Category Health/Medical

A new study at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland reports that autophagosome content is increased by resistance training in previously untrained young men, but this response may be blunted by aging. Credit: University of Jyväskylä

A new study at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland reports that autophagosome content is increased by resistance training in previously untrained young men, but this response may be blunted by aging. Autophagy is a major catabolic route in cells responsible for the clearance of proteins and organelles. Pathological levels of autophagy are associated with muscle wasting, but physiological levels are important for cellular recycling.

In the present study, indicators of autophagy and unfolded protein response (UPR), which is another system for maintaining c...

Dinh S Bui et al. Childhood predictors of lung function trajectories and future COPD risk: a prospective cohort study from the first to the sixth decade of life. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, April 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(18)30100-0

3/4 COPD pathways are associated with exposures in childhood, and amplified by factors in adulthood, according to a cohort study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. While smoking remains the biggest risk factor for COPD, the study demonstrates that childhood illnesses (such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, allergic rhinitis, eczema) and exposures to parental smoking are also linked to the disease.

A second study in the journal also suggests that there could be a window of opportunity during childhood to reduce the risk of poor lung...

Medical researchers have developed a novel way for a drug to zero in on damaged nerves and cells inside the ear. Credit: © Pixsooz / Fotolia

Researchers at USC and Harvard have developed a new approach to repair cells deep inside the ear – a potential remedy that could restore hearing for millions of elderly people and others who suffer hearing loss. The lab study demonstrates a novel way for a drug to zero in on damaged nerves and cells inside the ear. It’s a potential remedy for a problem that afflicts two-thirds of people over 70 years and 17% of all adults in the United States.

“What’s new here is we figured out how to deliver a drug into the inner ear so it actually stays put and does what it’s supposed to do, and that’s novel,” said Charles E...

A microscopic view showing where bacteria has been eaten away by the NanoZymes. Credit: Dr. Chaitali Dekiwadia/RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility

Artificial enzymes could be used in hospitals and toilets. Researchers from RMIT University have developed a new artificial enzyme that uses light to kill bacteria. The artificial enzymes could one day be used in the fight against infections, and to keep high-risk public spaces like hospitals free of bacteria like E. coli and Golden Staph.

E. coli can cause dysentery and gastroenteritis, while Golden Staph is the major cause of hospital-acquired secondary infections and chronic wound infections...