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    Category Biology/Biotechnology

    Blood Test Detects over 50 Types of Cancer, some before symptoms appear

    March 31, 2020, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Identification of cancer status for more than 50 cancer types, as well as tissue of origin localization, from a single blood draw. Cell-free DNA is isolated from blood samples drawn from a patient without cancer (top) or with cancer (bottom), and subjected to a targeted methylation sequencing assay. Sequencing results identifying methylated (red) or unmethylated (blue) CpG regions are fed into a machine-learning classifier that can identify the presence or absence of cancer, as well as identify the tissue of origin (TOO).

    In a study involving thousands of participants, a new blood test detected more than 50 types of cancer as well as their location within the body with a high degree of accuracy, according to an international team of researchers led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and...

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    New Research Sheds Light on Potentially Negative Effects of Cannabis

    March 30, 2020, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

     Overbaked: assessing and predicting acute adverse reactions to Cannabis. Journal of Cannabis Research, 2020; 2 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s42238-019-0013-x

    Coughing fits, anxiety and paranoia are three of the most common adverse reactions to cannabis, according to a recent study by Washington State University researchers. They surveyed > 1,500 college students on the type and frequency of adverse reactions they had experienced while using cannabis for their study in the Journal of Cannabis Research. They also collected information on the students’ demographics, personality traits, cannabis use patterns and motives for using the drug.

    “There’s been surprisingly little research on the prevalence or frequency of various adverse reactions to cannabis and almost no research trying to predict wh...

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    Reusable Respirators may be a suitable Alternative to Disposable Respirators

    March 30, 2020, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    A reusable respirator on a table
    credit: NIOSH / CDC
    A reusable respirator.

    Researchers have found that reusable respirators may be a suitable alternative to disposable N95 respirators currently in high demand. Shortages of respiratory protective devices for healthcare personnel are major concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Emory University, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Centers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that reusable respirators may be a suitable alternative to disposable N95 respirators currently in high demand. The study appears in the journal JAMA.

    “Training and fit testing healthcare providers on respirators can be time consuming, a...

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    How Trans Fats Assist Cell Death

    March 27, 2020, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Trans-Fatty acids facilitate DNA damage-induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial JNK-Sab-ROS positive feedback loop
    Authors: Yusuke Hirata, Aya Inoue, Saki Suzuki, Miki Takahashi, Ryo Matsui, Nozomu Kono, Takuya Noguchi, and Atsushi Matsuzawa
    Journal: Scientific Reports
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59636-6

    Tohoku University researchers in Japan have uncovered a molecular link between some trans fats and a variety of disorders, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Their findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, implicate their role in enhancing a mitochondrial signalling pathway that leads to programmed cell death.

    “Accumulating evidence has associated the consumption of trans-fatty acids with various diseases, including some lifestyle d...

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