With fundraising campaigns such as the ALS ice bucket challenge in the news, diseases of the nervous system have recently received a great deal of attention from both the media and life science researchers. Parkinson’s disease in particular has been the subject of a recent study at the University of Alabama. Scientists at the university discovered that the deficiency of a type of lipid that naturally declines as the brain ages leads to increases in a protein associated with Parkinson’s disease.
“This gets right to the heart of understanding, possibly, the mechanism by which one form of lipid is impacting the process of neuron degeneration,” said Dr. Guy Caldwell, UA professor of biological sciences and one of the study’s co-authors.
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Washington State University, Pullman is home to one of the top plant science research departments in the country. Plant science research is a pressing issue for today’s scientists because it affects how we respond to climate change, helps us grow enough food and protects food from pests and pathogens. It’s exciting for both WSU researchers and interested readers alike, then, that the Washington Grain Commission announced they will give $5 million in life science funding towards a new research facility expansion that will advance grain studies at Washington State University, Pullman.
“When the Washington Grain Commission asked researchers at WSU what they felt the biggest limiting factor for moving their research forward was, they told us they needed more greenhouse space,” said Washington Grain Commission Chairman Steve Claassen. “This will be a huge benefit to Washington grain growers as they will be able to plant improved varieties of wheat and barley and they will be available sooner.”
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In the past, not much research was done into alopecia areata, a common autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, because researchers didn’t understand the mechanisms behind the disease. Some people even went so far as to say it wasn’t as important to find a cure for alopecia areata because hair loss was not as damaging as the effects of other diseases. We know now that people, both men and women, who lose their hair endure emotional and psychological suffering. Fortunately, a new treatment option is already FDA approved.
Life science researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have been able to point to the immune cells that destroy hair follicles and cause hair loss in people with alopecia areata. The researchers also tested an FDA-approved drug that got rid of these immune cells and allowed the hair to grow back in a small number of patients.
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Science researchers at the Washington State University, Pullman have recently been able to link patients' ancestors' exposure to the pesticide methoxychlor with adult onset kidney disease, ovarian disease and obesity in the patient him or herself.
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If you have ever had a severe headache, you may have noticed how pain takes a toll on your emotional state, especially if you have ever experienced a migraine. Taking pain medication can help with how a headache feels physically, but what effects does pain relief have on people emotionally? Believe it or not, a number of studies have been conducted on how pain medication like ibuprofen can ameliorate emotional pain. Research has proven that ibuprofen can indeed relieve emotional stress, but scientists at the University of Texas, Austin have recently discovered that it is much more effective on women than on men. Men who take the drug say that they experience harsher feelings of rejection, while women report feeling better.
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Once a stigmatized disease, AIDS is now a primary focus for many researchers seeking to address deadly health problems and potentially save the lives of millions of men, women and children. AIDS killed 1.5 million people worldwide last year, a staggering number that has drawn the attention of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Addressing this disease is a priority for the Gates Foundation, as is evidenced by all the work they have done to select and fund promising research. Fortunately, scientists all over the world are searching for innovative solutions to curing this disease. The Gates Foundation has found one likely contender for a vaccine that may also work as a cure in the work of a science researcher at Oregon Health and Science University.
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It’s not an uncommon dream for cancer researchers and patients afflicted with cancer to find a way to make cancer cells self-destruct: Remarkably, cancer researchers at the University of Texas, Austin may have found a way to do just that. By ferrying sodium and chloride ions into the cancer cells, the cells are triggered to go through apoptosis, or a programmed cell death.
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What would you do if you were unable to find a veterinarian for your beloved dog or cat if they became sick? People who serve as caretakers for animals love their pets. The state of Arizona, however, has a shortage of trained veterinarians due to the fact that there is minimal animal medicine programs in the state. One university seeks to address this problem with a new program in veterinary medicine at the University of Arizona.
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Malaria is a devastating global health problem in many parts of the world, having caused nearly 215 million infections internationally and 655,000 deaths per year. Most people know malaria is transmitted by the bite of an infective mosquito: the female Anopheles mosquito in particular. There are other less common methods of transmission as well, including blood transfusion, organ transplantation, needle sharing and when a mother gives birth to a child.
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Insulin is a vital hormone that plays a major role in the metabolism: without insulin, humans would not be able to break down carbohydrates or digest food for energy. Insulin lowers blood glucose levels, stores excess glucose as glycogen and reduces glucose production in the liver. Many people, however, have trouble using insulin effectively. Forms of insulin resistance can lead to pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, as well as other serious health problems.
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