Category Biology/Biotechnology

Defensive whine: The tight-fitting shirts may be a little too tight for Baltimore Ravens (left to right) Terrence Cody (62), nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu (96) and Haloti Ngata (92)

New research suggests being bigger doesn’t mean being better – or healthier. In American football, there is a stigma that players need to increase their overall body size to make an impact on the field. Exercise scientists set out to determine how body size has changed in college and professional football players over the past 70 yrs. “We started to take a look at providing the information that sports medicine personnel need to be aware of in order to effectively protect the health of the players under their care,”Prof.Potteiger said. “In football, the most at-risk athletes are the offensive and defensive linemen...

Neurons say relax: This three-dimensional view of part of a mouse intestine shows the neurons that surround tissue-protective immune cells. These neurons release norepinephrine, which instructs the immune cells to activate an anti-inflammatory response.

The immune system must protect against potential infections, but over-vigilant reactions can cause problems. New research shows neurons in the intestine send signals to immune cells to curb inflammation. This could have Rx implications for gastrointestinal diseases such as IBS.

Lamina propria macrophages are found very close to the lining of the intestinal tube, while muscularis macrophages are in a deeper tissue layer, more distant from what passes through the intestine...

The A-Gear robotic arm in use. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Twente

Researchers have developed A-Gear: a robotic arm that can support the daily activities of people suffering the muscular disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. They recently put the final touches to the 1st prototype for a discreet, body-connected support aid that can be worn under the clothing and that can support independent operation of the arm during important daily activities. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy occurs in1 in 5000 live born boys. The muscles become weaker during their life. As a result, boys with Duchenne lose the ability to use their arms until, eventually, they are unable to use them at all.

Over the past 4 years, the researchers have been working on 2 arm supports: a passive arm support – controlled...

Injured mouse spinal cord. Credit: UAB

Spinal cord injuries cause severe functional disabilities in those who sustain them, including paraplegia or tetraplegia, depending on the scale of the injury. This is due to the degeneration of the spinal pathways that carry nerve signals from the brain to the different parts of the body and vice versa, resulting in loss of mobility and sensitivity underneath the injured area. Over the past few years, different studies have shown that the inflammatory response that develops after an injury contributes to the degeneration of these pathways, thus increasing the functional deficits brought by the injury. However, clinical trials using anti-inflammatory drugs like methylprednisolone have not proven their efficacy.

This work shows for the first time that ...