Tanning beds are not just a way to get a quick tan. They can cause serious harm to your skin. Recent research shows that using these machines can lead to widespread DNA damage. This damage can increase the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by three times. The study loo
Hair turning gray is not just about getting older. It might be a sign that your body is fighting off cancer. Scientists have found that the cells that give hair its color can act like bodyguards. They protect you by getting rid of damaged cells that could cause cancer. These special cells, called m
In the heart of Taiwan's rural landscapes, a pressing question lingers: how do agricultural chemicals impact our genetic makeup? Researchers decided to investigate this by examining two key substances: glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, and its byproduct, AMPA. They chose to analyze these compound
The use of far-ultraviolet C (Far-UVC) light, specifically within the 200 to 235 nanometer range, has shown promise in killing germs. This type of light is being explored for various medical uses. However, its effectiveness against infections deep within the body, such as those in the lungs, is stil
The body has a clever way of keeping cells healthy. It uses a tiny helper called cytosolic thioredoxin. This helper is a protein that works hard to keep other proteins in good shape. It does this by converting protein disulfides to thiols. It needs the help of thioredoxin reductase-1 and NADPH to do
Cancer is a sneaky foe. It uses our own body's defenses against us. It messes with our immune system, tricks our stem cells, and messes up our DNA repair process. This makes it hard to fight and even harder to cure. But scientists are on the case. They are using fancy tools to study how cancer pu
Scientists have found some interesting things about DNA damage repair genes in people with oral cancer in Pakistan. They looked at five specific genes: TP53, ATR, ATM, CHEK1, and CHEK2. Using advanced tools, they found 42 mutations, with some being completely new. Out of these, 28 were nonsynonymous
Ever heard of SIRT6? It's like a superhero protein in your cells, helping them stay young and healthy. So, how does it do this? Well, first, it helps fix damaged DNA. Imagine your cells have roads that sometimes get potholes; SIRT6 finds those potholes and fixes t
Ever heard of aristolochic acids (AA)? They're sneaky compounds that can cause big problems, like chronic renal disease, worldwide. The main troublemaker is aristolochic acid I (AA-I). Scientists wanted to know why AA-I is so much worse than its cousin, aristolochic acid II (AA-II), even though they
When your body's cells produce energy, they also create byproducts called reactive oxygen species (ROS). These can damage DNA in various ways, one of the most common being the oxidation of guanine, a building block of DNA. This oxidized form is known as 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoGua). If not fixed, 8-oxoGu
