Category Health/Medical

A drug developed by a UVA Health scientist has not only stopped but reversed paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The results are striking because existing MS treatments are designed to reduce future inflammatory attacks, not restore neurological function already lost.

The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The drug, Kamuvudine K-9, is a derivative of HIVdrugs already approved for use in peop...

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...