-With images- Researchers at Durham University, UK and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran have developed an innovative approach to diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis using advanced eye imaging techniques. This groundbreaking method could revolutionise how Multiple Sclerosis is detected, offering a faster, less invasive, and more accessible alternative to current diagnostic procedures. The study, led by Dr Raheleh Kafieh of Durham University, integrates two types of eye scans: optical coherence tomography (OCT) and infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (IR-SLO). By training computer models ...

Traveling to and from a clinic or a laboratory for treatment can be difficult and expensive for older Americans. To address this, scientists developed and tested a new training and supervision program for older adults so they can receive Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES), a promising intervention for various clinical conditions, in their homes. Published in Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, this groundbreaking training and supervision program was designed to introduce and teach caregivers, family members, and patients how to administer home-based transcranial electrical stimulation (HB-tES), equipping them ...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (July 17, 2024) — Van Andel Institute scientists have identified more than 1,000 previously undetected proteins in common metabolite samples, which persist despite extraction methods designed to weed them out.   The findings, published in Nature Communications, give scientists new insights and tools for improving future metabolomics experiments, including a novel protocol for removing these proteins during the extraction process. The study does not invalidate prior results but instead reinforces the importance ...

A new study found that increased exposure to residential greenery may help stave off cognitive decline by an annual rate of eight months. This delay was observed more among people living in low-socioeconomic status and highly populated neighborhoods, as well as people who carry the APOE-ɛ4 gene, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Research has shown that about 40 percent of dementia could be prevented or delayed worldwide by addressing modifiable risk factors associated with the condition, particularly during midlife.  A new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) ...

When trying to understand the present, it's helpful to look to history. New research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln examined the fossil record going back 66 million years and tracked changes to mammalian ecosystems and species diversity on the North American continent.  The study, led by Alex Shupinski, who earned her doctorate in May, and co-authored by Kate Lyons, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, provides a large-scale view of how species diversity changed over the first 65 million years of the Cenozoic era — up until the arrival of humans — ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina — July 17, 2024 — The RegeneratOR Test Bed, located in Innovation Quarter, announces the inclusion of Cytoink into its pioneering ecosystem dedicated to advancing biomedical research and development. Cytoink brings cutting-edge biomaterials manufacturing, with over 100 custom formulations, and bioprinting expertise that merges biofunctionality with high-throughput production. Cytoink specializes in the biofabrication of in vitro 3D tissue phantoms, extrusion-based and light-based (DLP/VAM) bioinks, and integrated perfusion microfluidics bioreactors. Additionally, Cytoink provides bespoke biomaterial solutions ...

Jeffrey Spraggins, associate professor of cell and developmental biology, biochemistry, and chemistry, has been named director of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center. He succeeds Richard Caprioli, Stanford Moore Chair in Biochemistry, who established the MSRC in 1998 and who is retiring this summer. Spraggins is a leading scientist in spatial biology and imaging mass spectrometry—an untargeted molecular imaging approach that enables molecular mapping at cellular resolution—a technology originated by Caprioli. Spraggins’ research lies at the intersection of technology development, data science, and biomedical research. His research group ...

An ageing population will bring colossal health, social, and economic challenges over the coming decades[1]. As people live longer, staving off the physical decline and frailty that come with age has become a holy grail, with effective interventions projected to unlock significant societal and economic benefits. Estimates suggest that a slowdown in ageing that increases life expectancy by one year alone is worth US$38 trillion.[2]  In a discovery published in Nature, a team of scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore may have found a key to slow ageing. The ...

Researchers have analysed data from 127 studies to reveal ‘thresholds’ for when logged rainforests lose the ability to sustain themselves. The results could widen the scope of which forests are considered ‘worth’ conserving, but also show how much logging degrades forests beyond the point of no return. The first-of-its-kind study, led by researchers from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London with collaborators from around the world, is published today in ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Astronomers have discovered a planet that has the most oblong orbit ever found among transiting planets. The exoplanet’s extreme circuit — which looks closer to a cucumber than a circle — follows one of the most drastically stretched-out orbits of all known exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. It is also orbiting its star backwards, lending insight into the mystery of how close-in massive gas planets, known as hot Jupiters, form, stabilize and evolve over time. The research, led by Penn State scientists, was published today (July 17) in ...

Scientists at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science and Imperial College London have discovered that ‘switching off’ a protein called IL-11 can significantly increase the healthy lifespan of mice by almost 25%. The scientists, working with colleagues at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, tested the effects of IL-11 by creating mice that had the gene producing IL-11 (interleukin 11) deleted. This extended the lives of the mice by over 20% on average. They also treated 75-week-old mice – equivalent to the age of about 55 years in humans – with an ...

A new gene therapy treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy shows promise of not only arresting the decline of the muscles of those affected by this inherited genetic disease, but perhaps, in the future, repairing those muscles. The UW Medicine-led research focuses on delivering a series of protein packets inside shuttle vectors to replace the defective DMD gene within the muscles. The added genetic code will then start producing dystrophin, the protein lacking in patients with muscular dystrophy.  Currently, there is no cure for the disease ...

