137 articles from MONDAY 17.2.2020

Cutting off kidney cancer at its roots

Scientists at the MDC have discovered stem cells responsible for the most common form of kidney cancer. The team of Walter Birchmeier has found a way to block the growth of these tumors in three models of the disease.

Freshwater insects recover while spiders decline in UK

Many insects, mosses and lichens in the UK are bucking the trend of biodiversity loss, according to a comprehensive analysis of over 5,000 species led by UCL and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), and published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

How learning about fish can help us save the Amazon rainforest

They might not be as popular as jaguars and parrots, but fish hold the key to lots of the Amazon rainforest's secrets. Studying the different kinds of fish living in the region's lakes and rivers helps scientists understand how rainforest ecosystems are connected. An investigation of fish populations is helping scientists make a case that protecting one tiny corner of the Guiana Shield can help...

Low-dose methotrexate associated with small increase in some adverse events

A pre-specified secondary analysis of a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial found that low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX) was associated with a small to modest increase in the risk for some adverse events, including skin cancer and gastrointestinal, infectious, pulmonary, and hematologic effects in patients at risk for heart disease. The risk for kidney-related side-effects was decreased....

New computational tools identify alternative splicing changes in aggressive cancers

A multi-institutional group of researchers led by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has linked a strong cancer driver gene to changes in proteins that regulate alternative splicing. The researchers created new computational tools and biological model systems for the study. This collaborative research, led by Yi Xing, PhD, at CHOP and Owen Witte, MD, at the University of California, Los...

New green technology from UMass Amherst generates electricity 'out of thin air'

As reported today in Nature, the laboratories of electrical engineer Jun Yao and microbiologist Derek Lovley at UMass Amherst have created a device they call an 'Air-gen.' or air-powered generator, with electrically conductive protein nanowires produced by the microbe Geobacter. The Air-gen connects electrodes to the protein nanowires in such a way that electrical current is generated from the...

New technique allows scientists to 'listen in' on cancer cells

Scientists have a developed a new technique to decipher how millions of individual cells are communicating with each other in miniature tumours grown in the lab, known as organoids, according to new research published in Nature Methods today (Monday). This is the first time that scientists have been able to analyse many different signalling molecules at once in individual cells within replicas of...

Reconstructing the diet of fossil vertebrates

Paleodietary studies of the fossil record are impeded by a lack of reliable and unequivocal tracers. Scientists from the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, the MPI for Chemistry and the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) in Mainz have now tested a new method, the isotope analysis of zinc isotopes from the tooth enamel of fossil mammals, and found it to be well suited to expand our knowledge about...

Researchers challenge new guidelines on aspirin in primary prevention

New guidelines recommend aspirin use in primary prevention for people ages 40 to 70 years old who are at higher risk of a first cardiovascular event, but not for those over 70. Yet, people over 70 are at higher risks of cardiovascular events than those under 70. As a result, health care providers are understandably confused about whether or not to prescribe aspirin for primary prevention of heart...

Sitting more is associated with higher heart disease risk in older women

Post-menopausal Hispanic women sat an average of about 8-1/2 hours per day, compared to more than 9 hours per day for non-Hispanic women.In the total sample of older women, prolonged sitting time patterns were associated with significantly greater body mass index, waist circumference, fasting blood sugar, insulin, triglycerides and insulin resistance.