In mammals, light is essential in order for the body to function properly. This response to light is controlled in our bodies by a biological clock. Like well-oiled clockwork, the central clock located in a small structure of the brain known as the hypothalamus in turn synchronises numerous secondary clocks present in other areas of […]
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is one of the most frequent causes of sudden non-accidental death in young adults. The origin of SUDEP remains unknown, since it generally occurs at night, unwitnessed. SUDEP sometimes occurs in hospital, while the vital functions are being monitored and recorded. These are the data that Prof. Philippe Ryvlin, […]
The measurement of cholesterol levels in an organism during medical analyses has become routine in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In reality, the cholesterol levels are the result of a balance in the human body between “good” (HDL) cholesterol and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. If this balance is threatened and tilts too far towards “bad cholesterol”, the […]
A team of researchers led by Brahim Nait Oumesmar, Inserm Research Director at the PITIE-SALPETRIERE NEUROSCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER (CRICM) in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg, has just discovered a new molecule capable of stimulating the repair of the myelin destroyed in experimental models of multiple sclerosis. This advance will be published in The Journal […]
An international consortium has just revealed five new genetic regions associated with migraine in a study published on 23 June 2013 in the journal Nature Genetics, bringing the total number identified in recent years to 12. Researchers from Inserm Unit 708 “Neuroepidemiology” in Bordeaux participated in the vast research by comparing nearly 118,000 items of […]
Thanks to a simple human hair, INSERM researchers (headed by Daniel Aberdam, Inserm Unit 976 “Dermato-Oncology, immunology and stem cells”), in collaboration with an Israeli team from the Haifa Technion, have succeeded in developing an original iPS[1] stem cell model in order to gain a better understanding of schizophrenia. This “reversion” of human hair to […]
A French consortium of clinicians and biologists has proposed a molecular classification of colon cancers into six sub-types. A national multicentric consortium of clinicians, biologists and researchers performed a genomic study as part of the CIT programme (Cartes d’Identité des Tumeurs® [Tumour Identity Cards]) of the Ligue contre le Cancer. The study included tumours from […]
Salbutamol is a classic asthma treatment. Its administration via inhalation stimulates the beta-2 receptors of the bronchial walls, dilating the bronchiae and thus allowing for greater respiratory capacity. Its use as a doping product is currently under review. An Inserm team headed by Samuel Vergès (Inserm Unit 1042 “Hypoxia and cardiovascular and respiratory physiopathology”) attempted […]
Infertility affects between 7% and 12% of couples worldwide. The causes of male infertility include several defects of the sperm including asthenozoospermia. This is a deficiency in the motility of spermatozoa, an essential ingredient for an encounter between the sexual cells during reproduction. Asthenozoospermia, detected in more than 40% of infertile men, is often associated […]
A gene involved in so-called “focal” epilepsy, the most frequent form of the condition, has been discovered by the research team directed by Eric Leguern and Stéphanie Baulac of Inserm unit 975 “Genetics and physiopathology of family epilepsy” at the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle (ICM) of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. The researchers studied […]
