NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY A PROTOTYPE TEMPORAL PRESSURE DEVICE DEVELOPED BY THE NTU AND A*STAR SCIENTISTS, WHICH CAN PUT PRESSURE ON THE SKIN, THUS CREATING MICROPORES THAT ALLOWS THE DRUGS TO PASS THROUGH THE… view more CREDIT: NTU SINGAPORE Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)...
Large study confirms vitamin D does not reduce risk of depression in adults
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL Boston – Vitamin D supplementation does not protect against depression in middle-age or older adulthood according results from one of the largest ever studies of its kind. This is a longstanding question that has likely encouraged some people to take the vitamin. In this study, however, “There was no significant benefit from...
A targeted treatment for emphysema? Small engineered peptide maintains lung tissue in animal models
by Children’s Hospital Boston Children’s Hospital tested PR1P in lung cells and mouse models of emphysema, they found that it protected VEGF from being degraded, prevented cell death, and protected the lung. Credit: Hao Wu, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital Emphysema is a progressive, debilitating lung disease in which the lung’s breathing sacs, or alveoli, enlarge,...
Iron study combats anaemia with cutting-edge computer simulation
by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Iron is an important component of the protein haemoglobin, which is contained in red blood cells and carries oxygen around the body. Credit: Haemoglobin and Sickle Cell Anaemia WEHI.TV animation. A new iron intervention study has determined which of the world’s low-and-middle income countries would benefit...
Scientists develop synthetic blood-thinner that doesn’t cause bleeding side-effects
by Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne gulation factor XII (FXII), and the mice without the enzyme had a highly reduced risk of thrombosis without bleeding side-effects. The discovery triggered a race for FXII inhibitors. The Laboratory of Therapeutic Proteins and Peptides of Professor Christian Heinis at EPFL has now developed the first synthetic inhibitor of...
How thoughts could one day control electronic prostheses, wirelessly
by Tom Abate, Stanford University A current neural implant that uses wires to transmit information and receive power. Credit: Sergey Stavisky Stanford researchers have been working for years to advance a technology that could one day help people with paralysis regain use of their limbs, and enable amputees to use their thoughts to control prostheses...
Fish maze experiment provides new hope for degenerative diseases
by University of Portsmouth Zebrafish in the maze. Credit: University of Portsmouth A test of fish behavior in a maze has shed light on human degenerative conditions, heralding new hope for treatments. Fish swimming through a simple maze has shown ‘exceptional’ potential to improve progress in developing treatments for brain and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer’s...
Strong link found between abnormal liver tests and poor COVID-19 outcomes
New Haven, Conn. — Researchers at the Yale Liver Center found that patients with COVID-19 presented with abnormal liver tests at much higher rates than suggested by earlier studies. They also discovered that higher levels of liver enzymes — proteins released when the liver is damaged — were associated with poorer outcomes for these patients,...
COVID-19 may have a longer incubation period, suggests probability analysis of Wuhan cases
Estimation of incubation period distribution of COVID-19 using disease onset forward time: A novel cross-sectional and forward follow-up study AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE By applying the renewal theory in probability to reduce recall bias in initial case reports, scientists have come up with a new estimate for the incubation period of COVID-19....
Novel approach reduces SCA1 symptoms in animal model
by Baylor College of Medicine cs, pediatrics and neuroscience, and Ralph D. Feigin, M.D. Endowed Chair at Baylor. “When we identified the gene, we learned that mutations can cause the ATXN1 protein to remain in cells longer than normally. This is bad news for neurons as too much ATXN1 leads to their death.” The findings...