Inhibiting ceramide accumulation in retina protects photoreceptors, improves vision. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have discovered that the absence of Adiponectin receptor 1 protein (AdipoR1), one of the principal enzymes regulating ceramide homeostasis in the retina, leads to an accumulation of ceramides in the retina, resulting in progressive photoreceptor cell death and ultimately...
Month: <span>February 2022</span>
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Stopping heavy bleeding with next-generation artificial platelets
Biomedical researchers at Case Western Reserve University report that their latest innovation in developing synthetic platelets could help save lives by rapidly stabilizing clots to reduce blood loss from traumatic injuries. This new effort centers on the creation of next-generation, platelet-mimicking nanoparticles. These particles help generate a protein mesh that acts as a natural netting to stabilize...
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Immunological Memory Provides Long-Term Protection against Coronavirus
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or vaccination generates immune cells that provide long-term immunity. These long-lived memory T cells play a key role in preventing severe cases of Covid-19. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered how these memory T cells form. Many questions about how exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or immunization...
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Artificial intelligence system rapidly predicts how two proteins will attach
The machine-learning model could help scientists speed the development of new medicines. Antibodies, small proteins produced by the immune system, can attach to specific parts of a virus to neutralize it. As scientists continue to battle SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, one possible weapon is a synthetic antibody that binds with the virus’ spike proteins to...
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New study shows paternal alcohol use increases frequency of fetal development issues
by Aubrey Bloom, Texas A&M University Michael Golding, associate professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology. Credit: Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Prenatal visits have traditionally focused almost exclusively on the behavior of mothers, but new research from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences...
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Health care workers change their minds on vaccinations, study finds
by Northwestern University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain When the COVID-19 vaccines became available, many health care workers, despite seeing the devastating effects of the virus firsthand, said they did not intend to get vaccinated. But a new Northwestern Medicine study shows how quickly many of them at a large urban health care system changed their...
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Bilateral oophorectomy could increase a woman’s risk for dementia
by The North American Menopause Society Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Despite the advantage of an oophorectomy reducing the threat of ovarian cancer, it is not without risk. Removing the ovaries causes premature menopause and hormone disruption that can lead to heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, and other problems. A new study adds to the literature and...
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Team develops new therapy using magnetic seeds to heat and kill cancer
by University College London Graphic illustration of new cancer therapy, “minimally invasive image-guided ablation”, developed by scientists at UCL. Credit: Mark Lythgoe (UCL) Scientists at UCL have developed a novel cancer therapy that uses an MRI scanner to guide a magnetic seed through the brain to heat and destroy tumors. The therapy, demonstrated in mice,...
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Study supports virotherapy as a potential treatment for brain tumors
by Bob Shepard, University of Alabama at Birmingham James Markert, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. Credit: University of Alabama at Birmingham A new study provides additional evidence of the efficacy of virotherapy for glioblastoma, the most deadly type of brain tumor. The research findings, published Feb. 1, 2022, in Clinical Cancer Research, indicate...
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Why taking fever-reducing meds and drinking fluids may not be the best way to treat flu and fever
by Tamara Hew-Butler, The Conversation Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As flu season progresses, so does the chorus of advice, professional and otherwise, to drink plenty of fluids and take fever-reducing medications, like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin. These recommendations, well-intentioned and firmly entrenched, offer comfort to those sidelined with fever, flu or vaccine side effects. But you may...