee migrations across Africa with observations of 15 distinct foraging behaviours across dozens of populations and the four subspecies.These behaviours were categorised into three levels: those requiring no tools, those with simple tools, like using chewed leaves as a sponge to absorb water from tree holes, and the most complex,...

Read More........→December 10, 2024

Can listening to music make you more productive at work?

Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Anna Fiveash, Western Sydney University Listening to music can enhance our lives in all kinds of ways – many of us use it during exercise, to regulate our mood, or in the workplace. But can listening to background music while you work really make you more productive? It’s a controversial topic. Some people swear by it, others find it painfully distracting. The research agrees there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The best way to use music in the workplace depends on several factors, including your personality traits, what you’re doing, and what kind of music you’re listening to. Here’s how to find out what works best for you. Who you are Your personality has a key influence on whether background music can boost productivity or be distracting in the workplace, which relates to your unique optimal level of arousal. Arousal in this context relates to mental alertness, and the readiness of the brain to process new information. Background music can increase it. Research suggests that being at an optimal level of arousal facilitates a state of “flow”, enhancing performance and productivity. Introverts may need less external stimulus – such as music – to focus well. Ground Picture/ShutterstockIntroverts already have a high baseline level of internal arousal. Adding background...

Read More........→December 03, 2024

Can music help plants grow? Study suggests sound boosts fungus

PARIS - Playing a monotonous sound stimulates the activity of a fungus that promotes plant growth, a study suggested on Wednesday, raising the potential that playing music could be good for crops and gardens.Whether or not blasting Mozart could help plants grow has long been a matter of scientific debate. The US TV show "MythBusters" even tested it out, finding that plants exposed to death metal and classical music grew a little better than those left in silence, but deeming the results inconclusive.However, with the plant world facing a raft of human-driven challenges -- including erosion, deforestation, pollution and a burgeoning extinction crisis -- the future of the world's biodiversity and crops are increasingly feared to be under threat.According to the new study in the journal Biology Letters, "the role of acoustic stimulation in fostering ecosystem recovery and sustainable food systems remains under-explored".Based on previous work that exposed E. coli bacteria to sound waves, the team of Australian researchers set out to assess the effect sound has on the growth rate and spore production of the fungus Trichoderma harzianum.This fungus is often used in organic farming for its ability to protect plants from pathogens, improve nutrients in the soil and promote growth.The researchers built little sound booths to house petri...

Read More........→November 26, 2024

Australian-German research finds world-first cure for deadly skin disease

Sydney, (IANS): Researchers from Australia and Germany have for the first time cured patients suffering from toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a deadly skin disease, said a news release on Monday.An international collaboration, including researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany, has developed the first-ever cure for TEN in a breakthrough study published in Nature, WEHI said in a news release on Monday.Also known as Lyell's syndrome, TEN is a rare skin disease that causes widespread blistering and detachment of the skin and can lead to dehydration, sepsis, pneumonia and organ failure, Xinhua news agency reported.The potentially deadly condition is triggered by a severe adverse reaction to common medications and has a mortality rate of approximately 30 per cent.The new study identified a hyperactivation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway - a chain of interactions between proteins in a cell that is involved in processes such as immunity, cell death and tumour formation - as a driver of TEN.By using JAK inhibitors - an existing class of drugs used to treat inflammatory diseases - they were able to treat patients with TEN."Finding a cure for lethal diseases like this is the holy grail of medical research. I am beyond proud of this...

Read More........→November 13, 2024