A Chinese study is the first to identify fibroblast activation protein (Fap) as an osteogenic suppressor that could be targeted to prevent osteoporosis and has shown that osteolectin, a bone glycoprotein that binds calcium, is an endogenous Fap inhibitor promoting bone mineralization.
Australian researchers are the first to discover how inflammation is triggered in motor neuron disease (MND) and identified the molecules involved, which could be the first step toward development of treatments to slow the progression of MND and possibly other debilitating neurological diseases.
A whole-genome clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screening study is the first to identify the gene regulating the inflammatory response and immune cell death during sepsis, Australian researchers reported in the October 5, 2020, edition of Nature Immunology.
A Taiwanese study has demonstrated that human placental mesenchymal stem cells were therapeutic in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia intra-abdominal infections by secreting IL-1beta to augment neutrophil numbers and functions, while restraining immune responses by other leukocytes.
A U.S.-led international whole-exome sequencing study has discovered that mutations in genes encoding for the growth of the neurites necessary for neural connectivity increase the risk for cerebral palsy, the authors reported in the September 28, 2020, edition of NatureGenetics.
A Chinese study has discovered that very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) mediate septin organization in pathogenic fungi and that VLCFA biosynthesis represents a new target for controlling pathogenic fungi, which could lead to the development of new fungicides for use in plants and humans.
An Australian study led by University of Melbourne scientists has identified a previously unknown role for the hepatokine, sparc-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1), in suppressing hepatic glucose production.
An Australian study led by University of Melbourne scientists has identified a previously unknown role for the hepatokine, sparc-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1), in suppressing hepatic glucose production. The investigators reported their results in the Sept. 2, 2020, edition of Science Translational Medicine.
An Australian study led by University of Melbourne scientists has identified a previously unknown role for the hepatokine, sparc-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1), in suppressing hepatic glucose production. The investigators reported their results in the Sept. 2, 2020, edition of Science Translational Medicine.
A Sino-U.S. collaborative study has demonstrated that acupuncture regulates inflammation by activating pro- or anti-inflammatory signaling pathways, while mitigating cytokine storms in mice with systemic inflammation, the study authors reported in the Aug. 12, 2020, edition of Neuron. The study also found that the acupuncture site, intensity and timing determined how it affected response, which has important implications for acupuncture use in inflammatory diseases and as adjunctive cancer therapy.
