Health

People with pockets of fat hidden inside their muscles are at a higher risk of dying or being hospitalized from a heart attack or heart failure, regardless of their body mass index, according to new research. This 'intermuscular' fat is highly prized in beef steaks for cooking. However, little is known about this type of

People with the skin condition psoriasis often have invisible inflammation in the small intestine with an increased propensity for 'leaky gut', according to new research. These changes in the gut could explain why psoriasis sufferers often have gastrointestinal problems and are more prone to developing Crohn's disease. People with the skin condition psoriasis often have

Researchers have profiled the molecular structure and features of a key part of the deadly Nipah virus. Experiments in cells showe how changes in the viral polymerase -- a protein involved in viral replication -- can alter the virus's ability to make copies of itself and infect cells. Further analysis revealed parts of the Nipah

Over half of our genomes consists of thousands of remnants of ancient viral DNA, known as transposable elements, which are widespread across the tree of life. Once dismissed as the 'dark side' of the genome, researchers have now revealed their crucial role in early embryo development. Over half of our genomes consists of thousands of

Researchers have determined how children's immune systems react to different kinds of cancer depending on their age. The study reveals significant differences between the immune response of children and adults, and has the potential to lead to new tailored treatments for children with cancer. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital in

A group of immune proteins called the inflammasome can help prevent blood stem cells from becoming malignant by removing certain receptors from their surfaces and blocking cancer gene activity, according to a preclinical study. A group of immune proteins called the inflammasome can help prevent blood stem cells from becoming malignant by removing certain receptors

Researchers have improved our understanding of how rotavirus, the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in children, makes people sick. The study is among the first to show that the rotavirus protein NSP4 is both necessary and sufficient for multiple aspects of rotavirus infection by disrupting calcium signaling not only within infected cells but also

A new study has found older-looking brains in adults with sickle cell disease, helping to explain the cognitive challenges experienced by such individuals. A brain image from a healthy individual (left) shows a larger brain with more white matter compared with a brain image from a patient with sickle cell disease (right). Healthy individuals experiencing

Sunburn has traditionally been attributed to UV-induced DNA damage. However, a new study reveals that RNA, another vital cellular molecule, plays a major role in triggering acute sunburn reactions. Sunburn has traditionally been attributed to UV-induced DNA damage. However, a new study by the University of Copenhagen and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, reveals that RNA

Cultural traits -- the information, beliefs, behaviors, customs, and practices that shape the character of a population -- are influenced by conformity, the tendency to align with others, or anti-conformity, the choice to deliberately diverge. A new way to model this dynamic interplay could ultimately help explain societal phenomena like political polarization, cultural trends, and

Long classified as a subset of common liver cancer, FLC should be considered its own unique disease. Now researchers are testing a combination drug therapy that targets FLC tumors. Like many rare diseases, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC) mounts a ferocious attack against an unlucky few -- in this case, children, adolescents, and young adults. Because

Subtle changes in the brain, detectable through advanced imaging, blood and spinal fluid analysis, happen approximately twenty years before a clinical motor diagnosis in people with Huntington's disease, finds a new study. Subtle changes in the brain, detectable through advanced imaging, blood and spinal fluid analysis, happen approximately twenty years before a clinical motor diagnosis