Category Health/Medical

A Vision-based Robotic System for 3D Ultrasound Imaging

A vision-based robotic system for 3D ultrasound imaging
System workflow. (a) Three types of inputs from the depth camera (b) the sweep trajectory extraction module (c) the robotic movement module following a planned trajectory (d) the object movement monitoring module. Credit: Jiang et al.

Ultrasound imaging techniques have proved to be highly valuable tools for diagnosing a variety of health conditions, including peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD, one of the most common diseases among the elderly, entails the blocking or narrowing of peripheral blood vessels, which limits the supply of blood to specific areas of the body.

In fact, unlike other imaging methods, such as computed tomography angiography and magnetic resonance angiography, ultrasound imaging is non-invasive, low-cost and radiation-free.

Most existing ultrasound imaging...

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Researchers find Protein may Protect against Neurodegenerative diseases

Taking advantage of knowledge on translation, Hiroshima University researchers examined whether the translational regulatory protein 5MP can suppress RAN translation, which would also suppress the production of the toxic repeat peptide products.

An international research team may have found that a protein implicated in tumor growth may be able to help regulate awry cellular translation and protect against neuronal decay.

Cells translate their genetic material at rapid rates with exquisite precision to reproduce, repair damage or even combat disease. But the process can deregulate and give rise to disease...

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How Microbes can Exacerbate Cognitive Decline

The gut microbiota comprises trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in the intestines and affect health in multiple ways. Alpha Tauri 3D Graphics/Shutterstock

Recent research has found that changes in the gut microbiota — the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in the intestines — can alter the brain and behavior. Now, a study led by scientists at UCLA could elucidate how and why that phenomenon occurs.

In the experiment, which was conducted with mice, researchers found that gut microbes can exacerbate the effects of cognitive impairment because of how they affect the hippocampus, the region of the brain that is critical for memory and learning...

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Study reveals missing Link between High-Fat Diet, Microbiota and Heart Disease

Mariana Byndloss, DVM, PhD, Woongjae Yoo, PhD, and colleagues are studying how a high-fat diet may contribute to heart disease. (Photo taken prior to revised masking guidelines.)
Mariana Byndloss, DVM, PhD, Woongjae Yoo, PhD, and colleagues are studying how a high-fat diet contributes to heart disease. (photo by Donn Jones, taken prior to revised masking guidelines)

A high-fat diet disrupts the biology of the gut’s inner lining and its microbial communities — and promotes the production of a metabolite that may contribute to heart disease, according to a study published Aug. 13 in the journal Science.

The discoveries in animal models support a key role for the intestines and microbiota in the development of cardiovascular disease, said Mariana Byndloss, DVM, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The intestines, she noted, have been relatively understudied by scientists seeking to unders...

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