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Archive for the ‘health’ category: Page 62

Mar 1, 2023

A New Connection: Gut Bacteria May Play a Role in Diabetes

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

An ongoing study led by Cedars-Sinai has demonstrated that certain gut bacteria may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes while others may provide protection against it. These are early results from a prospective study.

According to the study, which was published in the journal Diabetes, higher levels of the bacterium Coprococcus are associated with improved insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that regulates the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is produced by the pancreas and released into the bloodstream when the level of glucose in the blood rises, such as after a meal. Insulin helps to transport glucose from the bloodstream into the cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for later use. Insulin also helps to regulate the metabolism of fat and protein. In individuals with diabetes, their body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t respond properly to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious health problems if left untreated.

Feb 28, 2023

Researchers plan supercomputers that are powered by human brain cells

Posted by in categories: biological, health, robotics/AI, supercomputing

“Computers that run on this ‘biological hardware’ could in the next decade begin to alleviate energy-consumption demands of supercomputing.”

Johns Hopkins University researchers have outlined plans for a “bio-computer” that is highly feasible in our lifetime.

“Computing and artificial intelligence have been driving the technology revolution, but they are reaching a ceiling,” Thomas Hartung, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering, who is spearheading the work, said in a statement.

Feb 28, 2023

Dr. Doug Ethell — Founder & CEO, Leucadia Therapeutics — Diagnosing, Treating & Curing Alzheimer’s

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, neuroscience

Diagnosing, Treating & Curing Alzheimer’s — Dr. Doug Ethell, PhD — Founder & CEO, Leucadia Therapeutics


Dr. Doug Ethell, Ph.D. is Founder and CEO at Leucadia Therapeutics (https://www.leucadiatx.com/), a pre-clinical-stage company focused on diagnosing, treating and curing Alzheimer’s disease.

Continue reading “Dr. Doug Ethell — Founder & CEO, Leucadia Therapeutics — Diagnosing, Treating & Curing Alzheimer’s” »

Feb 28, 2023

Will future computers run on human brain cells?

Posted by in categories: health, robotics/AI

A “biocomputer” powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers who expect such technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study.

The team outlines their plan for “organoid intelligence” today in the journal Frontiers in Science.

“Computing and artificial intelligence have been driving the technology revolution but they are reaching a ceiling,” said Thomas Hartung, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering who is spearheading the work. “Biocomputing is an enormous effort of compacting and increasing its efficiency to push past our current technological limits.”

Feb 27, 2023

Gut Microbiomes Offer Insights into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Levels of health-promoting gut bacteria are linked with severity of fatigue symptoms, a study finds.

Feb 27, 2023

The Achilles heel of the influenza virus: Ubiquitin protein may be an approach for future medicines

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Influenza viruses are becoming increasingly resilient to medicines. For this reason, new active ingredients are needed. Important findings in this regard have been provided by researchers at the University of Münster: for the virus to proliferate, the polymerase of the influenza A virus has to be modified many times through enzymes in the host cells.

The team of researchers was able to produce a comprehensive map of the types of modification. Medicines directed against the enzymes would be resilient to rapid mutations in the virus, thus offering great potential for the future. The study results have now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Every year, the influenza season presents a challenge to hospitals. Despite having been vaccinated, and patients with run a heightened risk of falling prey to a severe bout of influenza. What is especially insidious about is their ability to mutate rapidly, which makes them increasingly resilient to medicines. For this reason, there is an urgent need for new active ingredients in order to be able to continue providing effective treatment for the illness in future.

Feb 27, 2023

How the influenza virus achieves efficient viral RNA replication

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, health

New insights on how subunits of the influenza virus polymerase co-evolve to ensure efficient viral RNA replication are provided by a study published October 3 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Nadia Naffakh of the Institut Pasteur, and colleagues. As the authors note, the findings could lead to novel strategies for antiviral drug development.

Because of their yearly recurrence and the occasional emergence of pandemics, influenza viruses represent a worldwide major public health threat. Enhancing fundamental knowledge about the influenza RNA–, which is an enzyme that consists of three subunits (i.e., a heterotrimer) and ensures transcription and of the viral genome, is essential to reach the goal of better prevention and treatment of disease.

In the new study, Naffakh and colleagues gained new insights into viral polymerase function. They showed that the polymerase subunits co-evolve to ensure not only optimal inter-subunit cooperation within the heterotrimer, but also proper levels dimerization—the process by which pairs of heterotrimers attach together—which appears to be essential for efficient viral RNA replication. The findings point to polymerase dimerization as a feature that can restrict genetic reassortment, a major evolutionary mechanism in which swap gene segments, and could become an attractive target for antiviral drug development.

