Researchers at the USC Roski Eye Institute, part of Keck Medicine of USC, are launching a phase 2b clinical trial examining if stem cells bioengineered to replace failing cells in the retina damaged by macular degeneration could restore eyesight.

Compared with white patients, Black patients with an aggressive form of leukemia--called acute myeloid leukemia (AML)--were on average more than five years younger at diagnosis and more than 30 percent more likely to die of their disease; that is according to a new analysis of data led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers. The study, supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), also found that Black patients were more than 20 percent more likely to die of any cause over the 34-year study period. Among patients with a mutation in their cancer cells that is generally associated with more favorable outcomes from treatment, survival for Black patients was less than half that of white patients.

Exogenous ochronosis is a rare but serious skin condition characterized by bluish-black pigmentation, linked to long-term hydroquinone use for treating hyperpigmentation. It was previously believed to stem from inhibition of homogentisate dioxygenase, an enzyme absent in human skin. A new international study reveals that instead, hydroquinone is metabolized by tyrosinase into reactive compounds that accumulate in the dermis, causing ochronosis. This insight highlights the need for safer, true tyrosinase inhibitors in treatment.

Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are growing worldwide among children and can negatively impact both their physical health and cognitive development. In a new study, researchers from Japan show that even a short-duration, 3.5-minute bout of light-intensity exercise can significantly improve executive function and psychological mood in children. This shows that implementing short exercise interventions in schools is a practical approach to improving the physical and mental health of children.

An innovative three-color method for capturing images of mRNA inside live mammalian cells has been developed by UMass Amherst chemists. Because RNA is both incredibly important to human life and health and poorly understood, the ability to tag disparate RNA with different colors and watch them, in real time, as they do their work is a giant step forward in understanding one of life’s basic building blocks. The study appeared recently in Nature Methods.