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A common sugar may help cancer cells break free and spread

2 weeks 6 days ago
Chemotherapy-surviving ovarian cancer cells may release fructose to help neighboring tumor cells loosen, escape, and spread. The discovery suggests that sugary diets and cholesterol-lowering drugs could influence cancer progression, though the effects have not yet been confirmed in patients.

Your brain may be wired to regain lost weight

2 weeks 6 days ago
Weight loss is not simply a test of willpower. The human brain evolved to protect body fat during times of scarcity, and it can treat a previously higher weight as the new normal, triggering stronger hunger, cravings, and lower energy use after weight loss. This biological “memory” helps explain why many people regain weight after dieting and why medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro can help by reducing appetite signals, although their effects may fade when treatment ends.

Scientists may have found aging’s hidden trigger for brain disease

3 weeks ago
Scientists have identified a molecular switch that may help explain why aging makes the brain more vulnerable to diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s. In worms, the protein EPS8 builds up with age and triggers signaling that encourages toxic proteins to clump together, damaging neurons and shortening lifespan. Reducing EPS8 activity prevented these harmful aggregates and preserved nerve function.

Two new compounds could reveal hidden drivers of Alzheimer’s disease

3 weeks ago
Vanderbilt researchers created the first selective compound designed to inhibit TAOK-1, a poorly understood protein connected to Alzheimer’s disease. They also discovered a second compound that activates the entire TAOK protein family, offering scientists an unexpected new research tool. Together, the compounds could reveal hidden disease mechanisms and point toward new treatment strategies.

Lysosomal dysfunction drives a transcriptional and epigenetic signature found in disease-associated microglia in neurodegenerative diseases

3 weeks ago
Lysosomal dysfunction is causally linked to neurodegeneration in many lysosomal storage disorders and is associated with various age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we investigated the question of underlying mechanisms using a mouse model of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA caused by deficiency of the lysosomal hydrolase SGSH. Systematic imaging and transcriptomic and epigenetic studies revealed microglia to be the most profoundly impacted cell type in brains of Sgsh-deficient mice....
Christopher D Balak