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Immune cells promote proinflammatory fatty liver disease
A particular type of dendritic cell is responsible for the tissue damage that occurs in non-alcoholic steatohepatits (NASH) in mice and humans. The dendritic cells cause aggressive, proinflammatory behavior in T cells, as now discovered by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in collaboration with colleagues from Israeli research institutes. Blocking these dendritic cells alleviates symptoms in mice. This type of approach might also prevent the development of serious liver damage in NASH patients.
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These cognitive exercises help young children boost their math skills, study shows
Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings support the notion that training spatial cognition can enhance academic performance and that when it comes to math, the type of training matters. The study is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
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Nearly 3% of Americans take immune-weakening drugs that may limit COVID vaccine response
A study of more than 3 million insured US adult patients under 65 found that nearly 3% take immunosuppressive drugs that may elevate risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalization if they became infected. There is growing evidence that immunosuppressive drugs may also reduce the COVID vaccine's efficacy.
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New AI-based tool can find rare cell populations in large single-cell datasets
MD Anderson researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind AI tool to identify rare groups of biologically important cells from the noise of large, complex single-cell datasets. The new tool, called SCMER, can help reserachers gain new insights across many applications.
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Molecule enlists patient's immune system to combat HIV
Antiretroviral therapy, the common approach in the treatment of HIV, halts replication of the virus and has saved the lives of millions of people. However, for patients the drug cocktail becomes a lifetime necessity because they continue to harbor latent HIV in a small number of immune system cells. In the absence of treatment, HIV can again replicate and rebound into full blown AIDs.
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Condensing by turning toward the crowd
Like water vapor on the bathroom mirror, gas molecules come together and condense into liquid droplets due to the attractive forces between them. In a study published in Nature Physics, researchers have discovered that active particles can condense by turning and moving toward crowded areas.
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New single-cell analysis tool links immune cells to kidney cancer recurrence
Newly identified immune cells infiltrate tumors in patients with localized kidney cancer and may be driving the cancer's recurrence, Columbia researchers have found.
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Cardioids -- heartbeat, heartbreak and recovery in a dish
Self-organizing heart organoids developed at IMBA -- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences -- are also effective injury- and in vitro congenital disease models. These "cardioids" may revolutionize research into cardiovascular disorders and malformations of the heart. The results are published in the journal Cell.
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Solving a natural riddle of water filtration
An international, interdisciplinary team of researchers that includes engineers from The University of Austin has found a way to replicate a natural process that moves water between cells, with a goal of improving how we filter out salt and other elements and molecules to create clean water while consuming less energy.
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New 96 million-year-old fossil represents oldest side-necked turtle in north america
The discovery of a new species of ancient turtle is shedding light on hard-to-track reptile migrations about 100 million years ago. Pleurochayah appalachius, a bothremydid turtle adapted for coastal life, is described in a new paper published by a multi-institution research group in the journal Scientific Reports.
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Colorectal cancer screening past age 75 lowers cancer death risk for most
Colorectal cancer screening is now recommended for all adults 45 and older with normal risk, but there is a lack of agreement on whether screening beyond age 75 is beneficial. This study of 56,374 older participants in two large, long-term health cohorts is the first to show that screening can significantly reduce risk for colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer-related death in otherwise healthy adults over age 75.
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Timing of exposure to secondhand smoke, ADHD symptoms in children
What The Study Did: Researchers assessed associations between prenatal, early postnatal or current exposure to secondhand smoke and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among school-age children in China.
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Preliminary analysis of association between COVID-19 vaccination, sudden hearing loss
What The Study Did: These preliminary findings using U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System data in the early phase of societal COVID-19 vaccination using two messenger RNA vaccines suggest that no association exists between inoculation with a SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine and incident sudden hearing loss.
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Radar tracking uncovers mystery of where honeybee drones have sex
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London and Rothamsted Research have used radar technology to track male honeybees, called drones, and reveal the secrets of their mating behaviours.
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Ultra-sensitive light detector gives self-driving tech a jolt
A new light detecting device can more accurately amplify weak signals bouncing off faraway objects than current technology allows, giving autonomous vehicles a fuller picture of what's happening on the road.
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A brand new cocktail to fight HIV
Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) and Yale University have succeeded in reducing the size of the HIV reservoir in humanized mice by using a "molecular can opener" and a combination of antibodies found in the blood of infected individuals.
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Overcoming long-term trauma can be facilitated
Older traumatic experiences are harder to get over compared to recent ones, and EPFL scientists have started to understand why - at the level of brain circuits in mice. The results point the way for treating long-term trauma in humans.
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Palaeontology: Ancient turtle from Texas yields evolutionary insights
The discovery of the oldest known North American species of side-necked turtle -- turtles that withdraw their necks sideways into their shells when threatened -- is reported in Scientific Reports this week.
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2016 US presidential election skewed BP, heart rhythms in those with existing conditions
Two new studies examined the possible heart health impact of the 2016 US presidential election. The uncertainty and divisiveness of elections can often cause stress for many people, similar to heightened stress associated with natural disasters, during which raised blood pressures and increased episodes of abnormal heart rhythms have been documented.
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Moderate-to-high TV viewing in midlife linked to later cognitive and brain health decline
Television viewing is a type of sedentary behavior that is cognitively passive or does not require much thought.Moderate-to-high amounts of television viewing during midlife are associated with greater declines in cognitive function and lower gray matter volumes in the brain.Higher amounts of midlife television viewing did not seem to impact dementia risk.The amount of time spent watching TV may be an important lifestyle modification to support brain health.
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