Living cells inside the body could be placed under surveillance–their location and migration noninvasively tracked in real time over many days–using a new method developed by researchers at KAUST. The technique uses magnetic core-shell iron nanowires as nontoxic contrast agents, which can be implanted into live cells, lighting up those cells’ location inside a living...
Scientists find evidence of link between diesel exhaust, risk of Parkinson’s
by Caroline Seydel, University of California, Los Angeles A new UCLA study in zebrafish has identified the process by which air pollution can damage brain cells, potentially contributing to Parkinson’s disease. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicological Sciences, the findings show that chemicals in diesel exhaust can trigger the toxic buildup of a protein in...
New liver cancer research targets non-cancer cells to blunt tumor growth
by Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania “Senotherapy,” a treatment that uses small molecule drugs to target “senescent” cells, or those cells that no longer undergo cell division, blunts liver tumor progression in animal models according to new research from a team led by Celeste Simon, Ph.D., a professor of Cell and...
COVID-19 cytokine storm: Possible mechanism for the deadly respiratory syndrome
by Hokkaido University Research into how the SARS-CoV-2 virus induces death is suggesting potential treatments for its most destructive complications. Leading immunologists in Japan are proposing a possible molecular mechanism that causes massive release of proinflammatory cytokines, or a cytokine storm, leading to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients. Their suggestions, published...
Study suggests metastasis gets its start much earlier than thought
by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress A team of researchers from Stanford University in the U.S. and Southern University of Science and Technology in China has found evidence that suggests metastasis of cancerous tumors may get its start much earlier than previously thought. In their paper published in the journal Nature Genetics, the group describes...
New biomarker could flag tumors that are sensitive to common diabetes drug
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 19, 2020) — A newly identified biomarker could help scientists pinpoint which cancers are vulnerable to treatment with biguanides, a common class of medications used to control blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes. Biguanides, particularly a medication called metformin, have long been of interest to cancer researchers because of their ability...
People with atrial fibrillation live longer with exercise
“Regular endurance training and good fitness seem to protect against serious cardiovascular events and early mortality for people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation,” says exercise physiologist Lars Elnan Garnvik. Garnvik recently completed his doctorate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. His latest article was recently published in the prestigious European Heart Journal. Garnvik and...
Novel tool developed to diagnose and monitor autoimmune disorders
Researchers from Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have developed a novel method for diagnosing and monitoring autoimmune disorders. Within a mere 25 minutes, their new biosensor not only measures the concentration of autoantibodies in human blood serum with extremely high sensitivity, but...
Advanced X-ray technology tells us more about Ménière’s disease
CREDIT: NORDSTRÖM ET AL. The organ of balance in the inner ear is surrounded by the hardest bone in the body. Using synchrotron X-rays, researchers at Uppsala University have discovered a drainage system that may be assumed to play a major role in the onset of Ménière’s disease, a common and troublesome disorder. These results...
A fidget spinner-like device for speedy detection of UTIs in urine
The Dx-FS as a POCT device for low-resource settings. a, In developing countries such as India, healthcare is classified into three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary care. Although secondary and tertiary care centres are equipped with laboratories for UTI screening, the same does not exist in primary care centres34,35. Patients seeking intervention with symptoms of...