Articles by Delthia Ricks
Medical Xpress / Rogue lipids: How routine cellular stress can fuel chronic inflammation
Oxidized lipids—fats structurally altered by enzymes, oxygen or free radicals—are double-edged swords that can both quell and ignite systemic inflammation, according to a new comprehensive review aimed at sharpening the overall ...
Medical Xpress / An omega-3 paradox: When 'healthy fats' shut down defenses against cancer
Omega fatty acids have long been recognized for their benefits: supporting cardiovascular health, reducing systemic inflammation, and promoting brain development and cognitive function. But scientists now warn of a long-unrecognized ...
Phys.org / Zika virus assembles without protein segment long deemed essential
For years, scientists were certain that two factors were involved in the assembly of active, highly infectious Zika viruses in human cells: a specific viral protein in its entirety and a turncoat human enzyme that assured ...
Medical Xpress / Scientists in France pinpoint why STING pathway hasn't been harnessed for cancer therapy yet
Deep within the cellular landscape, a quiet failure was taking place, impeding a potentially successful form of cancer treatment. For years, scientists hoped an essential part of the innate immune system that detects foreign ...
Medical Xpress / Macrophage 'molecular scissors' may drive obesity-linked inflammation and metabolic damage
Imagine the body's immune cells as a neighborhood cleanup crew. When all is healthy, macrophages roam tissues, clearing away cellular debris and helping maintain order. But obesity can turn these normally protective cells ...
Phys.org / Quality vs. quantity: Why 'super-shedders' may not be the superspreaders of disease outbreaks
A host that sheds an abundance of parasites might seem like an obvious disease-spreading threat. But new research suggests that shedding large volumes of parasites does not dictate transmission efficiency—and "super-shedders" ...
Medical Xpress / Mighty mitochondria: Scientists uncover new role for fighting bacterial infections, including drug-resistant superbugs
Beyond the nucleus, no other organelle in eukaryotic cells captures the public's imagination quite like mitochondria: They are the engines of cellular energy production; they possess their own DNA, and they are passed from ...
Medical Xpress / Scientists decipher how T cells sense enemies—such as cancer—at point of contact
Every encounter between a T cell and a potential target—especially when that target is a developing tumor—begins with a rapid series of molecular decisions. Within seconds, the immune cell must determine whether to launch ...
Medical Xpress / Two studies point to beta cells as active players in type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is widely understood as an autoimmune disease, with the immune system attacking the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. But two new studies suggest those cells may be more than passive victims. Together, ...
Medical Xpress / Emerging mRNA vaccine strategies target cancer and pathogenic viruses in potent new ways
The technology that gave the world mRNA COVID vaccines is being tested in a variety of new ways, and emerging research reveals that a crucial T-cell population can be reprogrammed in animal models by reimagining the science ...
Medical Xpress / Keeping HIV at bay: New approach explores broadly neutralizing antibodies to treat infants
In the ongoing effort to find new therapeutics for infants born infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, an international team of investigators has discovered that babies can tolerate treatment with anti-HIV antibodies.
Medical Xpress / An intranasal flu vaccine approved two decades ago may have underappreciated immune benefits
For decades, influenza vaccines have been judged largely by the antibodies they generate in the bloodstream, a measure that has remained the gold standard since the first flu immunizations were administered in the 1940s.
Medical Xpress / Unprecedented view inside live stem cells reveals aging process and loss of regenerative capacity
Scientists have developed a powerful new technique that allows them to observe how individual cells manufacture proteins during aging, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the hidden molecular activity of stem cells in ...
Medical Xpress / Gold-coated microneedles can detect subtleties in how liver and kidneys process drugs in real time
Scientists have taken a giant leap forward with the development of tiny microneedles designed to detect subtle but critical changes in how the liver and kidneys process therapeutic drugs. The experimental technology, under ...
Medical Xpress / Scientists recruit red blood cells to deliver genetic cargo with instructions to kill cancer
Scientists have developed a way to turn the body's own immune cells into cancer-fighting agents—without removing them from the body—by using red blood cells to deliver genetic instructions. Current CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) ...