Category Biology/Biotechnology

DOUBLE TROUBLE Marijuana use may double the risk of developing stress cardiomyopathy, a temporary weakening of the tip of the heart.

Marijuana use is associated with an almost doubled risk of developing stress cardiomyopathy, a sudden life-threatening weakening of the heart muscle, according to a new study. Cannabis fans may find the results surprising, since 2/3 believe the drug has no lasting health effects. But as more states approve recreational use, scientists say there’s a renewed urgency to learn about the drug’s effects.

An estimated 22 million Americans — including 38% of college students — say they regularly use marijuana...

Andrea Hohmann. Credit: Indiana University

Indiana University neuroscientist Andrea Hohmann has found evidence that the brain’s cannabis receptors may be used to treat chronic pain without the side effects associated with opioid-based pain relievers or medical marijuana. “The most exciting aspect of this research is the potential to produce the same therapeutic benefits as opioid-based pain relievers without side effects like addiction risk or increased tolerance over time,” said Hohmann, a Linda and Jack Gill Chair of Neuroscience and professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

Chronic pain is estimated to affect nearly 50 million adults in the US...

Dr. Yanbin Dong, geneticist and cardiologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and Dr. Haidong Zhu, molecular geneticist at the GPI. Credit: Phil Jones

The length of your telomeres appears to be a window into your heart health and longevity, and scientists are measuring them to see if vitamin D and omega-3 supplements really improve both. “Many people take these supplements every day to help protect their heart and slow aging without significant clinical evidence that they do either,” said Dr. Yanbin Dong, geneticist and cardiologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Telomeres are found on either end of the chromosomes inside your cells where they essentially function as a b...

Scientists Develop Tissue-Engineered Model of Human Lung and Trachea

Scientists at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have developed a tissue-engineered model of lung and trachea which contains the diverse cell types present in the human respiratory tract. Lung disease causes >200,000 deaths annually in the US. Although the lung is generally considered slow to respond to disease and injury, it does undergo regenerative processes, most of which are not fully understood. Building an understanding of these processes might lead to harnessing these innate mechanisms to help damaged lungs repair. A first step is a proper 3D model in which the disease process can be studied.

Previously, Grikscheit’s lab developed tissue-engineered small intestine (TESI) and showed that this regenerated tissue was fu...