In a paper published in the journal Nature, an international research team led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reports that bone growth in mice takes place in accordance with the same principles as when new cells are produced in blood, skin and other tissue. This contradicts the previous understanding that bone growth depends...
Category: <span>biological sciences</span>
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Technology could improve therapeutic strategies for fibrotic disorders
Researchers at the University of Arizona have invented the first highly selective Nox4 small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of fibrotic disorders. Through Tech Launch Arizona, the office of the university that commercializes inventions stemming from research, the UA has licensed the technology to startup Fibronox to bring the invention from the lab to the...
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FDA: Young-blood transfusions provide ‘no proven clinical benefit’ for aging, Alzheimer’s
The quest to rejuvenate aging people with the blood of young donors has generated paying customers, captured the popular imagination, and, now, prompted a warning from the Food and Drug Administration. Scientific American The agency on Tuesday said in a statement that plasma infusions from young people provide “no proven clinical benefit” against normal aging,...
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Here’s what you need to know about melioidosis, the deadly infection that can spread after floods – biological sciences
The devastating Townsville floods have receded but the clean up is being complicated by the appearance of a serious bacterial infection known as melioidosis. One person has died from melioidosis and nine others have been diagnosed with the disease over the past week. People typically become sick between one and 21 days after being infected....
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Rethinking blood pressure readings
(HealthDay)—”140/90″ had long been the line in the sand for getting high blood pressure under control. But in 2017, leading medical organizations lowered the definitions of normal, elevated and high blood pressure with the idea that starting treatment at lower “high” levels can better reduce heart attacks and strokes. This dramatically added to the number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure and redefined...
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The 7 wonders of poop – biological sciences
Although it is not necessarily the most pleasant of topics, we must, at least, respect its ubiquity: poop is everywhere. In this Spotlight, we bring you some fascinating stool-based knowledge. Poop is complex, surprising, and disgusts us Turquoise bathroom Feces unites the entire animal kingdom. It is something we all have in common. On average,...
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How whipworms wreak havoc on the gut
Signaling through interleukin-10 (IL-10) receptors on gut immune cells plays a critical role in protecting the gut lining and microbiota from disruption caused by whipworms, according to a study published January 31 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by María Duque-Correa of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK, and colleagues. The human gut is...
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Scientists say that fast advanced DNA sequencing technologies produce too many errors
99.8 % accuracy of the new methods that can read lengthy sections of genetic material is quite impressive. These methods can reduce the time needed to analyse DNA data, which could speed up genetic studies. However, a new research from the University of Edinburgh revealed that even 99.8 % accuracy equates to millions of mistakes...
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Could higher levels of testosterone hold the key to slower aging?
A new study of older men carried out by The University of Western Australia has found there is a link between men who have higher levels of the sex hormone estradiol, produced from testosterone, and slower ageing. Ball-and-stick model of the testosterone molecule, C19H28O2, as found in the crystal structure of testosterone monohydrate. Credit: Ben...
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When the structure of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) challenges the very concept of cell
Cells in our bodies have the ability to speak with one another much like humans do. This communication allows organs in our bodies to work synchronously, which in turn, enables us to perform the remarkable range of tasks we meet on a daily basis. One of this mean of communication is ‘tunneling nanotubes’ or TNTs....