Scientists at UCL have developed a way to use MRI scans to help identify when HIV is persisting in the brain despite effective drug treatment.
The study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and funded by Wellcome, shows that patients can have HIV in the brain even when the disease is kept under control by treatment.
"Before we had effective treatments for HIV, AIDS often led to dementia and other problems in the brain," explains senior author Professor Ravi Gupta (UCL Infection & I...
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Insufficient sleep in early childhood may lead to cognitive, behavioral problems in later years
A study led by a Massachusetts General Hospital pediatrician finds that children ages 3 to 7 who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have problems with attention, emotional control and peer relationships in mid-childhood. Reported online in the journal Academic Pediatrics, the study found significant differences in the responses of parents and teachers to surveys regarding executive function – which includes attention, working memory, reasoning and problem solving – and behavioral problem...
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Unviersity of Tokyo has developed a hydrogel that may be an excellent replacement for vitreous. (clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina)
Vitreous body is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eyeball of humans and other vertebrates. It is often referred to as the vitreous humour or simply "the vitreous".
Unviersity of Tokyo, have developed a hydrogel that may be an excellent replacement for vitreous. A hydrogel made of crosslinked clusters of highly branched polymers that forms in 10 minutes can function as an artificial vitreous body.
Fast-forming hydrogel with ultralow polymeric content a...
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North Carolina State University has developed inexpensive paper pumps that use capillary action to power portable microfluidic devices
Microfluidics is the science that deals with the flow of liquids inside micrometer-size channels. In order to consider it microfluidics, at least one dimension of the channel must be in the range of a micrometer or tens of micrometers (see the difference between nanofluidics, microfluidics, millifluidics and the behaviour of fluids at these scales).
Microfluidics can be considered both as a science (study of the behaviour of fluids in micro-channels) and as a technology (manufacturing of micr...
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Northwestern University research suggest sound waves may improve deep sleep and memory in older adults
Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a disorder of impaired memory and is often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. There is increasing evidence linking sleep and cognition, such that decreased sleep, particularly slow-wave (deep) sleep, is associated with impaired cognitive performance. This study conducted tested a system of auditory stimulation to see if it improves sleep and cognition in people with aMCI.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the test stimulation o...
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Arizona State University & Other research have found Babies are born at considerable risk due to the toxic load
Two different studies from the Environmental Working Group examined newborn’s blood, and found over 200+ toxins in newborn’s blood! Some of these toxins were pesticides, Bisphenol A, mercury, some are known to cause cancer, and some are known to be neurotoxic. The babies were exposed in utero to these chemicals directly from the mother’s exposure. Some of these toxins can have an immediate affect, such as low birth weight. But some cause problems later in the child's life. There is a phenomenon ...
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Personalized medicine research and applications growing globally.
Personalized medicine is a medical procedure that separates patients into different groups—with medical decisions, practices, interventions and/or products being tailored to the individual patient based on their predicted response or risk of disease. The terms personalized medicine, precision medicine, stratified medicine and P4 medicine are used interchangeably to describe this concept though some authors and organisations use these expressions separately to indicate particular nuances.
Pers...
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NASA’s research on SkinCare
SkinCare is a human physiology experiment, which aims at characterizing different parameters of human skin (i.e. hydration grade, transepidermal water loss, skin surface video imaging) in weightlessness and inside the International Space Station. Long-duration missions in microgravity affect skin by causing excessive dryness, increased cell loss and increased aging. Investigators will test the applicability of the space environment as a model of aging skin. Noninvasive medical equipment will be ...
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UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH London research found small genetic contributions to self-reported tiredness and low energy
Already feeling drained so early in the year? Genes might contribute in a small but significant way to whether people report being tired and low in energy. This is according to UK researchers led by Vincent Deary of Northumbria University, Newcastle, and Saskia Hagenaars of the University of Edinburgh, in a paper in Springer Nature’s journal Molecular Psychiatry.
They found that genetics accounts for about eight percent of people’s differences in self-reported tiredness/low energy; this impli...
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A study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) finds that vitamin D supplements protect against acute respiratory infections including colds and flu
If you've repeatedly fallen for this annual propaganda campaign, you may be surprised to find the medical literature suggests vitamin D may actually be a FAR more effective strategy, and the evidence for this goes back at least a decade.
Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be an underlying CAUSE of influenza.
Vitamin D protects against colds and flu, finds major global study
Overall, ...
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Waseda University Japan, researchers have developed new cheaper way of producing electronic devices that are flexible, elastic, and adhere to the skin.
Waseda University researchers have developed processes and materials for ultrathin stick-on electronic devices using elastomeric “nanosheet” film, achieving ease of production while also preserving high elasticity and flexibility fifty times better than previously reported polymer nanosheets.
