Different learning difficulties do not correspond to specific regions of the brain, as previously thought, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. Instead poor connectivity between ‘hubs’ within the brain is much more strongly related to children’s difficulties.
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Team deciphers how myotonic dystrophy generates lethal heart dysfunctions
Roughly 80% of people with myotonic dystrophy—a common form of muscular dystrophy—experience dangerous heart ailments, and heart rhythm defects are the second-leading cause of death in those with the condition. In a new study, researchers traced the molecular events that lead to heart abnormalities in myotonic dystrophy and recreated the disease in a mouse model.
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Researchers discover new approach for use of stem cells to improve bone marrow transplantation
Mount Sinai researchers have discovered a way to enhance the potency of blood-forming stem cells, potentially opening the door to a new approach for bone marrow transplantation, according to a study published on February 27 in Cell Stem Cell.
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Combined therapy may improve clinical responses for endometrial, colorectal and gastric tumors
A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered a novel therapeutic vulnerability for patients who have tumors caused by a genetic misfire in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway, a system for repairing genetic aberrations. Study findings were published in the Feb. 27 online issue of Cancer Cell.
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A new strategy to prevent the most aggressive tumors from generating resistance to chemotherapy
One of the most frequent problems when treating cancer is that the tumors develop resistance to therapies; at that point, treatments cease to be effective at stopping tumor growth. This is especially relevant in patients with aggressive diseases such as pancreatic cancer or patients with metastases, who must often undergo frequent changes in treatment. Now, a study led by the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) in collaboration with researchers from the Weill Cornell Medicine Center and Pfizer Inc. (U.S.), proposes a novel combined approach to avoiding pancreatic cancer resistance to chemotherapy, and thus treat these tumor cells effectively. The work is forthcoming in the journal Cancer Cell.
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Researchers develop novel approach to capture hard-to-view portion of colon in 3D
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) developed a new imaging method that allows scientists to view the enteric nervous system (ENS) – a key part of the human colon—in three dimensions by making other colon cells that normally block it invisible. The ENS has previously only been visible in thin tissue slices that provide limited clinical information. The findings were published online today in the journal Gastroenterology.
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First glimpse of endometrial microbiota during pregnancy
A team of Valencia University (UV), in collaboration with the Igenomix Foundation and the INCLIVA, has managed to access the human endometrial microbiota during early pregnancy. The study shows that the uterus is dominated by Lactobacillus and provides the first profile of a pregnant woman’s microbiota.
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New coronavirus epidemic at ‘decisive point’: WHO chief
The new coronavirus epidemic is at a “decisive point” globally, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday, urging affected countries to “move swiftly” to contain the disease.
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Study reveals how drug meant for Ebola may also work against coronaviruses
A group of University of Alberta researchers who have discovered why the drug remdesivir is effective in treating the coronaviruses that cause Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) expect it might also be effective for treating patients infected with the new COVID-19 strain.
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Excellent long-term stability of treatment gains of stepwise treatment for pediatric OCD
A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that the long-term stability of treatment gains for children and adolescents diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), participating in a stepwise manualized treatment, is excellent.
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