Body

Researchers have unlocked secrets of our ancient immune system, a major scientific advance which could help scientists and clinicians in the global fight against disease.

An international team, including researchers from The University of Queensland, identified interactions between immune system pathways which could improve the treatment of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which affects millions of people worldwide.

Naked mole-rats (NMR) are the longest-living rodent species and exhibit 'extraordinary' resistance to cancer. Mole-rats live up to 30 years, 10 times longer than mice, and captured colonies almost never show any type of cancer. Understanding these animals' anti-cancer mechanisms may help advance human treatment in the future, according to a collaborative research team from Hokkaido University and Keio University in Japan.

The researchers have established that chickens - just like people - have colour constancy. For birds, this means that they, in different environments and under different lighting conditions, recognise the colour of, for instance, berries and can thereby distinguish those that are ripe from those that are not. Without colour constancy, they would not be able to rely on their colour vision - they would simply see the berries in different colours as the light changed. They would certainly also not be able to recognise their own kind of species.

Researchers at Osaka University developed a technology to control the light wavefront reflected from a cholesteric liquid crystal - a liquid crystal phase with a helical structure. Although known for their ability to Bragg-reflect light, cholesteric liquid crystals could only be used as flat mirrors, reflecting light at the same angle as the incident angle. The new technology enables planar optical components to be made with functionality by design, contributing to the miniaturization of catoptrics devices.

Bethesda, MD (June 16, 2016) -- Basic and translational research paves the way for breakthroughs that can ultimately change patient care. Three new studies from Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology (CMGH) -- AGA's basic and translational open-access journal -- provide a glimpse into future treatment strategies for stomach ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease and alcoholic liver disease. Please find summaries below.

Professional footballers and their coaches often complain about the mental fatigue induced by the stress of frequent matches.

Now research from the University of Kent has demonstrated for the first time that mental fatigue can have a negative impact on football performance by reducing running, passing, and shooting ability.

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) announces the world's first 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (5-17 years) released today in the 2016 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

A Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study of insurance coverage of more than 28,000 people with HIV concludes that a decades-old program that offers free medical care remains a critical necessity despite the availability of coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Moving through water can be a drag, but the use of supercavitation bubbles can reduce that drag and increase the speed of underwater vehicles. Sometimes these bubbles produce a bumpy ride, but now a team of engineers from Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory have an approach that smooths out the ride and stabilizes the bubble.

In supercavitation, a bubble of gas encompasses an underwater vehicle reducing friction drag and allowing high rates of speed through the water.

(Edmonton) As Canadians prepare for long summer days in the sun, a new publication is shedding light on the suggested medical benefits of a nutrient that comes with the sun's rays: vitamin D.

(Vancouver, BC - June 16, 2016) A new study published today in the journal Blood has identified a protein that could diagnose chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD), a serious, long-term complication that affects some patients after a blood and bone marrow transplant. The work was led by researchers in the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program at BC Children's Hospital and the University of British Columbia.

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Viruses can't live without us -- literally. As obligate parasites, viruses need a host cell to survive and grow. Scientists are exploiting this characteristic by developing therapeutics that close off pathways necessary for viral infection, essentially stopping pathogens in their tracks.

Pharmaceutical companies and other sponsors of clinical drug trials are required to report results to ClinicalTrials.gov, a registry run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It's the largest clinical trials database, currently holding registrations from about 200,000 trials.

MINNEAPOLIS - Having a first-degree relative with epilepsy may increase a person's risk of being diagnosed with autism, according to a study published in the June 15, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"Other studies have linked the two conditions, however, our study looks specifically at the brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of people with epilepsy to determine a possible autism risk in these relatives," said study author Heléne E.K. Sundelin, MD, with University Hospital in Linköping, Sweden.

SPOKANE, Wash.--A Washington State University researcher has found that statin drugs can dramatically lower the risk of infections in stroke patients.