Psychology & Psychiatry

Highly specific synaptic plasticity in addiction

Addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD), is a complex neurological condition that includes drug-seeking behavior among other cognitive, emotional and behavioral features. Synaptic plasticity, or changes in the way neurons ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Impaired blood clotting may explain higher COVID-19 risk

A new review suggests that higher-than-normal levels of an enzyme involved in blood clot prevention may be a common risk factor for developing COVID-19—a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2—in ...

Immunology

Insights into a versatile molecular death switch

The enzyme caspase-8 induces a molecular cell death programme called pyroptosis without involving its enzymatic activity, a new study by Hamid Kashkar published in Nature shows. In order to safeguard healthy and functioning ...

Oncology & Cancer

Researchers discover a potential new target for cancer treatment

Dr. Florian Weinberg, from Prof. Dr. Tilman Brummer's research group at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research (IMMZ) of the University of Freiburg, joined forces with scientists from the Departments of Clinical ...

Immunology

Study identifies new mechanism for antibacterial immunity

The innate immune system serves as a first-line defense, responding to infections almost immediately after a pathogen makes its way into the body. This response is carried out in two major ways: the cell can amplify the message ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia

Enzyme BACE1 may be important in predicting onset of Alzheimer disease

The critical enzyme beta-secretase1 (BACE1) is known to be elevated in brains with sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD). Scientists have now found increased levels of BACE1 in brains with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), suggesting ...

Oncology & Cancer

Colon cancer screening: Immunological tests are superior

Tests for hidden traces of blood ("occult blood") in the stool provide clues to colon cancer or precancerous lesions. For over 40 years, an enzymatic detection method has been used to detect the diseases. Now immunological ...

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