An 18-year joint Australian-Indian study made possible by the recruitment, diagnosis and DNA screening of thousands of people in India has identified a new clue in the quest for causes of schizophrenia and potential treatments. A collaboration between The University of Queensland and a team of Indian researchers led by Professor Rangaswamy Thara, co- founder and director of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation...
Quorn protein builds muscle better than milk protein
Posted Yesterday Data presented at the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) conference demonstrates mycoprotein is a more effective source of protein to support post exercise muscle building compared to some animal proteins. A study from the University of Exeter has found that mycoprotein, the protein-rich food source that is unique to Quorn products, stimulates post-exercise muscle building to a greater extent than milk protein. The study evaluated...
Can Stem Cells be Used to Treat Epilepsy?
By Osman Shabir, M.Sc. Reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Logan, MD, MPH Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures. Most cases of epilepsy do not have a clear known cause, apart from susceptible genetic factors. The primary pathogenesis of genetic forms of epilepsy is an abnormal expression of certain receptors in the brain that lead to...
Brain Inflammation in Patients with Fibromyalgia
By Osman Shabir, M.Sc. Reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Logan, MD, MPH Fibromyalgia is a condition in which there is extensive chronic pain across the body with an increased pain response to pressure, which would normally not be painful. Central to the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia is impaired nociceptive (pain) signal processing in the nervous system. Therefore, fibromyalgia in its pure form is...
A revolutionary tool that can ‘listen to bacteria communicate’ could curb antibiotic resistance
Dr Fatima AlZahra’a Alatraktchi is developing the tool which is undergoing trials It translates ‘whispers’ between bacteria before they group together and attack Standard testing can take days, leading to generalised antibiotic prescribing The tool picked up deadly bacteria in half of patients with cystic fibrosis where standard testing did not, offering hope to thousands with the condition By VANESSA CHALMERS HEALTH REPORTER FOR MAILONLINE A revolutionary...
Important results for brain machine interfaces
by Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Data from Mental Work project, conducted as an experimental artwork at EPFL’s Artlab, indicates that BMI is robust and accessible to the general public, spurring new research collaborations in Switzerland on user experience. Brain-machine interfaces are rarely found outside of medical clinics, where the disabled receive hours or days of training in...
Artificial Bacterial Protein Allows Stem Cells to Home to the Heart
CONN HASTINGS CARDIAC SURGERY, CARDIOLOGY, GENETICS, REHAB Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a way to make stem cells move toward heart tissue when they are injected intravenously. The treatment could improve the efficacy of stemcell therapies for heart disease, which are currently hampered when most injected cells are filtered out of circulation by organs such as the lungs and spleen. Stem cell therapies...
Non-invasive, Innovative Therapy May Be Alternative to Bariatric Surgery
Posted Today Endoscopic and metabolic therapies, or EBMTs, are innovative, non-invasive weight-loss procedures designed to significantly reduce a patient’s stomach volume or alter other parts of the digestive tract to treat obesity and other metabolic diseases. Unlike traditional bariatric surgery, an endoscopic bariatric procedure is performed using a small, flexible scope inserted through the patient’s mouth. With many patients failing to meet surgical...
Genes could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease
Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease. Tooth decay and periodontitis, also known as gum disease, are among the most common diseases around the world but...
Fast new directed evolution technique makes viruses create drug proteins in days
Michael Irving Evolution is one of nature’s most impressive forces, allowing organisms to adapt to changing environments to survive. By harnessing and guiding that process scientists have managed to manipulate micro-organisms into producing useful new drugs and materials, but it’s still a time-consuming process. Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) have developed a new tool that speeds...