Category Biology/Biotechnology

Highlights •Prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3) hydroxylates and activates the metabolic enzyme ACC2 •During nutrient abundance, the PHD3/ACC2 axis represses fatty acid oxidation (FAO) •PHD3 is low in AML, fueling a reliance on fats that can be targeted with FAO inhibitors •Re-expressing PHD3 limits FAO via ACC2 and suppresses AML in culture and in vivo

A handful of cancers favor fat over sugar, a propensity that has long mystified scientists. Now, a study from Harvard Medical School reveals how certain tumors develop a taste for fat as their life-sustaining fuel. The findings show how a signaling pathway that normally keeps fat-burning in check goes awry in some cancers, revving up fat consumption and fueling tumor growth.

Specifically, the study found a protein called prolyl hydroxylase ...

Lack of antinociceptive tolerance of YHS (200 mg/kg) in the tail flick assay (n = 7–8).

Root extracts from the flowering herbal plant Corydalis yanhusuo, or YHS, has widely used for centuries as a pain treatment. Yet few studies have investigated how it works on different forms of pain, and little is known about its molecular mechanisms. In a new study, Olivier Civelli, professor and chair of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine et al show how YHS effectively treats different forms of pain. Most notably it can reduce chronic neuropathic pain which is poorly treated with common medicines. They also show that YHS seems to not lose its potency over time, as happens with many analgesics.

The researchers analyzed YHS pain relief properties in mouse tests that monitor acute, pe...

A patient’s foot is tested for neuropathy. Credit: Northwestern University

For the 25% of type-2 diabetes patients who suffer from numbness and extreme nerve pain in their feet, a new dermatological treatment being tested by Northwestern Medicine scientists could potentially help prevent and maybe even reverse the neuropathy. Depleting a chemical called GM3 through genetic modification prevented the development of neuropathy in obese diabetic mice.

The researchers are now applying a gene therapy ointment to deplete GM3 and GM3 synthase, which is the enzyme that makes GM3. The hope is that this GM3-depleting ointment, applied just to the footpad of diabetic mice, will prevent or, even better, reverse the existing neuropathy...

Low-temperature plasma generator. Left: (1) gas flow, (2) SHF electrode, (3) plasma jet, (4) power source, (5) ground electrode. Right: (6) metal tube, (7) power, (8) plasma jet. Credit: MIPT

Scientists have found that treating cells with cold plasma leads to their regeneration, rejuvenation. This result can be used to develop a plasma therapy program for patients with non-healing wounds. Non-healing wounds make it more difficult to provide effective treatment to patients and are therefore a serious problem faced by doctors. These wounds can be caused by damage to blood vessels in the case of diabetes, failure of the immune system resulting from an HIV infection or cancers, or slow cell division in elderly people.

Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma refers to a partially ionized gas (the prop...