More Americans are receiving computed tomography (CT) scans than ever before, and while this technology can save lives, some scientists are concerned about the potential for low doses of ionizing radiation to increase cancer risks.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 274
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
(Spanish: [sanˈtjaɣo raˈmon i kaˈxal] ; 1 May 1852 – 17 October 1934) [ 1 ] [ 2 ] was a Spanish neuroscientist, pathologist, and histologist specializing in neuroanatomy and the central nervous system. He and Camillo Golgi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1906. [ 3 ] Ramón y Cajal was the first Spaniard to win a scientific Nobel Prize. His original investigations of the microscopic structure of the brain made him a pioneer of modern neuroscience.
A cell atlas to uncover significant shifts in the neuroblastoma tumor microenvironment
Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) developed a longitudinal atlas of neuroblastoma, a common and potentially deadly childhood cancer, to gain a deeper understanding into precise molecular mechanisms underlying why and how certain treatments eventually become ineffective.
The findings, which offer insights that could potentially lead to new personalized medicine approaches in neuroblastoma treatment, were published today in the journal Nature Genetics.
Despite significant advances in the standard of care, the 5-year survival rate of high-risk neuroblastoma after diagnosis remains less than 50%. Neuroblastoma cells within the same tumor can vary greatly, which creates challenges in treatment efficacy. Until now, the scientific community lacked understanding of how the tumor microenvironment changes during treatment.
Children exposed to brain-harming chemicals while sleeping
Babies and young children may breathe and absorb plasticizers called phthalates, flame retardants, and other harmful chemicals from their mattresses while they sleep, according to a pair of studies published by the University of Toronto in Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science & Technology Letters. These chemicals are linked to neurological and reproductive problems, asthma, hormone disruption, and cancer.
“Sleep is vital for brain development, particularly for infants and toddlers. However, our research suggests that many mattresses contain chemicals that can harm kids’ brains,” says senior author Miriam Diamond, professor at the University of Toronto.
“This is a wake-up call for manufacturers and policymakers to ensure our children’s beds are safe and support healthy brain development.”
‘Molecular glues’ offer a possible therapeutic approach for autoimmune conditions
Researchers have discovered a type of “molecular glue” that can be used to inhibit certain pathological protein interactions. Their findings were published in the paper, “Molecular glues that inhibit deubiquitylase activity and inflammatory signaling,” in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
The Wistar Institute’s Joseph Salvino, Ph.D.—in collaboration with Elton Zeqiraj, Ph.D., of The University of Leeds and Roger Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., of The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania—led the study.
“Molecular glues are an exciting new area of research that allows us to fight disease by working with the body’s systems rather than against them,” said Dr. Salvino. “By gluing together an inactive form of the BRISC complex with our system, we’re able to reduce the continuous inflammatory signaling due to dysregulated BRISC complex activity in autoimmune diseases.”
Cooler, faster, better: Crystal waves enable ultrafast heat transfer for cooler electronics
Imagine if phones never got hot no matter how many apps were running. Picture a future where supercomputers use less energy, electric cars charge faster, and life-saving medical devices stay cooler and last longer.
In a study published in Nature Materials, a team of engineers at the University of Virginia and their collaborators revealed a radical new way to move heat, faster than ever before. Using a special kind of crystal called hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), they found a way to move heat like a beam of light, sidestepping the usual bottlenecks that make electronics overheat.
“We’re rethinking how we handle heat,” said Patrick Hopkins, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and Whitney Stone Professor of Engineering at UVA. “Instead of letting it slowly trickle away, we’re directing it.”
MRI warning as study says injection could cause deadly material to form in body
A chemical injected before MRI scans to help create sharper images may cause some patients to experience a potentially deadly complication in rare cases, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the University of New Mexico found that gadolinium – a toxic rare earth metal used in MRI scans – could mix with oxalic acid found in many foods to precipitate tiny nanoparticles of the metal in human tissues.
The research, published in the journal Magnetic Resonance Imaging, assessed the formation of these nanoparticles associated with potentially deadly health problems in the kidneys and other organs.
Gene identified that blocks healing after spinal cord injury
An estimated 18,000 people in the United States annually suffer from new injuries to their spinal cords. Unfortunately for those afflicted, no FDA-approved therapy is currently available. Scientists at UC San Diego are looking into the body’s healing mechanisms for clues on recovery from spinal cord injury.
A new study by researchers in the Department of Neurobiology (School of Biological Sciences) has uncovered a source of potential hope in the form of a gene that is known to be involved in key developmental processes in various tissues. Receptor tyrosine kinase, or “RYK,” has been previously associated with the regeneration of axons, the long, thin extensions of nerve cells that transmit impulses. However, RYK, the researchers found, is involved in many more functions.
Professor Yimin Zou and colleagues have published surprising results that reveal that RYK expression inhibits wound healing, offering implications for new treatments for paralysis after spinal cord injury. Their paper, “Astrocytic RYK signaling coordinates scarring and wound healing after spinal cord injury,” was published April 10, 2025 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Abstract: Merkel cell carcinoma is an aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer with high rates of metastasis
Megha Padi & team now show pyrvinium pamoate has antitumor activity through multiple pathways in pre-clinical models:
The figure shows tumor tissue from control mice or those treated with pyrvinium.
1University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
2Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona, USA.