Guest Post: This is a guest article by Clifford M. Thornton, a Certified Cardiovascular Technologist, experienced Echocardiographer Technician, and journalist in the cardiac and medical device fields. His articles have been published in Inventor’s Digest, Global Innovation Magazine, and Modern Health Talk. He is enthusiastic about progress with cardiac stem cell therapies and their role in...
Post
Restricting unwanted immune reactions
Researchers at the University of Münster (Germany) have decoded a mechanism found at the beginning of many inflammatory processes: a new approach to the development of anti-inflammatory treatment options IMAGE: BINDING MODEL: THE S100A8/S100A9 PROTEIN COMPLEX (GREY/BEIGE) BINDS TO THE TLR4 RECEPTOR (RAINBOW-COLOURED) AND MD2 (RED) AND TRIGGERS IMMUNE REACTIONS IN CELLS. BLOCKING THIS INTERACTION IS A...
Post
CWRU School of Medicine researchers create first artificial human prion
Finding may shed added light on, offer treatment hope for brain-wasting diseases CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have synthesized the first artificial human prion, a dramatic development in efforts to combat a devastating form of brain disease that has so far eluded treatment and a cure. The new findings are...
Post
New link identified between inflammation and depression in type-1 diabetes
Depression in type-1 diabetes patients is associated with higher levels of the inflammatory protein galectin-3, according to research published in Endocrine Connections. These findings suggest that galectin-3 levels may be useful for diagnosis of depression or maybe a new target for treating depression associated with type-1 diabetes, which could lead to better patient care. It is well established...
Post
Killing bacteria by silencing genes may be alternative to antibiotics
A new approach to killing C. difficile that silences key bacterial genes while sparing other bacteria may provide a new way to treat the most common hospital-acquired bacterial infection in the United States, according to researchers. This photograph depicts Clostridium difficile colonies after 48hrs growth on a blood agar plate; Magnified 4.8X. C. difficile, an anaerobic...
Post
Alzheimer’s disease—why insulin is a new suspect
Johnson and Johnson recently announced that it was halting a clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug after safety issues emerged. This latest failure adds to the dozens of large, costly clinical trials that have shown no effect in treating this devastating disease. The growing list of failures should give us pause for thought – have we...
Post
Vitamin B3 has a positive effect on damaged nerve cells in Parkinson’s patients
Unsteady hands, stiff muscles and slow movements – all these are typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Some 220,000 people in Germany are affected by the disease, which becomes more likely to occur as people get older. It is caused by the loss of nerve cells in the brain and remains incurable. A team of researchers headed by...
Post
Scientists work to dissolve the NETs that worsen TBI damage
Immune cells that are first responders to a traumatic brain injury appear to also contribute to the secondary damage that can occur even days later, scientists say. A photo of Dr. Krishnan Dhandapani and Ph.D. student Molly Braun in the Medical College of Georgia lab. Credit: Phil Jones, Senior Photographer, Augusta University The NETs—or neutrophil...
Post
Link found between neurotransmitter imbalance, brain connectivity in those with autism
One in 59 children in the United States lives with a form of autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The signs of autism begin in early childhood and can affect individuals differently. However, many with autism share similar symptoms, including difficulties with social communication. Researchers from the University of Missouri School...
Post
Human drug addiction behaviors tied to specific impairments in six brain networks
Specific impairments within six large-scale brain networks during drug cue exposure, decision-making, inhibitory control, and social-emotional processing are associated with drug addiction behaviors, according to a systematic review of more than 100 published neuroimaging studies by experts at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published Wednesday, June 6 in the journal Neuron. Drug addiction is...