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    Category Biology/Biotechnology

    Early Abnormalities of Alzheimer’s disease: It takes 2 proteins to tango

    April 20, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Synergistic effect between [18F]florbetapir SUVR and CSF p-tau drives [18F]FDG uptake decline in limbic regions. Statistical parametric maps, after correcting for multiple comparisons (false discovery rate corrected at P<0.001), overlaid in a structural MRI scan, reveal areas in which 24-month [18F]FDG uptake decline occurs as a function of the synergistic interaction between baseline [18F]florbetapir SUVR and CSF p-tau measurements. Significant interactive effects were observed in the basal and mesial temporal, orbitofrontal, and anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. The analysis was corrected for age, gender and APOE ε4 status. CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; [18F]FDG, [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; p-tau, phosphorylated tau; SUVR, standardized uptake value ratio.

    Synergistic effect between [18F]florbetapir SUVR and CSF p-tau drives [18F]FDG uptake decline in limbic regions. Statistical parametric maps, after correcting for multiple comparisons (false discovery rate corrected at P<0.001), overlaid in a structural MRI scan, reveal areas in which 24-month [18F]FDG uptake decline occurs as a function of the synergistic interaction between baseline [18F]florbetapir SUVR and CSF p-tau measurements. Significant interactive effects were observed in the basal and mesial temporal, orbitofrontal, and anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. The analysis was corrected for age, gender and APOE ε4 status...

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    Aspirin use may help Prevent Bile Duct Cancer/ Cholangiocarcinoma

    April 19, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Small white aspirin pills spilling out of a glass jar

    “Our study found that individuals who took aspirin had a more than a two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half-fold lesser chance of developing bile duct cancer, compared to individuals who did not take aspirin,” says Lewis Roberts, M.B. Ch.B., Ph.D., gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Mayo Clinic.

    Bile duct cancer is an uncommon cancer that forms in the slender tubes (bile ducts) that carry digestive fluid through the liver. The disease occurs mostly in people over 50 and can cause symptoms, such as yellowing of the skin and eyes, intense itchiness of the skin, and white stools. Bile duct cancer is an aggressive type of cancer that progresses quickly and is difficult to treat.

    “We know that continuous unremitting inflammation is one of the main factors that promotes cancer of the bile ducts...

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    Thanks, Actin, for the Memories

    April 19, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Actin pulls upon and stabilizes soluble cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins into longer, insoluble prion-like fibers, a process believed to be key to stabilizing long-term memories. Rice University researchers simulated the force (F) applied by actin through computer models that predict how proteins are likely to find their least-energetic (and most stable) states. Credit: Mingchen Chen/Rice University

    Actin pulls upon and stabilizes soluble cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins into longer, insoluble prion-like fibers, a process believed to be key to stabilizing long-term memories. Rice University researchers simulated the force (F) applied by actin through computer models that predict how proteins are likely to find their least-energetic (and most stable) states. Credit: Mingchen Chen/Rice University

    Thank the little “muscles” in your neurons for allowing you to remember where you live, what your friends and family look like and a lot more. New research at Rice University suggests actin filaments that control the shape of neuron cells may also be the key to the molecular machinery that forms and stores long-term memories...

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    98% Cure Rate for Prostate Cancer using Stereotactic body Radiation therapy, research shows

    April 18, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    SBRT

    A 5yr study shows Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) to treat prostate cancer offers a higher cure rate than more traditional approaches. The study found a 98.6% cure rate with SBRT, a noninvasive form of radiation treatment that involves high-dose radiation beams entering the body through various angles and intersecting at the desired target. It is a state-of-the-art technology that allows for a concentrated dose to reach the tumor while limiting radiation dose to healthy tissue.

    “The high cure rate is striking when compared to the reported 5yr cure rates from other approaches like surgery or conventional radiation, which range between 80 – 90%, while the side effects of this treatment are comparable to other types of treatment,” said Dr. Raquibul Hannan...

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