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Having shown that diet can influence gene expression, science is starting to find out more about how this happens. According to an article recently published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, a diet supplemented with or deficient in methionine, an essential amino acid abundant in eggs, meat and seafood, affects the expression of genes associated with liver cell fat metabolism and genes that modify chromatin, the coiled fibers made up of DNA and proteins that form chromosomes in cells. The [...]

An article published in Scientific Reports describes a study demonstrating the effectiveness of a peptide developed by Brazilian scientists, called Rb4, in combating cancer progression in an animal model, especially malignant melanoma. The molecule holds promise for the treatment of drug-resistant tumors. Preclinical in vitro and in vivo trials indicated that Rb4 triggers necrosis in murine melanoma cells, and inhibits the viability of human cancer cells. Tumor cells in the study lost the [...]

Yellow fever is a non-contagious viral disease with two transmission cycles, sylvatic (in wild animals) and urban. Sylvatic yellow fever circulates among monkeys, and in Brazil is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genera Haemagogus and Sabethes, which bite an infected monkey and then infect others. Urban yellow fever circulates among humans and is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (human-mosquito-human). Brazil has had no urban yellow fever cases since 1942, but the sylvatic version can [...]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can increase the benefits of aerobic exercise and improve the gait of patients with Parkinson’s disease immediately after a session. Step time variability decreases, reaction time shortens, and executive control of gait is enhanced. These were the main findings of a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled crossover study of 20 volunteers by researchers at São Paulo State University’s Institute of Biosciences (IB-UNESP) in [...]

The presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood can boost the effects of daily cannabis use and heighten the risk of developing psychosis in adulthood. Similar results have been observed, also in the presence of cytokines, when cannabis is used during adolescence. Psychotic disorders include symptoms such as delirium, loss of a sense of reality, hallucinations, hearing voices, and cognitive and social impairments. A study by researchers at the University of São Paulo’s [...]

Treatment of depression faces two main challenges. The first is that almost 50% of patients do not respond well to existing antidepressants. The second is that conventional medications take a relatively long time—around three to five weeks—to have the desired effect. A group of researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil set out to tackle the second problem by using epigenetic modulators to try to “erase” the consequences of stress. [...]

A drug originally developed to treat bacterial infections has proved capable of boosting the metabolism and attenuating the weight gain induced by a fatty diet in tests with mice. The study was conducted at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) with FAPESP’s support, and the findings have just been published in the journal Science Advances. According to Marcelo Mori, a professor at the university’s Biology Institute (IB-UNICAMP) and principal investigator for the project, the [...]

A study conducted by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) suggests that irisin, a hormone secreted from muscles in response to exercise, could have a therapeutic effect on COVID-19 patients. When they analyzed adipose cell gene expression, the researchers found that irisin modulated genes associated with replication of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in human cells. This finding was based on analysis of the transcriptome (all RNAs produced by genes) of adipose cells not [...]

Oxytocin, produced by the hypothalamus and sometimes known as the “love hormone” for its involvement in pair bonding and orgasm, can be a strong ally in the control and prevention of osteoporosis, according to a study by scientists at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil. The study showed that when administered to female rats at the end of their fertile period, the hormone reversed precursors of osteoporosis, such as reduced bone density, decreased bone strength and [...]