A broken pinky toe is a fracture of the smallest toe. The term “broken toe” usually describes a traumatic fracture, which can occur due to a direct blow or impact, such as stubbing the toe or dropping something on it. The pinky toe is a commonly broken toe, and the fracture usually occurs at its...
Plasma donation, also known as apheresis, can help save lives. It is a relatively safe procedure, but there can be minor side effects. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. It contains proteins and antibodies that are crucial for clotting and immunity. Around 55% of the blood is plasma. Plasma donation involves drawing blood,...
As daycare centers and pre-kindergartens begin to reopen around the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks be worn by teachers, care workers and children over two years of age. Important as they are for helping minimize the spread of the coronavirus, masks come with a potential downside when worn around little...
Restricting movement on the basis of biology threatens freedom, fairness and public health. Imagine a world where your ability to get a job, housing or a loan depends on passing a blood test. You are confined to your home and locked out of society if you lack certain antibodies. It has happened before. For most...
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD The COVID-19 pandemic that began in late December 2019 has spread to over 188 countries and territories, causing over 6.5 million cases and 385,000 deaths. With no effective therapeutic COVID-19 drug or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine in sight, researchers are exploring different strategies to limit its...
Leading organic chemists synthesize fungal molecule capable of reactivating the self-destruct gene in aggressive cancer cells. Cancers cells use a special technique to propagate; they delete their “programmed death” gene through mutation, “forget” to die when their lifetime is over and continue to grow instead. A research team from Tokyo University of Science has developed...
Cancer can adapt its metabolism in a way that could overcome lipid-focused therapies being developed by drug companies, a University of Toronto study has found. “Several clinical trials have failed because metabolism is such an adaptive process by which cancer cells gain drug resistance,” says Michael Aregger, a co-lead author and research associate who is...
A new study that looks closely at the cardiac health of flies provides new evidence that liver dysfunction may lead to deterioration of the heart. The research fills in gaps in how scientists understand the links between heart health and other tissues and could inform the development of new therapies in human medicine, said Hua...
Being able to tell, in a matter of seconds, whether someone is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 would certainly help put a halt to the ongoing pandemic. Existing tests typically involve a deep nasal swab to obtain enough fluid sample, which has to be transferred to a laboratory machine for processing, with the...
A 2D nanosheet developed by scientists in the Department of Biomedical Engineering could be used to control cell response via light Scientists in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University are developing new ways to advance the field of regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. They are developing a 2D nanosheet that is 1,000...