Black lines are simply printed on the nanosheet, but are able to conduct electricity
This research is published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C online edition, February 1, 2017.
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Researchers At Seoul National University have developed ‘smart contact lenses’ that are capable of protecting eyes from electromagnectic (EM) waves that may cause eye diseases such as cataracts.
Recently, smart contact lenses with electronic circuits have been proposed for various sensor and display applications where the use of flexible and biologically stable electrode materials is essential. Graphene is an atomically thin carbon material with a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice that shows outstanding electrical and mechanical properties as well as excellent biocompatibility.
In addition, graphene is capable of protecting eyes from electromagnectic (EM) waves that may cause eye dis...
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Duke University researchers have discovered a way to detect signs of cancer on a cell-by-cell basis using two lasers and a camera
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have discovered a way to detect signs of cancer on a cell-by-cell basis using two lasers and a camera.
Several medical devices currently in use and in clinical trials around the world look for increases in cellular stiffness as an indicator of cancerous tissue. These devices, however, rely on readings from many cells clustered together within the body and cannot operate on a cellular level.
In a study published online Feb. 28 in the Biophysical Journ...
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Muscular Dystrophy Association research update on ‘muscular atrophy’
Muscle atrophy is defined as a decrease in the mass of the muscle; it can be a partial or complete wasting away of muscle, and is most commonly experienced when persons suffer temporary disabling circumstances such as being restricted in movement and/or confined to bed as when hospitalized. When a muscle atrophies, this leads to muscle weakness, since the ability to exert force is related to mass. Modern medicine's understanding of the quick onset of muscle atrophy is a major factor behind the p...
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Stanford University researchers have developed a brain-to-computer hookup that can enable people with paralysis to type via direct brain control at the highest speeds and accuracy levels reported to date.
A clinical research paper led by Stanford University investigators has demonstrated that a brain-to-computer hookup can enable people with paralysis to type via direct brain control at the highest speeds and accuracy levels reported to date.
The report involved three study participants with severe limb weakness — two from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, and one from a spinal cord injury. They each had one or two baby-aspirin-sized electrode arrays placed...
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University College London research suggest long-term stress can result in higher levels of obesity
People who suffer long-term stress may also be more prone to obesity, according to research by scientists at UCL which involved examining hair samples for levels of cortisol, a hormone which regulates the body’s response to stress.
The paper, published in the journal Obesity, showed that exposure to higher levels of cortisol over several months is associated with people being more heavily, and more persistently, overweight.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has markedly increased duri...
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University of Melbourne research on effectiveness of online exercise sessions by a physiotherapist to treat chronic knee osteoarthritis
University of Melbourne research has found that treating chronic knee osteoarthritis by conducting online exercise sessions by a physiotherapist (via Skype), combined with an automated online pain-coping program, has substantial benefits for improving pain, function and quality of life.
Treating chronic knee osteoarthritis is set to go “virtual” after new research found that exercise delivered by a physiotherapist via Skype, combined with an automated online pain-coping program, has substant...
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NASA’s Space Food Bars That Will Keep Orion Weight Off and Crew Weight On
When astronauts in the Orion spacecraft travel beyond the moon to explore deep space destinations, they’ll need a robust diet to keep them healthy and sharp. While crew members aboard the International Space Station can choose from approximately 200 items for their meals and have the space to stow an array of options, feeding the crew on deep space missions presents several unique challenges that NASA scientists are working to tackle.
Orion has limited room inside it to accommodate the suppli...
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Medicinal plants
Healing with medicinal plants is as old as mankind itself. The connection between man and his search for drugs in nature dates from the far past, of which there is ample evidence from various sources: written documents, preserved monuments, and even original plant medicines. Awareness of medicinal plants usage is a result of the many years of struggles against illnesses due to which man learned to pursue drugs in barks, seeds, fruit bodies, and other parts of the plants.
Contemporary science ...
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‘Sonoporation’ Gene transfer using ultrasound
Sonoporation, or cellular sonication, is the use of sound (typically ultrasonic frequencies) for modifying the permeability of the cell plasma membrane. This technique is usually used in molecular biology and non-viral gene therapy in order to allow uptake of large molecules such as DNA into the cell, in a cell disruption process called transfection or transformation. Sonoporation employs the acoustic cavitation of microbubbles to enhance delivery of these large molecules.
The bioactivity of ...
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A Robot Called Roboy is Being Developed as a Leader in the Field of Artificial Intelligence
A favorite subject for science fiction authors from Isaac Asimov until now has been sentient robots. In these stories, mechanical robots interact at a human level, and have their own emotions. However, a new kind of robot has emerged into the public sphere, one that can be a first step in making intelligent robots a reality. This robot is called Roboy.
