Category Health/Medical

‘Super Melanin’ Heals Skin Injuries from Sunburn, Chemical Burns

'Super melanin' heals skin injuries from sunburn, chemical burns
The synthetic melanin is being applied to inflamed skin. Just under the surface of the skin are green free radicals, also known as ROS, or “reactive oxygen species.” Credit: Yu Chen, Northwestern University

Imagine a skin cream that heals damage occurring throughout the day when your skin is exposed to sunlight or environmental toxins. That’s the potential of a synthetic, biomimetic melanin developed by scientists at Northwestern University.

In a new study, the scientists show that their synthetic melanin, mimicking the natural melanin in human skin, can be applied topically to injured skin, where it accelerates wound healing. These effects occur both in the skin itself and systemically in the body.

When applied in a cream, the synthetic melanin can protect skin from sun exposure...

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Scientists use Supercomputers to make Optical Tweezers Safer for Living Cells

New twist on optical tweezers
Optical tweezers use laser light to manipulate small particles. A new method has been advanced using Stampede2 supercomputer simulations that makes optical tweezers safer to use for potential biological applications, such as cancer therapy. (a) Image shows schematic of red blood cells in solution. (b) Timelapse showing trapping and thermal rupture at ambient temperature. (c) Timelapse of trapping using new method. No cell rupture is observed. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40865-y

Optical tweezers manipulate tiny things like cells and nanoparticles using lasers. While they might sound like tractor beams from science fiction, the fact is their development garnered scientists a Nobel Prize in 2018.

Scientists have now used supercomputers to make optica...

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New Hope to Treat and Reverse Osteoarthritis

Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya

Current osteoarthritis treatment manages symptoms rather than addressing the underlying disease, but a new University of Adelaide study has shown the condition may be treatable and reversible.

Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage and other tissues in joints and is the most common form of arthritis in Australia, with one in five people over the age of 45 having the condition.

It is a long-term and progressive condition which affects people’s mobility and has historically had no cure. Its treatment cost the Australian health system an estimated $3.9 billion in 2019-20.

Often described as a ‘wear and tear’ condition, factors such as ageing, obesity, injury and family history contribute to the progression of osteoarthritis.

University of Ade...

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Heat-related Cardiovascular Deaths in the U.S. may more than Double within Decades

Graphic showing an excessive heat warning with the temperature at 101 and says it feels likes 110 with the heat index.
copyright American Heart Association 2023

In nationwide projections, elderly and Black adults are most at risk for cardiovascular death due to extreme heat, finds a new study. Cardiovascular deaths from extreme heat in the U.S. may more than double by the middle of the century. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, that number could even triple, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

“Climate change and its many manifestations will play an increasingly important role on the health of communities around the world in the coming decades, ” said lead study author Sameed Khatana, M.D., M.P.H...

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