Category Biology/Biotechnology

Quadruple Fusion Imaging via Transparent Ultrasound Transducer

A quadruple fusion optical and ultrasound imaging system has been developed that allows diagnosis of eye conditions or tumors or to see the environment inside the body using a transparent ultrasound transducer.

Professor Chulhong Kim of POSTECH’s Department of Electrical Engineering, Convergence IT Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Byullee Park of Department of Convergence IT Engineering, Ph.D...

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The Bald Truth: Altered Cell Divisions cause Hair Thinning

Schematic model of the distinct types of stem cell divisions determine HF homeostasis and aging.
Young HFSCs undergo symmetric cell divisions (SCDs) and asymmetric cell divisions (ACDs) to generate new bulge cells for their self-renewal and expansion. Whereas aged HFSCs provoke hemidesmosomal instability including COL17A1 and undergo stress response (SR) type ACDs to induce epidermal differentiation that triggers their delamination, thereby causing stepwise miniaturization of HFs and hair thinning and loss.

Researchers have identified a novel mechanism underlying hair thinning and loss during aging...

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Pick up the pace! Slow Walkers Four Times more likely to Die from COVID-19, study finds

Slow walkers are almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19, and have over twice the risk of contracting a severe version of the virus, according to a team of researchers from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre led by Professor Tom Yates at the University of Leicester.

The study of 412,596 middle-aged UK Biobank participants examined the relative association of body mass index (BMI) and self-reported walking pace with the risk of contracting severe COVID-19 and COVID-19 mortality.

The analysis found slow walkers of a normal weight to be almost 2.5 times more likely to develop severe COVID-19 and 3.75 times more likely to die from the virus than normal weight fast walkers.

Professor Yates, Lead Researcher for the stud...

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How the Brain learns from Subconscious Stimuli

The ventral tegmental area contains, among others, cells that produce dopamine.

Researchers uncovered for the first time what happens in animals’ brains when they learn from subconscious, visual stimuli. In time, this knowledge can lead to new treatments for a number of conditions. The study, a collaboration between KU Leuven, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard was published in Neuron.

An experienced birdwatcher recognises many more details in a bird’s plumage than the ordinary person. Thanks to extensive training, he or she can identify specific features in the plumage. This learning process is not only dependent on conscious processes...

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