Feb 27, 2023

VKORC1 single nucleotide polymorphisms in rodents in Spain

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, biotech/medical, food, genetics, health

Rodents are considered one of the animal pests with the greatest impact on agricultural production and public health, especially the brown or Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), the black or roof rat (Rattus rattus) and the house mouse (Mus musculus). Its control is an increasing problem worldwide. The intensification of agricultural production methods as well as the increase in merchandise transport to sustain growing populations is leading to an increase in waste production causing the growth of these rodent populations. The estimated losses in crop production caused by rodents range from between 5% and 90% (Stenseth et al., 2003) and this can cause problems in food security during harvesting (Belmain et al., 2015). Other negative impacts result from some rodent species living very close to human environments that can have a direct influence not only on human health through potential transmission of gastroenteric diseases and zoonosis to householders but also on domestic livestock. Therefore, rodent pest control is crucial and nowadays, the only effective control method available is the use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs).

ARs are so named because they interfere with the blood coagulation processes. The processes of activating various coagulation factors depends on the amount of vitamin K in its reduced form that exists in the organism. ARs inhibit the enzyme vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase (VKORC1) that is responsible for reducing vitamin K and maintaining the balance between its oxidized and reduced forms. The inhibition of VKORC1 prevents the activation of the coagulation factors resulting in animal death by internal bleeding. However, the intensive use of ARs can cause rodents to lose their susceptibility and become resistant to them. Genetic resistances to ARs are mainly associated with mutations or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene that codes for VKORC1 (vkorc1), causing amino acid substitutions in the VKORC1 protein ( Pelz et al., 2005 ). There are studies on this topic in several countries of central and northern Europe detecting rodent populations resistant to AR. Currently, there are at least 13 mutations mainly located in the exon 3 of the vkorc1 gene described in various countries of the European Union that confer resistance to specific ARs ( Berny et al., 2014 ; Goulois et al., 2017 ). In Eastern and Southern European countries, the information on the incidence of resistances to rodenticides is scarce, and it is becoming increasingly important to generate information on this subject ( Berny et al., 2014). In Spain, a mice population at the coastal countryside showing an adaptive introgression between house mouse and Algerian mouse that confers anticoagulant resistance has been described ( Song et al., 2011 ). While recently, four VKORC1 mutations in black rat were found in Toledo, Segovia and Zaragoza ( Goulois et al., 2016 ; Damin-Pernik et al., 2022 ). Any increase in resistant in rodent populations would lead to pest control issues that may causing serious agricultural, farming and public health problems.

Scientific advances have revolutionized the study of anticoagulant resistances in terms of understanding their genetic basis, physiological mechanisms and geographical distribution. The techniques based on the extraction and partial sequencing of genomic DNA allow a fast and precise monitoring of possible genetic resistances. Most of these tests involve laboratory studies using live rodents or blood samples taken from animals in the field. However, the improvement of DNA extraction techniques now allows the analysis of faecal samples (stool), increasing the number of samples that can be taken without the need for sampling by trapping or the management of dead animals (Meerburg et al., 2014). The importance of initial detection of genetic resistances due to mutations is crucial. The hypothesis of work, presenting it as a null hypothesis, is that there will be no rodent mutations in the vkorc1 gene in Spain.

Feb 27, 2023

Researcher develops new methods to measure ‘forever chemicals’ in both the atmosphere and in aerosol particles

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, engineering, health

From regulators to researchers and most industries in between, all eyes are on PFAS, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of highly fluorinated human-made compounds that have been used for decades in everything from nonstick cookware and personal care products to fire-fighting foams and school uniforms. Their commonality and extreme resistance to environmental degradation has made them ubiquitous in ground water, soil, and worst of all humans. Linked to a slew of health risks including liver toxicity, bladder cancer, and decreased immune response to vaccinations, exposure to PFAS is concerning. So, how can we eliminate these “forever chemicals?”

Historically, PFAS substances have only been characterized in water and soil, but the emission of these compounds during chemical manufacturing, use, and disposal results in their emission into the air. Ryan Sullivan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, has been developing new methods to measure PFAS in both the atmosphere and in aerosol particles to answer outstanding questions regarding PFAS atmospheric components that lead to human exposure. His group is also developing new approaches to destroy forever molecules that are not removed by conventional water treatment plants.

The research is published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.

Feb 27, 2023

New cell therapy for chronic heart failure actually works, here is how

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

The new development is promising a potential treatment option for patients with chronic heart failure.

There are over six million patients in the U.S. who suffer from chronic heart failure, and now there is a cell therapy that might help all these patients.

They have proposed a treatment called MPC (mesenchymal precursor cell) therapy.

Continue reading “New cell therapy for chronic heart failure actually works, here is how” »

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