Category Biology/Biotechnology

Engaging core muscles—through movement, exercise or even coughing—may be a key regulator of blood flow in the brain. When the body moves, the contraction of abdominal muscles increases pressure in blood vessels connected to the brain through the spinal column. A new study by researchers at Penn State shows that the increased pressure creates ultrafast constrictions of major veins in the brain, momentarily increasing blood flow.

Understanding how the regulation of blood flow in the brain is influenced by movement in the body could help explain the connection between exercise and brain health or why migraines and headaches can become more severe with movement, according to the research team.

The paper describing the research, which was conducted in mice, appears this week in t...

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown gene that causes resistance to a leading blood cancer drug, as well as several genes that accelerate lymphoma growth, using a powerful new CRISPR activation library.

Traditional CRISPR is a genetic engineering tool that allows scientists to easily delete specific genes in an organism’s DNA and assess their role and importance. It has become a cornerstone technology in cancer research.

A newer frontier is CRISPR activation, a technique that enables the activation of specific genes. It offers valuable insights into the roles of certain genes in cancer and other genetic disorders.

A team of researchers from the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), WEHI and Genentech, a member of t...

Blood test trends alongside unexplained weight loss can improve triage for cancer testing, according to a study by Brian Nicholson and colleagues from the University of Oxford, UK, published Sept. 17 in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Abnormal blood test results, such as low hemoglobin or increased platelet counts, can provide clues about a patient’s risk of developing cancer. However, monitoring trends over repeat tests could provide further clues in some instances by identifying cancer-related changes in blood test results that do not appear abnormal. Assessing patterns in blood test abnormalities and trends alongside unexplained weight loss could enhance cancer risk assessment and support earlier diagnosis.

In this study, researchers examined trends in blood test results among pat...

Researchers at the University of Konstanz have demonstrated at a molecular level how bacteria in the human gut influence the entire body. Among other things, they can lower blood sugar levels and reduce fatty liver disease. The work is published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

For several years, a wide range of over-the-counter products designed to have a positive effect on the gut microbiome have been available. They promise greater bacterial diversity in the digestive tract and, as a result, better overall health. For the same purpose, doctors prescribe medications aimed at restoring gut microbial balance, for instance, following antibiotic treatment.

But why does the gut microbiota have such a prof...