Experimental gene therapy reverses sickle cell disease for years

A study of an investigational gene therapy for sickle cell disease has found that a single dose restored blood cells to their normal shape and eliminated the most serious complication of the disease for at least three years in some patients. Four patients at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center participated in the multicenter study, the first to report on such […]

Supermeres’ may carry clues to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and COVID-19

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered a nanoparticle released from cells, called a “supermere,” which contains enzymes, proteins and RNA associated with multiple cancers, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and even COVID-19. The discovery, reported in Nature Cell Biology, is a significant advance in understanding the role extracellular vesicles and nanoparticles play in shuttling important chemical “messages” between cells, both […]

Indian Music to Become Compulsory on Flights & Airports?

Traditional Indian music may be set to become compulsory on flights and in airports across the country. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) submitted a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister of India, Jyotiraditya Scindia. In the letter, they demanded that it become mandatory for all airlines operating out of the country as well as the 487 airports within […]

Research demonstrates that cells with cancer-associated mutations overtake human tissue with age

It’s worth noting, in light of recently published research, that a majority of people won’t be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 40% of people will, which means 60% won’t. These percentages are worth remembering because research conducted by University of Colorado Cancer Center Deputy Director James DeGregori, PhD, a professor of biochemistry […]

Marine omega-3 supplementation fails to prevent depression

The use of marine omega-3 supplements by adults does not appear to prevent the onset of depression, researchers reported on Dec. 21, 2021 in JAMA/Journal of the American Medical Association. “Among adults aged 50 years or older without clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline, treatment with omega-3 supplements compared with placebo yielded mixed results, with a small but statistically significant […]

Fecal transplant discovery could improve care for dangerous infections

Findings suggest way to help patients heal from life-threatening C. difficile. New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine sheds light on why a fecal transplant can benefit patients with dangerous recurrent C. difficile infections — and suggests a way to improve patient outcomes. difficileinfection causes life-threatening diarrhea, and it often takes hold in patients in hospitals and nursing homes […]