Experimental drug reverses paralysis and vision loss in multiple sclerosis model

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
A drug developed by a UVA Health scientist has not only stopped but reversed paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The results are striking because existing MS treatments are designed to reduce future inflammatory attacks, not restore neurological function already lost.

A drug developed by a UVA Health scientist has not only stopped but reversed paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The results are striking because existing MS treatments are designed to reduce future inflammatory attacks, not restore neurological function already lost.

The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The drug, Kamuvudine K-9, is a derivative of HIVdrugs already approved for use in peop...

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SKA may detect magnetic fields on distant exoplanets

Studying exoplanets has given astronomers insights into the characteristics that could help them find life beyond Earth. For years, astronomers thought an exoplanet’s location in a star’s habitable zone was enough to make it an Earth-like world. But some stars are more active than our sun, exposing planets in their habitable zones to far more radiation than Earth receives. Astronomers have increasingly recognized that a planet’s magnetic field, which shields Earth from harmful radiation, could be a key characteristic in identifying Earth-like worlds.

Now, an international team of scientists is shedding light on how to study exoplanet magnetic fields in a chapter published in Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II, a 2026 science book sponsored by the Square Kilometer Array Observat...

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Engaging the core could regulate blood flow in the brain

Engaging core muscles—through movement, exercise or even coughing—may be a key regulator of blood flow in the brain. When the body moves, the contraction of abdominal muscles increases pressure in blood vessels connected to the brain through the spinal column. A new study by researchers at Penn State shows that the increased pressure creates ultrafast constrictions of major veins in the brain, momentarily increasing blood flow.

Understanding how the regulation of blood flow in the brain is influenced by movement in the body could help explain the connection between exercise and brain health or why migraines and headaches can become more severe with movement, according to the research team.

The paper describing the research, which was conducted in mice, appears this week in t...

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The Red Planet has a purple side

Mars is known for its reddish colour palette, a result of ancient iron oxides. But these striking pinks and purples are much different from the rest of the red planet. This orbital image shows Thyles Rupes, its cliff face, and a nearby glacier, where the atypical colours come from a mix of dust and frost. The image is from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on the ESA's Mars Express orbiter. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence
Mars is known for its reddish colour palette, a result of ancient iron oxides. But these striking pinks and purples are much different from the rest of the red planet. This orbital image shows Thyles Rupes, its cliff face, and a nearby glacier, where the atypical colours come from a mix of dust and frost. The image is from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on the ESA’s Mars Express orbiter. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence

Oxidized iron dominates the Martian color palette. The dusty reds, ochers, browns and tans give the planet its nickname: the Red Planet. But new images of Mars’ south polar region show something different...

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