by Margareta Gustafsson Kubista, University of Gothenburg There is a clear link between improved gut microbiota and one of our most common cholesterol-lowering drug groups: statins. This is evident from a European study involving researchers from the University of Gothenburg. Scientists have previously found an association between the gut microbiota and various metabolism-related and cardiovascular...
COULD TINY ‘DISTRACTING’ RODS SAVE COVID-19 PATIENTS?
White blood cells called neutrophils may be central to the immune system overreaction that can kill COVID-19 patients. New research finds that rod-shaped particles can take them out of circulation. The top cause of death for COVID-19 patients echoes the way the 1918 influenza pandemic killed: their lungs fill with fluid and they essentially drown....
New findings redefine organisation of the claustrum
Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have found that the claustrum is organized into functional connectivity modules rather than a hub-like structure, which up until now, was the prevailing idea. The study was recently published in Current Biology. “We found that the synaptic connectivity between the cortex and claustrum is...
Researchers develop 3D-printable material that mimics biological tissues
Biological tissues have evolved over millennia to be perfectly optimized for their specific functions. Take cartilage as an example. It’s a compliant, elastic tissue that’s soft enough to cushion joints, but strong enough to resist compression and withstand the substantial load bearing of our bodies, key for running, jumping, and our daily wear and tear....
Disrupted circadian rhythms linked to later Parkinson’s diagnoses
Researchers probe brain’s 24-hour biological clock for neurodegenerative risks UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN FRANCISCO Older men who have a weak or irregular circadian rhythm guiding their daily cycles of rest and activity are more likely to later develop Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Weill Institute...
Stanford researchers develop artificial synapse that works with living cells
CREDIT: L.A. CICERO/STANFORD NEWS SERVICE In 2017, Stanford University researchers presented a new device that mimics the brain’s efficient and low-energy neural learning process. It was an artificial version of a synapse – the gap across which neurotransmitters travel to communicate between neurons – made from organic materials. In 2019, the researchers assembled nine of...
Multi-ethnic study suggests vitamin K may offer protective health benefits in older age
Older adults with low vitamin K had higher death risk over 13 years compared to those with adequate vitamin K levels TUFTS UNIVERSITY, HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS BOSTON (June 15, 2020)– A new, multi-ethnic study found older adults with low vitamin K levels were more likely to die within 13 years compared to those whose vitamin...
Diluting blood plasma rejuvenates tissue, reverses aging in mice
New study suggests that plasma exchange could be the key to unlocking the body’s regenerative capacities UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – BERKELEY CREDIT: IMAGE COURTESY IRINA CONBOY Berkeley — In 2005, University of California, Berkeley, researchers made the surprising discovery that making conjoined twins out of young and old mice — such that they share blood...
Magnetic guidance improves stem cells’ ability to treat occupational lung disease
Durham, NC – Results of a study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine(SCTM) may point the way to a cure for a serious lung disease called silicosis that affects millions of workers worldwide. Silicosis results from years of breathing in dust microparticles of silica by workers in professions such as construction and sand blasting....
Diabetic mice improve with retrievable millimeter-thick cell-laden hydrogel fiber
INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO CREDIT: INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO Tokyo, Japan – Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) results from an irreversible autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells requiring life-long substitution of insulin. In a new study, researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo...