Monthly Archives: June 2023

For professional ice skaters an ultrathin, super-lubricating layer of water on the ice’s surface is essential to achieve their graceful glides. Inspired by this surface, researchers have developed a treatment for osteoarthritis that enhances lubrication and reduces friction and inflammation in a rat model of the disease. Osteoarthritis is characterized by persistent inflammation and degeneration […]

As the body ages, organ function progressively declines and the risk for a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, increases. Understanding how the body ages is an intense area of research as it will potentially illuminate ways to promote healthy aging. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub […]

Complicated, hard-to-heal wounds are a growing medical problem and there are currently only two drugs approved with proven efficacy. In a new study on humans, researchers show that treatment with a specific type of modified lactic acid bacteria works well and has a positive effect on the healing of wounds. In several controlled preclinical models, […]

Research shows humans might inhale about 16.2 bits of microplastic every hour, which is equivalent to a credit card over an entire week. And these microplastics usually contain toxic pollutants and chemicals. Inhaled microplastics can pose serious health risks, so understanding how they travel in the respiratory system is essential for prevention and treatment of […]

AD, which affects over 50 million people worldwide, is a fatal disease that involves cognitive dysfunction and the loss of brain cells. Its symptoms include progressive memory loss as well as impaired movement, reasoning, and judgment. An international research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an artificial […]

Asthma is more dangerous than many people realize. An estimated 10 Americans die every day from asthma, and the disease leads to around 439,000 hospitalizations and 1.3 million emergency room trips each year. In a new study, Kawakami and his colleagues at LJI investigated the molecular drivers of severe asthma and rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbation (a […]

In a recent study, Japanese researchers identified autoantibodies that target a ‘synaptic adhesion protein’, neurexin 1α, in a subset of patients with schizophrenia.  Synaptic adhesion proteins are specialized proteins that bind to create physical connections between brain cells. These connections, called synapses, allow the cells to communicate by passing molecules back and forth. Both synapses […]

Researchers have developed a method for cheaply producing heart valves in the span of minutes that are functional immediately after being implanted into sheep. The scientists call their method “Focused Rotary Jet Spinning,” which they describe as “a cotton-candy machine with a hair dryer behind it.”  “The two big advantages of our method are speed […]