A major obstacle for net zero technologies in combatting climate change is bridging the gap between fundamental research and its application in the real world. This gap, sometimes referred to as ‘the valley of death’, is common in the field of carbon capture, where novel materials are used to remove carbon dioxide from flue gasses produced by industrial processes. This prevents carbon from entering the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Chemists have proposed and ...

Genomes can now be entrusted to store information about a variety of transient biological events inside of living cells, as they happen, like a flight recorder collecting data from an aircraft. “Our method, which goes by the acronym ENGRAM, aims to turn cells into their own historians,” said Dr. Jay Shendure, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and scientific director of the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine. Shendure led the effort, together with Wei Chen, a former graduate student, and Junhong Choi, a former postdoctoral fellow. Junhong ...

The USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service announced a new initiative today that leverages behavioral science to create more effective public policy. The Behavioral Science & Policy Initiative at the USC Schaeffer Institute will conduct research to understand people’s beliefs and behaviors to create policies and communication that better fit people’s needs. The initiative will focus on policy topics such as climate change, health, and food insecurity. “We want to help policymakers make a difference,” said Wändi Bruine de Bruin, the initiative’s ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Where hidden water tables meet the Earth’s surface, life can thrive even in the driest locations. Offering refuge during times of drought, shallow groundwater aquifers act like water savings accounts that can support ecosystems with the moisture required to survive, even as precipitation dwindles. As climate change and human water use rapidly deplete groundwater levels around the world, scientists and policy makers need better data for where these groundwater-dependent ecosystems exist. Now, a new study maps ...

– By Michael Matz Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and several collaborating institutions have successfully demonstrated an innovative approach to find breakthrough materials for quantum applications. The approach uses rapid computing methods to predict the properties of hundreds of materials, identifying short lists of the most promising ones. Then, precise fabrication methods are used to make the short-list materials and further ...

Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells’ surface. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway, a protein complex of the immune system, to infect cells. This ability helps the viruses infect different species – and potentially jump between animals and humans. The majority of type A influenza viruses circulating in birds and pigs aren’t normally a health ...

In a significant advancement for geotechnical engineering, a refined space-time finite element method (v-ST/FEM) has been introduced to tackle the complex dynamics of soil-structure interaction during seismic events. This new approach allows for more accurate simulations of the response of earth structures to earthquake vibrations, marking a crucial step in improving infrastructure resilience against natural disasters. Designing structures like dams, tunnels, and embankments to withstand transient loads from sources such as earthquakes, high-speed trains, and explosions requires robust dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis. Traditional methods often fall short in handling ...

This study was led by Dr. Guanghua Huang (School of Life Sciences, Fudan University). The team discovered that the conserved Vps21 signaling pathway plays critical roles in the regulation of white-opaque switching and mating in Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen.   Candida albicans is able to cause cutaneous diseases as well as life-threatening systemic infections in humans. It has multiple cellular morphologies and can undergo transitions among different morphologies to adapt to environmental changes. White-opaque transitions represent a typical morphological phenotypic switching system ...

A new study shows that about two percent of the population develop autoantibodies against type 1 interferons, mostly later in life. This makes individuals more susceptible to viral diseases like COVID-19. The study, conducted by UZH researchers together with a USZ team, is based on an analysis of a large collection of historical blood samples. Virus infections trigger the cells of the immune system to release type 1 interferons. These proteins act as early messengers that warn uninfected cells and tissues that a virus is spreading. This allows ...

Chronic cholestasis, defined as the impairment of bile acid formation and/or flow persisting for more than six months, encompasses a broad spectrum of hepatobiliary disorders, both heritable and acquired. This review focuses on heritable causes of chronic cholestasis, which, although less common, present significant clinical challenges. Heritable chronic cholestatic liver diseases are typically diagnosed in childhood, but many cases present and persist into adulthood. This review aims to highlight the genetics, clinical pathophysiology, presentation, ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Pet cats may be excellent animal models for the study of obesity origins and treatment in humans, a new study of feline gut microbes suggests – and both species would likely get healthier in the research process, scientists say. Veterinary researchers analyzed fecal samples from fat cats as the animals lost and maintained weight over the course of four dietary changes, including strict calorie reduction. The team found that food-related changes to the cats’ gut microbiome – the assortment ...

Opioid medications offer people relief from debilitating pain, but these drugs come with dangers: the risk for addiction, miserable withdrawal symptoms and the potential for fatal overdose. In a study in ACS Central Science, researchers have identified a strategy to design safer opioids. They showed that an experimental opioid, which binds to an unconventional spot in the receptor, suppresses pain in animal models with fewer side effects — most notably those linked to fatal overdoses. Opioid medications tap into the body’s natural system for mitigating pain by activating pain-suppressing ...

When you think of a battery, you probably don’t think stretchy. But batteries will need this shape-shifting quality to be incorporated into flexible electronics, which are gaining traction for wearable health monitors. Now, researchers in ACS Energy Letters report a lithium-ion battery with entirely stretchable components, including an electrolyte layer that can expand by 5000%, and it retains its charge storage capacity after nearly 70 charge/discharge cycles. Electronics that bend and stretch need batteries with similar properties. Most researchers who have ...