Ambient air pollution is the largest environmental health problem in the United States and in the world more generally. Fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 millionths of a meter, known as PM2.5, was the fifth-leading cause of death in the world in 2015, factoring in approximately 4.1 million global deaths annually. In the United States,...
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A new brain imaging study challenges the dominant theoretical model of autism spectrum disorders
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by communication disorders, altered social interactions and sensory and behavioral abnormalities. Research in genetics and brain imaging suggests that abnormalities in the development of the brain concerning, in particular, the formation of neural networks and the functioning of synapses could be involved in the onset of ASD....
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Drug combination makes cancer disappear in mice with neuroblastoma
Researchers investigating new treatments for neuroblastoma—one of the most common childhood cancers—have found that a combination of two drugs made tumours disappear in mice, making it more effective than any other drugs tested in these animals. Professor Murray Norris, deputy director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia, told the 30th...
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UO scientists discover new anti-inflammatory bacterial protein
Inflammation is one the ways the body protects itself against outside invaders. And since the digestive system contains a dense array of bacteria, you might expect the body’s immune response to be in constant overdrive as it confronts a mass of gut microbes. But that’s not the case, says UO biologist Karen Guillemin. “One of...
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Breakthrough in treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome
New research published in the Journal of Physiology presents a breakthrough in the treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). RLS is a common condition of the nervous system that causes an overwhelming irresistible urge to move the legs. Patients complain of unpleasant symptoms such as tingling, burning and painful cramping sensations in the leg. More...
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Lab Chat: The hidden cells lurking in a lab-grown kidney
Scientists digging into the makeup of lab-grown kidney models turned up a surprising finding: The organoids also contained heart and muscle cells. Here’s what study author Dr. Ben Humphreys of Washington University in St. Louis told me about the finding, published in Cell Stem Cell. A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT A KIDNEY ORGANOID. (HUMPHREYS LAB) What...
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Gene editing possible for kidney disease
For the first time scientists have identified how to halt kidney disease in a life-limiting genetic condition, which may pave the way for personalised treatment in the future. Experts at Newcastle University, UK, have shown in a cell model and in a mouse model that gene editing could be used for Joubert syndrome to stop...
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New way to look at cell membranes could change the way we study disease
Researchers have developed a new technique to analyse cell membrane proteins in situ which could revolutionise the way in which we study diseases, such as cancer, metabolic and heart diseases. IMAGE: A NEW TECHNIQUE TO ANALYSE CELL MEMBRANE PROTEINS IN SITU WHICH COULD REVOLUTIONISE THE WAY IN WHICH WE STUDY DISEASES, SUCH AS CANCER, METABOLIC AND...
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This Membrane Can Reduce the Stink of Poop and Heal Wounds
A revolutionary new filter works in reverse of how we think they work, letting the small stuff in to keep the big stuff out. Every day, we use filters. They keep damaging particles from entering our motors, carcinogens from entering our air or lungs, and unsafe matter out of our drinking water. In your kitchen,...
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With brain implants, scientists hope to translate paralyzed patients’ thoughts into speech
The brain surgeon began as he always does, making an incision in the scalp and gently spreading it apart to expose the skull. He then drilled a 3-inch circular opening through the bone, down to the thick, tough covering called the dura. He sliced through that, and there in the little porthole he’d made was...