Scientists have recently found something astonishing about Huntington’s disease, a serious brain disorder passed down through families. They’ve known about the genetic mutation that causes it for a while, but they weren't sure why people with the mutation don't have symptoms until they’re older. It
Imagine this: a young, healthy woman who takes care of herself gets a shocking diagnosis. Siobhan Donovan, 33, had just finished a smooth pregnancy with her third child. She was active, ate well, and didn’t smoke. Then she found some swelling in her breast. It turned out to be metastatic breast canc
Rwanda has become a key player in the global battle against rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The country is home to the Rwanda RHD Research Network, which serves as a central hub for international collaboration. This network brings together scientists, doctors, and public health experts from around th
You know how proteins in your body can have sugar molecules attached to them? This process is called glycosylation. It's super important for things like making proteins strong and helping cells stick to each other. But sometimes, these sugar coatings can go wonky. When they do, it's linked to seriou
Have you ever thought about how exercise could help improve your memory? Scientists have been exploring a gentle form of exercise called "Yoga-like" to see if it can slow down the effects of Alzheimer's disease. You might know that running or other aerobic exercises can help with brain health, but t
Neurodegenerative diseases are like intricate puzzles that scientists are working hard to solve. They affect both small components (like molecules and cells) and large aspects (such as physiology) of the brain. Traditional tools aren't doing the job well, but a new technology called microfluidics mi
Ever thought about how changing your gut's job could fix liver problems? Scientists did an experiment with rats that had a liver disease called MASLD. They performed a surgery called duodenal-jejunal bypass (DJB), which changed how food travels through the gut. Surprisingly, the rats' livers started
The total functioning capacity (TFC) scale has been a key tool in studying Huntington's disease (HD), helping researchers and doctors monitor how the disease progresses over time. This research looks into how TFC scores change naturally as people with HD age and considers the length of a particular
Peccaries, including collared peccaries (CP) and white-lipped peccaries (WLP), are vital for food and income in Amazonian rural communities. Since the 1980s, researchers have noticed that WLP populations in the Amazon region sometimes disappear without a clear explanation. This is a big deal because
Imagine having a condition like multiple sclerosis (MS), a long-term disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. Scientists are busy hunting for potential causes, with viruses like Epstein-Barr (EBV) leading the pack. But did you know fungi might also play a role? It’s true! The most significant ge
