The blood-brain barrier: a layer of cells between blood vessels and the rest of the brain, kicks out toxins, pathogens and other undesirables that can sabotage the brain’s precious gray matter and its overall health. “A leaky blood-brain barrier is a common pathway for a lot of brain diseases, so to be able to seal […]
A team of engineers has designed a new class of tiny, self-propelled robots that can zip through liquid at incredible speeds and may one day even deliver prescription drugs to hard-to-reach places inside the human body. The group’s microrobots used for the study are really small. Each one measures only 20 micrometers wide, several times […]
For many patients with hypertension — an elevated blood pressure that can lead to stroke or heart attack — medication keeps the condition at bay. But what happens when medication that physicians usually prescribe doesn’t work? Known as apparent resistant hypertension (aRH), this form of high blood pressure requires more medication and medical management. Novel […]
Cambridge scientists have created a stem cell-derived model of the human embryo in the lab by reprogramming human stem cells. The breakthrough could help research into genetic disorders and in understanding why and how pregnancies fail. Published today in the journal Nature, this embryo model is an organised three-dimensional structure derived from pluripotent stem cells […]
A decade after UC San Francisco scientists identified an over-the-counter antihistamine as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, researchers have developed an approach to measure the drug’s effectiveness in repairing the brain, making it possible to also assess future therapies for the devastating disorder. The researchers first identified clemastine as a potential MS therapy, and used […]
Back in the 1920s, researchers discovered that cancer patients had sweet-smelling urine. “This was one of the first things we learned about cancer patients,” says Associate Professor Lykke Sylow. Where previous studies have examined the connection between cancer and insulin, Lykke Sylow and colleagues’ new study is the first to compile the best research on […]
Ruxolitinib, a drug that is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating certain cancers and skin conditions, is effective at inhibiting CaMKII, a protein kinase linked to cardiac arrhythmias. In a new study published June 21, 2023, in Science Translational Medicine, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of […]
Scientists at Stanford Medicine conducted a study describing a new category of depression — labeled the cognitive biotype — which accounts for 27% of depressed patients and is not effectively treated by commonly prescribed antidepressants. Cognitive tasks showed that these patients have difficulty with the ability to plan ahead, display self-control, sustain focus despite distractions […]
Dioxins are highly toxic compounds that are primarily produced by industrial processes, and their persistence in the environment makes them a significant public health concern. They can be released into the air during natural processes as well, such as forest fires and volcanoes. Today people are exposed to dioxins primarily by eating food, in particular […]
Several strategies are being investigated for restoring sight to the people who are blind, including using stem cells from the body to regenerate retinal neurons lost to injury or disease. While regenerative stem cells have not been identified in the adult human retina, they have been found in zebrafish. Experts are investigating how cells called […]