Body

A new study identifies the BCL11A gene is especially active in aggressive subtypes of breast cancer. The research suggests that an overactive BCL11A gene drives triple-negative breast cancer development and progression. The research, which was done in human cells and in mice, provides new routes to explore targeted treatments for this aggressive tumor type.

Sepsis is a leading cause of death for patients in intensive care units. The excessive systemic inflammation in individuals with sepsis damages organs and can lead to death.

Researchers at King's College London have identified a new mechanism by which skin damage triggers the formation of tumours, which could have important therapeutic implications for patients suffering with chronic ulcers or skin blistering diseases.

The study, published today in Nature Communications, highlights an innate sensing of bacteria by immune cells in the formation of skin tumours. This molecular process could tip the balance between normal wound repair and tumour formation in some patients, according to researchers.

Air Force reservists based in the U.S. who worked after the Vietnam War in C-123 aircraft that sprayed Agent Orange during the war could have experienced adverse health effects from exposure to the herbicide, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The reservists who served in the contaminated C-123s experienced some degree of exposure to the toxic chemical component of Agent Orange known as TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), and it is plausible, in some cases, that the reservists exceeded TCDD exposure guidelines for workers in enclosed settings.

With hypertension (HTN) affecting nearly 80 million people in the United States and cardiovascular disease (CVD) the leading cause of death, any intervention that can lower blood pressure has the potential to save lives. In a study in the current issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Florida State University researchers found that daily consumption of blueberries for eight weeks resulted in significant reductions of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

A study of more than 2,000 patients by researchers at Mayo Clinics has dispelled the myth that cancer biopsies cause cancer to spread. In the Jan. 9 online issue of Gut, they show that patients who received a biopsy had a better outcome and longer survival than patients who did not have a biopsy.

A large international study has shown conclusively that statin treatment reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. Whether statin therapy is as effective in women as in men is debated, especially for primary prevention. This study published today in The Lancet, compared the effects of statin therapy between men and women.

Food can prevent certain medicines being absorbed into the bloodstream. Bertalan Szürös, CC BY-NC-ND

Those who overindulged during the holidays may want to get a shot of cold air to kick-start some extra fat-burning activity for the new year.

Brownbanded bamboo sharks take the term "resourceful" to a whole new level. Biologists have found that a shark egg case dropped by an adult bamboo shark showed signs of healthy development. What surprised them was that the aquarium's female Chiloscyllium punctatum adults had spent nearly four years--45 months--in complete isolation from males.

Since it is only January 8th, most people have not yet given up on their New Year's Resolution to get in shape so this is still relevant.

Despite what supplement salespeople - and an alarming number of nutritionists in 2015 who make money promoting them - the only ways to lose weight are to starve or work up a sweat. And working up a sweat is the smart way to go.

Before you pack your gym bag, pack your brain with some crazy facts about sweat, courtesy of American Chemical Society's Sophia Cai in the Speaking of Chemistry series.

Eating one avocado a day as part of a heart healthy, cholesterol-lowering moderate-fat diet can help improve bad cholesterol levels in overweight and obese individuals, according to new research. Researchers evaluated the effect avocados had on traditional and novel cardiovascular risk factors by replacing saturated fatty acids from an average American diet with unsaturated fatty acids from avocados.

A small protein active in the human immune response can disable bacterial toxins by exploiting a property that makes the toxins effective - but also turns out to be a weakness.

These toxins, which are released by bacteria, have malleable surfaces that allow them to move through porous areas of host cells to pave the way for bacteria to stay alive. But that same malleability makes the toxins vulnerable to these immune system proteins, which bind to the toxins and render them useless.

Since the discovery of how DNA encodes genetic information, most research on the evolution of life has focused on genes. According to the "selfish gene" theory, cells and organisms exist simply as packages to protect and transmit genes. New research challenges this idea, proposing instead that if anything is "selfish" it must be the ribosome. That up-ends everything we think we know about the evolution of life and, in fact, the function of ribosomes themselves.

Most snakebite deaths, and most hospital admissions, are due to brown snakes. Credit: Flagstaffotos (http://www.flagstaffotos.com.au/), CC BY-NC (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)