University study finds possible cause of a known phenomenon UNIVERSITY OF BONN Beta-blockers are often used to treat high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases. However, in some patients they can trigger or exacerbate psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease. Scientists at the University of Bonn and Freie Universität Berlin have now found a possible cause...
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Study provides insights on the effects of cannabidiol on severe form of epilepsy
by Wiley Results from a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology may help explain why cannabidiol—a chemical component of marijuana with no psychoactive properties—reduces the frequency of seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy. The effect may be explained by a drug-drug interaction between cannabidiol and the anti-seizure medication clobazam....
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Stem cell transplants used to grow fully functional lungs in mice
by Columbia University Irving Medical Center Researchers at Columbia University were able to grow fully functional lungs in mouse embryos using transplanted stem cells. The findings suggest that it may be ultimately possible to use the technique to grow human lungs in animals for patients who need transplants and to study new lung treatments. The...
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PSA levels no different with exposure to antidiabetes meds
(HealthDay)—Men exposed to antidiabetic medications do not have different prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and prostate cancer detection rates at biopsy do not differ regardless of trigger PSA levels, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in JAMA Network Open. Kerri Beckmann, Ph.D., from King’s College London, and colleagues examined the correlations of antidiabetic medication...
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Immersion in virtual reality scenes of the Arctic helps to ease people’s pain
IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON Watching immersive 360 videos of icy Arctic scenes helps to relieve intense burning pain and could hold hope for treating chronic pain, a small study has found. Scientists from Imperial College London have found that using virtual reality headsets could combat increased sensitivity to pain, by immersing people in scenes of icebergs, frigid oceans and sprawling icescapes. In a...
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Study finds key Alzheimer’s gene (APOE) acts differently in Caribbean Hispanics
Researcher says understanding genetic risk of a disease requires diverse gene pool UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HEALTH SCIENCES/UW MEDICINE Researchers looking to unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease have revealed new insights from old variants. A gene called apolipoprotein E (APOE), long implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, has two variants that act differently among Caribbean Hispanics depending...
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Implantable artificial kidney achieves preclinical milestone
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN FRANCISCO The Kidney Project, a national effort to develop an implantable bio-artificial kidney that could eliminate the need for dialysis, will announce a key milestone in a November 7, 2019 presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2019 conference in Washington, DC. The team will report that UC...
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Building the first holographic brain ‘atlas’
by Mike Scott, Case Western Reserve University A team of researchers, led by Case Western Reserve University scientists and technicians using the Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality platform, has created what is believed to be the first interactive holographic mapping system of the axonal pathways in the human brain. The project, described by researchers as a “blending of advanced visualization hardware,...
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Genetic diversity facilitates cancer therapy
by Max Planck Society The constant battle against infectious pathogens has had a decisive influence on the human immune system over the course of our evolution. A key role in our adaptation to pathogens is played by HLA molecules. These proteins activate the immune system by presenting it with fragments of pathogens that have entered...
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Study: Chronic inflammatory effect in the oral cavity from alcohol, tobacco and caffeine
by Asociacion RUVID Researchers of the CEU UCH university have published the first pilot study on the alterations to the levels of cytokines in the saliva of frequent consumers of these three stimulating substances Cytokines are proteins released by the cells of the immune system to regulate the mechanism of inflammation against infections. When cytokine...