UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN FRANCISCO A new UC San Francisco-led study brings scientists closer to understanding the causes of a mysterious rash of cases of acute severe hepatitis that began appearing in otherwise healthy children after COVID-19 lockdowns eased in the United States and 34 other countries in the spring of 2022. Pediatric hepatitis...
Month: <span>April 2023</span>
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A vicious cycle: How alcohol’s impact on the brain makes us more likely to drink
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Heavy alcohol use creates a vicious cycle: It changes signaling pathways in the brain, which in turn affects cognitive functions like decision-making and impulse control — and makes the individual more likely to drink. The mechanism behind this may involve the brain’s immune system, according to a recent article in...
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How to achieve a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B
Study shows increase in immune control after discontinuation of long-term antiviral therapy UNIVERSITÄT LEIPZIG More than half of people with chronic hepatitis B have a form of the disease in which the immune system almost never achieves sustained control, despite many years of treatment. According to current knowledge, those affected therefore require lifelong drug therapy....
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MOF-Jet tech painlessly shoots powdered medication through the skin
By Ben Coxworth March 27, 2023 The prototype MOF-Jet, with its drug-delivery nozzle visible at the bottomJeremiah Gassensmith Wouldn’t it be nice if medication could be injected without using a painful needle, and if that medication could be stored at room temperature? Well, it turns out that MOF-Jet technology may make both things possible. Dating as far back...
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Scientists shed new light on two proteins that exacerbate the progression of Parkinson’s disease
by Delthia Ricks , Medical Xpress Model. Left: When synaptotagmin-11 (Syt11) is not palmitoylated, alpha-synuclein (αS) is less membrane bound and present in physiologic tetrameric form. Right: Palmitoylated Syt11 alters the local membrane environment, resulting in more membrane-bound αS and decreased physiologic tetramers. Credit: Created with Biorender.com Two proteins may be intimately linked to the...
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Researchers discover two subtypes of insulin-producing cells
by Van Andel Research Institute Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Metabolism (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.03.008 A team led by Van Andel Institute and Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics scientists has identified two distinct subtypes of insulin-producing beta cells, or ß cells, each with crucial characteristics that may be leveraged to better understand and treat type 1 and type...
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Study: Keeping T cells active, but not too active, could be key to new immune therapies
by Hudson Institute of Medical Research RIPK3 deficiency selectively affects MAIT cell abundance. A Western blot showing presence of the indicated molecules in lysates of FACS-sorted liver MAIT cells, naïve (CD62L+, CD44−) CD4+ T cells, and memory (CD62L−, CD44+) CD4+ T cells at steady state. Data shown from 1 experiment representative of three independent experiments (n = 3). B Flow plots showing whole thymocytes,...
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Lab-made antibodies offer potential cure for yellow fever
OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY PORTLAND, Oregon — New research from Oregon Health & Science University and collaborators indicates lab-made antibodies may be able to cure people infected with yellow fever, a virus for which there is no treatment. The natural immune response to invading pathogens normally involves making protective proteins called antibodies. A study published today in Science Translational Medicine suggests...
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Implantable fuel cell that generates electricity from excess glucose in the blood
by Peter Rüegg, ETH Zurich The prototype fuel cell is wrapped in a fleece and is slightly larger than a thumbnail. Credit: Fussenegger Lab / ETH Zurich In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. This means that patients have to obtain the hormone externally to regulate their blood sugar levels. Currently, this is...
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Heart attack study could change the game in regenerative medicine
SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS IMAGE: ALEXANDRE COLAS, PH.D. CREDIT: SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS LA JOLLA, CALIF. Mar 29, 2023 – Sanford Burnham Prebys researchers have identified a group of proteins that could be the secret to cellular reprogramming, an emerging approach in regenerative medicine in which scientists transform cells to repair damaged or injured body tissues. The researchers...