In a recent study from Yale University, scientists found the factors causing changes in the DNA that contribute most to cancer growth in tumors of most major tumor types. Some of the most prevalent cancers in the United States are known to be highly preventable by human decisions.
Kedar Kulkarni, a 27-year-old from Pune is transforming public urinals into odourless and hygienic urinals, using the waterless technology he innovated.
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Tumor cells in the most common pancreatic cancer share nutrients to live and grow. A new discovery by University of California, Irvine biologists and collaborators during a four-year investigation could help lead to better treatments for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which accounts for over 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases. The scientists’ paper appears in Nature Cancer. While pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, it is among the leading causes of cancer death in the United States.
One obstacle in treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, known as PDA, is that it generally does not show early symptoms. Another hurdle is the complexity of its dense and fibrous tumors. Consequently, they do not have fully functioning blood vessels in the tumor. On one front, this makes it difficult to deliver effective chemotherapy. However, it also means the tumors have developed a different kind of metabolism.
“Without blood vessels, PDA cells aren’t getting the normal nutrients they need, so they have come up with other ways to nourish themselves and grow,” said Christopher Halbrook, assistant professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, and lead and co-corresponding author. Understanding this process is essential for devising treatments targeting the cancer’s metabolism.
The evolution of a new species by hybridization of two previously described species with no change in chromosomal number is very unusual in the animal world. So far, only a few empirically acknowledged cases of this spontaneous mode of evolution (from one generation to the next) known as homoploid hybridization exist.
A study led by Axel Meyer, Professor of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Konstanz, has successfully demonstrated the emergence of a new hybrid species in cichlid fishes. This is likely the first instance of this genetic speciation method in vertebrates. The researchers reveal that a new hybrid species has emerged from the cichlid A. sagittae and A. xiloaensis in the crater lake Xiloá in Nicaragua using whole genome sequencing of more than 120 individuals as well as a number of other techniques.
Their findings were recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
AI can also be of benefit in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Tools have been created that help diagnose a patient as well as a human would.
AI isn’t a new technology—it’s been researched and developed since the 1950s and is currently present in many of our daily routines. Most of these applications are so common that we don’t even notice them.
Our lives often depend on the healthcare industry. So, having a technology that allows you to speed up patient registration processes and help diagnose more quickly and effectively is essential. Every health center should consider the use of AI for the benefit of its processes so it can adapt to the modern world and its accelerated pace.
In recent years, a growing number of scientific studies have backed an alarming hypothesis: Alzheimer’s disease isn’t just a disease, it’s an infection.
While the exact mechanisms of this infection are something researchers are still trying to isolate, numerous studies suggest the deadly spread of Alzheimer’s goes way beyond what we used to think.
One such study, published in 2019, suggested what could be one of the most definitive leads yet for a bacterial culprit behind Alzheimer’s, and it comes from a somewhat unexpected quarter: gum disease.
Researchers believe that synthetic muscle fibers could be used in a wide variety of sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial applications, including textiles, biomedicine, and tissue engineering. In a world where it takes up to 1,800 gallons of water to produce a single pair of jeans, the development of such environmentally safe processes that provide high-strength materials for industrial applications is a great step forward.
How strong can a muscle ever get? Can it have more endurance than metal? Can it be sturdier than Kevlar? While you might be inclined to answer the above in the negative, please pause, for scientists have succeeded in developing synthetic muscle that’s stronger than Kevlar. How about that for a flex?
The science and other stuff to know
The breakthrough was achieved by researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University, and the findings were reported in a study published in Nature Communications in August.
Infectious diseases expert George Thompson has been studying and treating fungal diseases for over two decades. He monitors their spread, symptoms and relative risks. Lately, he has been more concerned about a rising threat: the spread of disease-causing fungi outside of their traditional hot spots.
In a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Thompson and his co-author from the Mycotic Diseases Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tom Chiller raised the alarm. They noted the expanding presence and emerging risks from three endemic fungal diseases: histoplasmosis, blastomycosis and coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever).
“These three fungal diseases usually inhabit specific U.S. regions conducive to their survival,” said Thompson. He is a professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. “Recently, we are finding more cases of these diseases outside their known areas, taking clinicians and patients by surprise.”
Medical television shows sometimes depict thoughts skipping across the brain as action potentials that ignite like exploding stars. While it looks dramatic and impressive, today’s brain-imaging technologies can’t visualize brain activity so sensitively. A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called DIANA – direct imaging of neuronal activity – may get us closer, though.
An alternative to BOLD fMRI
A brain signal begins with an action potential caused by rapid changes in voltage across cellular membranes. Researchers involved in this proof-of-concept study, reported in Science, say that DIANA might measure this neuronal activity by capturing the intracellular voltage of a group of neurons.
Breast cancer is one of the five commonest cancers in India. But it should be understood that all breast cancers are not the same. They have different characteristics because of genetic mutations. The new tests now available can help us identify these mutations. This helps oncologists to determine the specific therapy approach required for each type of breast cancer. Now, science has given us a new therapy called ‘targeted therapy’ to target specific mutations. These new tests and therapies can make the management of breast cancer more individualized by matching the therapies to the cancer we have to treat and improve chances of disease-free survival.
New tests to identify the individual characteristics of breast cancer
Identification of the genetic causes of breast cancer: Next generation sequencing.