Category Health/Medical

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that an attenuated (weakened) virus can help eliminate cancer in mice. In addition, mice that were treated with this virus were more resistant to developing tumors later in life.

The attenuated virus—lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)—works and is safe even in immunosuppressed mice. That’s a critical finding, as many cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and other cancer treatments have suppressed immune systems.

“An important aspect about this viral-based therapy is that it demonstrates safety and efficacy even in an immunosuppressed host,” said corresponding author Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, an assistant professor of microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine...

The need to transition away from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy production is critical. That’s why a team of Concordia researchers is looking at a potential power source that not only produces no carbon emissions but removes carbon as it works: algae.

Researchers at the Optical-Bio Microsystems Lab recently published a new paper on this topic in the journal Energies. In it, they describe their method of extracting energy from the photosynthesis process of algae suspended in a specialized solution and housed in small power cells. Configured correctly, these cells can generate enough energy to power low- and ultra-low power devices such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.

“The idea of the micro photosynthetic power cell is to extract e...

The structure and function of the kidneys is altered by space flight, with galactic radiation causing permanent damage that would jeopardise any mission to Mars, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is the largest analysis of kidney health in space flight to date and includes the first health dataset for commercial astronauts. It is published as part of a Nature special collection of papers on space and health.

Researchers have known that space flight causes certain health issues since the 1970s, in the years after humans first travelled beyond Earth’s magnetic field, most famously during the first moon landing in 1969...

Xylitol is a common zero-calorie sweetener found in sugar-free candy and toothpaste. Cleveland Clinic researchers found higher amounts of the sugar alcohol xylitol are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

The team, led by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., confirmed the association in a large-scale patient analysis, preclinical research models and a clinical intervention study. Findings were published today in the European Heart Journal.

Xylitol is a common sugar substitute used in sugar-free candy, gums, baked goods and oral products like toothpaste...