Shift work, and in particular night shift work, is associated with increased health risks, such as cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, increased infection susceptibility, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. It is hypothesized that these health risks are a consequence of disturbed circadian rhythms resulting from imposed night shift work. The circadian pacemaker controls among other things, the […]
The Blood Brain Barrier Blood vessels are critical to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all of the tissues and organs throughout the body. The blood vessels that vascularize the central nervous system (CNS) possess unique properties. These blood vessels are known as the blood brain barrier (BBB). Their different properties allow them to tightly regulate […]
Probiotic microbes have become effective chasses for engineering diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. One of the most commonly engineered probiotic strains is Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN). Engineered strains of EcN have been successfully used to diagnose and treat bacterial infections, cancers, gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammatory disorders, and obesity, in a variety of animal models. Microbial biocontainment […]
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neuroinflammatory disease characterized partly by the inability to clear, and subsequent build-up, of amyloid-beta (Aβ). According to research AD has a bi-directional relationship with circadian disruption with sleep disturbances starting years before the disease onset. In a recently published study, researchers found that the phagocytosis of Aβ42 undergoes a daily […]
Calorie restriction consists in reducing the average daily caloric intake below what is typical or habitual, without malnutrition or deprivation of essential nutrients. In a fasting diet, a person does not eat at all or severely limits intake during certain times of the day, week, or month. In a new study published in the journal […]
The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) extends to more than just the general medical field. In dentistry is also an emerging field of medicine involving stem cell technology, tissue engineering, and dental science. PRP is prepared from autologous plasma with concentrated platelets, because they contain more than 300 biologically active molecules that are released upon […]
In a recently published study researchers found that a form of Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell cancer treatment, a type of immunotherapy, was effective in treating leukemia patients. The treatment kept two leukemia patients in remission for 10 years. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature. CAR T-cell therapy is a […]
Lung Cancer Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer mortality, and like in many other cancers the early detection is key to improve survival. Unfortunately there are no reliable blood-based tests available for early-stage lung cancer diagnosis. One test commonly used for screening of lung cancer is low dose computed tomography, but […]
In a recently published study, researchers from the University of Connecticut have developed a biomimetic injectable hydrogel using amnion membrane (AM) which can self-assemble in situ and retain the stem cells at the target site. The researchers evaluated the hydrogel and its efficacy in intraarticular injections, using a rat model. The hydrogel was evaluated with […]
The effects of sleep deprivation and how it can affect our health in multiple areas including cognition, physiological, and physical is an extensively studied subject. But according to studies both short sleep, which is considered to be less than 6 hours, and long sleep, more than 8 hours can cause unfavorable health outcomes. What is […]