Roboy is a humanoid robot that was first presented in March of 2013, and has been evolving ever since. One of the more impressive aspects ...
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University Of South California research suggest fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system
In the first evidence of a natural intervention triggering stem cell-based regeneration of an organ or system, a study in the June 5 issue of the Cell Stem Cell shows that cycles of prolonged fasting not only protect against immune system damage — a major side effect of chemotherapy — but also induce immune system regeneration, shifting stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal.
In both mice and a Phase 1 human clinical trial involving patients receiving chemotherapy, long pe...
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Researchers at Nottingham Trent University (UK) have developed smart balaclava with electric-conductive yarns that can help athletes stay warm and avert chest infections in cold weather
Researchers have developed a smart balaclava which warms oxygen before it’s inhaled to reduce the risk of athletes contracting chest infections in winter.
Nottingham Trent University and German advanced knitting machine manufacturer Stoll GmBH created a prototype to help runners and skiers who can be exposed to increased risk of infections when exercising in the cold.
The technology centres on a knitted patch of electric-conductive yarn over the nose and mouth which emits heat when cha...
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Queen Mary University of London research suggest bees are smart and can learn the task by observing and also pass down skills through several generations of learners, ensuring its longevity in the population.
Pulling strings to obtain food is an experiment often used to test the intelligence of apes and birds, but it is the first time this technique has been discovered in an insect.
Moreover the cultural spread of such a technique from a single informed individual has also been described for the first time in an invertebrate animal.
The results, published in PLOS Biology, show that rare innovator bees were able to solve the problem of pulling the string to reach a sugar water reward by themsel...
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Carnegie Mellon University study provides the first biological evidence that suggest that married people are healthier than those who are single, divorced or widowed.
Studies have suggested that married people are healthier than those who are single, divorced or widowed. A new Carnegie Mellon University study provides the first biological evidence to support that claim.
Published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, the researchers found that married individuals had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who never married or were previously married. These findings support the belief that unmarried people face more psychological stress than married in...
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Nova Southeastern University (NSU) research suggest immune genes, legumain and Bag1 in sharks have unique rapid healing power and high resistance to cancer
New genomics study of shark DNA, including from great white and great hammerhead sharks, reveals unique modifications in their immunity genes that may underlie the rapid wound healing and possibly higher resistance to cancers in these ocean predators. This research brings us a few steps closer to understanding, from a genetic sense, why sharks exhibit some characteristics that are highly desirable by humans.
Sharks and rays are well known to be highly
efficient wound healers, and suspected ...
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Engineers and biologists at MIT have developed Living sensors bandages that light up when in contact with certain chemicals
Engineers and biologists at MIT have teamed up to design a new “living material” — a tough, stretchy, biocompatible sheet of hydrogel injected with live cells that are genetically programmed to light up in the presence of certain chemicals.
In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrate the new material’s potential for sensing chemicals, both in the environment and in the human body.
The team fabricated various wearable sensor...
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University of Sussex research suggest, child obesity inherited from parents (35-40%)
Around 35-40 per cent of a child’s BMI – how fat or thin they are – is inherited from their parents, a new study has found.
For the most obese children, the proportion rises to 55-60 per cent, suggesting that more than half of their tendency towards obesity is determined by genetics and family environment.
The study, led by the University of Sussex, used data on the heights and weights of 100,000 children and their parents spanning six countries worldwide: the UK, USA, China, Indonesia, Sp...
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University of Leicester (UK) research suggest, neurodegeneration that occurs in Parkinson’s disease is a result of stress on the endoplasmic reticulum in the cell rather than failure of the mitochondria as previously thought
The neurodegeneration that occurs in Parkinson’s disease is a result of stress on the endoplasmic reticulum in the cell rather than failure of the mitochondria as previously thought, according to a study in fruit flies. It was found that the death of neurons associated with the disease was prevented when chemicals that block the effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress were used.
Some inherited forms of early-onset Parkinson’s disease have typically been blamed on poorly functioning mitochondr...
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Researchers at the University of Tokyo suggest, maternal mRNAs act as templates to produce numerous proteins that support biological activities immediately after fertilization
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have demonstrated that “codons,” the units of the genetic code that specifies the sequence of amino acids in proteins, also determine the stability of maternally derived messenger RNA (mRNA) in fertilized eggs. This discovery has revealed a previously unknown function of the genetic code and its importance in animal development.
In animals, mRNAs derived from the maternal genome (maternal mRNAs) are stored in fertilized eggs and act as templates to produ...
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