Category Biology/Biotechnology

Acute effects of air pollution on pulmonary hemodynamics: new evidence from both population and individual level studies

Authors recommend limiting physical activity in heavily polluted areas. Air pollution limits blood vessel function in the lungs, according to a study in more than 16,000 patients presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2016.1 “This is the first human study to report an influence of air pollution on pulmonary vascular function,” said lead author Dr Jean-Francois Argacha, a cardiologist at the University Hospital (UZ) Brussels, Belgium. “This is a major public health issue for people living in polluted urban areas where exercise could damage the lungs and potentially lead to decompensated heart failure.”

Promoting a safer environment appears to be as important as controlling c...

Physics student Ryan Bouricius with the prosthetic hand he built. Credit: Image courtesy of Ithaca College

With a 3D printer and about $15, senior physics major Ryan Bouricius was able to create a functional prosthetic hand that can be used to grip, write and even catch a ball. With the assistance of a non-profit group, the hand will one day be matched to a person in need of such a prosthesis. The prosthetic hand is designed for a person who still has the ability to move their wrist. By moving their wrist, they can control and use the hand’s fingers to grab and hold various objects.

Bouricius, who as a teaching assistant helps run the Ithaca College 3D Printing Lab, became interested in building prostheses after coming across a YouTube video of someone printing and assembling prosthetic ha...

Running decreases knee intra-articular cytokine and cartilage oligomeric matrix concentrations: a pilot study. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2016; 116 (11-12): 2305 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-016-3474-z

Running may also slow the process that leads to osteoarthritis. New research from BYU exercise science professors finds that pro-inflammatory molecules actually go down in the knee joint after running. “It flies in the face of intuition,” said Matt Seeley, associate professor of exercise science at BYU. “This idea that long-distance running is bad for your knees might be a myth.”

In a study recently published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, Seeley and a group of BYU colleagues, as well as Dr...

Knocking out the Spop protein in developing mouse limb leads to brachydactyly, a shortening of the fingers and toes (left) and reduced bone density (right). Credit: Liu Laboratory, Penn State University

Loss of a key protein leads to defects in skeletal development including reduced bone density and a shortening of the fingers and toes – brachydactyly. The discovery was made by researchers at Penn State University who knocked out the Speckle-type POZ Protein (Spop) in the mouse and characterized the impact on bone development. The research redefines the role of Spop during bone development and provides a new potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

“The Spop protein is involved in Hedgehog signaling – a well-studied cell-to-cell communicatio...