Category Biology/Biotechnology

A new study at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland reports that autophagosome content is increased by resistance training in previously untrained young men, but this response may be blunted by aging. Credit: University of Jyväskylä

A new study at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland reports that autophagosome content is increased by resistance training in previously untrained young men, but this response may be blunted by aging. Autophagy is a major catabolic route in cells responsible for the clearance of proteins and organelles. Pathological levels of autophagy are associated with muscle wasting, but physiological levels are important for cellular recycling.

In the present study, indicators of autophagy and unfolded protein response (UPR), which is another system for maintaining c...

By combining a robotic arm and mass spectrometry, researchers can analyze the surface of 3-D objects, such as footballs. Credit: American Chemical Society

Within the past decade, many advancements have been made in the 3D market from printing to movies. Now scientists report in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry that by combining a robotic arm and mass spectrometry, they can analyze the surface of irregularly shaped 3D objects, potentially opening up new branches of forensics and pharmaceutics.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a tool that helps researchers identify the components of a sample. In recent years, the instrument has made its way outside the laboratory for use in forensics and drug screening...

Dinh S Bui et al. Childhood predictors of lung function trajectories and future COPD risk: a prospective cohort study from the first to the sixth decade of life. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, April 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(18)30100-0

3/4 COPD pathways are associated with exposures in childhood, and amplified by factors in adulthood, according to a cohort study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. While smoking remains the biggest risk factor for COPD, the study demonstrates that childhood illnesses (such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, allergic rhinitis, eczema) and exposures to parental smoking are also linked to the disease.

A second study in the journal also suggests that there could be a window of opportunity during childhood to reduce the risk of poor lung...

Medical researchers have developed a novel way for a drug to zero in on damaged nerves and cells inside the ear. Credit: © Pixsooz / Fotolia

Researchers at USC and Harvard have developed a new approach to repair cells deep inside the ear – a potential remedy that could restore hearing for millions of elderly people and others who suffer hearing loss. The lab study demonstrates a novel way for a drug to zero in on damaged nerves and cells inside the ear. It’s a potential remedy for a problem that afflicts two-thirds of people over 70 years and 17% of all adults in the United States.

“What’s new here is we figured out how to deliver a drug into the inner ear so it actually stays put and does what it’s supposed to do, and that’s novel,” said Charles E...