Category Health/Medical

CXCR4 is a receptor broadly expressed in cells of immune and the central nervous systems and can mediate migration of resting leukocytes and haematopoietic progenitors. It is also used by strains of HIV1 to gain entry into Helper T cells, and are typically detected at the later stages, associated with a rapid decline in CD4+ T cells and progression to AIDS.

They disabled a T-cell surface protein CXCR4, exploited by HIV when the virus infects T cells and causes AIDS. The group also successfully shut down PD-1, a protein that has attracted intense interest in the burgeoning field of cancer immunotherapy, as scientists have shown that using drugs to block PD-1 coaxes T cells to attack tumors.

T cells not only stand at the center of many disease processes, but could be easily gathered from pat...

We now know sleep has profound implications for lots of human tasks. Sleep improves our memory, and enables us to consolidate new information with the knowledge we already have. Sleep also changes the quality of stored info. We are more likely to adjust our memories slightly so that they fit better with previous experiences after sleeping. And we are more likely to avoid misleading background information in making decisions and judgements. But sleep also has a positive effect on problem solving.

It’s common to feel you can gain inspiration for something overnight. You may have even woken up in the middle of the night with the solution to a problem, whether it be trivial or life-changing. These intuitions turn out to be absolutely correct.

METHOD: Volunteers a set of problems with 3 word...

Alzheimer’s Association International Conference has 5 tips to guard your brain against memory loss:

GET BETTER SHUT-EYE
Studies of >6,000 people linked poor sleep quality, especially sleep apnea to mild cognitive impairment >> raises the risk of later Alzheimer’s. Other research showed poor sleep can spur amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. “Sleep disorders are so common, and we think many are quite treatable.”

EXERCISE YOUR GRAY MATTER
Seniors often are advised to work crossword puzzles, take music lessons or learn a new language to keep the brain engaged. The protective effects of learning may start decades earlier in life. In Sweden, researchers at the Karolinska Institute unearthed school report cards and work histories of >7,000 older adults...

The tetrameric TOPLESS complex with the EAR motif peptides bound at its repressor-peptide binding grooves. The repressor peptides are shown as a ball presentation. Credit: Karsten Melcher, Ph.D., Van Andel Research Institute

Scientists at Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) have revealed an important molecular mechanism in plants that has significant similarities to certain signaling mechanisms in humans, which are closely linked to early embryonic development and to diseases such as cancer. In plants as in animals and humans, intricate molecular networks regulate key biological functions, such as development and stress responses. When the wrong switches are flipped, genes can be inappropriately turned on or off, leading to the onset of diseases.

“This is really a fundamental discovery –...