Can e-cigarettes help smokers quit?

Pilot study finds smokers who are willing to use e-cigarettes tend to smoke less and have increased quit attempts, according to new research.

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Berry gives boost to cervical cancer therapy

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. One of the most common treatments for cervical cancer is radiation. While radiation therapy destroys cancer cells, it also destroys nearby healthy cells. Researchers studied in vitro human cancer cells to show that combining blueberry extract with radiation can increase the treatment’s effectiveness.

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Selenium protects a specific type of interneurons in the brain

Exactly 200 years after the discovery of the trace element selenium, researchers have shown for the first time why this chemical element is indispensable for mammalian life. As integral part of the enzyme GPX4, selenium protects a subset of neurons from cell death during postnatal development.

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Ebola virus inhibited

The incurable Ebola virus has long been feared due to its high mortality rate and danger of infection. Now researchers have succeeded in inhibiting the virus in cell cultures. The researchers hope to be able to continue doing animal testing and developing an actual drug.

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Defect in zinc supply mechanism affects pathology of intractable pulmonary diseases

Researchers revealed that abnormal delivery of zinc to lung cells contributes to obstructive pulmonary diseases. They further showed that mRNA splicing abnormalities are involved in the detailed mechanism. So far, the importance of zinc in the lung has only been understood from a nutritional aspect. This discovery is thought to be the first to clarify zinc’s effects on the regulation of mRNA ligation (splicing), and its involvement in the onset of pulmonary diseases.

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Statistical test relates pathogen mutation to infectious disease progression

Nucleic acid sequencing methods, which determine the order of nucleotides in DNA, are rapidly progressing. These processes yield large quantities of sequence data that helps researchers understand organism function. Sequencing also benefits epidemiological studies, such as the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of genetic and/or contagious diseases. Researchers have now developed an inductive algorithm to study nucleotide frequencies using a multi-strain SIR model.

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Jaguar conservation depends on neighbors' attitudes

A survey of residents near two major national parks in Panama indicates that jaguars deserve increased protection. But because most residents still support road-building in the parks, the survey team recommends further education to emphasize the connection between healthy ecosystems and jaguar survival.

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Ophthalmologists increasingly dissatisfied with electronic health records

Ophthalmologists’ use of electronic health records (EHR) systems for storing and accessing patients’ medical histories more than doubled between 2006 and 2016, while their perceptions of financial and clinical productivity following EHR implementation declined, a study shows.

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New patch aims to turn energy-storing fats into energy-burning fats

A new approach to reducing bulging tummy fats has shown promise in laboratory trials. It combines a new way to deliver drugs, via a micro-needle patch, with drugs that are known to turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat.

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Double strike against tuberculosis

In search of new strategies against life-threatening tuberculosis infections, scientists have found a new ally. They discovered a substance that interferes with the mycomembrane formation of the bacterium. It is effective even in low concentrations and when combined with known antibiotics their effectiveness is improved by up to 100-fold.

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