Category Health/Medical

Borrowing From the Eel: New breakthrough material could lead to future autonomous soft robotics, dual sensors and actuators for soft exoskeletons, or artificial skins. Credit: Image courtesy of U.S. Army Research Laboratory

U.S. Army-funded researchers at Brandeis University have discovered a process for engineering next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue. The breakthrough material may lead to autonomous soft robotics, dual sensors and actuators for soft exoskeletons, or artificial skins. The research lays the foundations for futuristic soft active matter with highly distributed and tightly integrated sensing, actuation, computation and control, said Dr...

Stem cell-derived retinal pigmented epithelial cells. Cell borders are green and nuclei are red. Photo Credit: DENNIS CLEGG, UCSB CENTER FOR STEM CELL BIOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

Researchers helped develop a specially engineered retinal patch to treat people with sudden, severe sight loss. In July 2015, 86-year-old Douglas Waters developed severe age-related macular degeneration (AMD). He struggled to see things clearly, even when up close. A few months later, he became part of a clinical trial that used stem cell-derived ocular cells developed in part by researchers at UC Santa Barbara. His retinal eyepatch was implanted at Moorfields Eye Hospital, a National Health Service (NHS) facility in Waters’ hometown of London, England.

In the months before Waters’ surgery, his vision was poor and he ...

Serum n–6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of death: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2018; 107 (3): 427 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqx063

Could omega-6 fatty acids protect you against premature death? The answer is yes, according to a new University of Eastern Finland study. While protecting against death, omega-6 fatty acids also keep cardiovascular diseases at bay. “Linoleic acid is the most common polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. We discovered that the higher the blood linoleic acid level, the smaller the risk of premature death,” says Adjunct Professor Jyrki Virtanen from the University of Eastern Finland, reporting the findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Although omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids a...

Resting neural stem cells (nuclei shown in blue) accumulate large protein aggregates (pink) in and around storage compartments called lysosomes (green). Credit: Xiaoai Zhao

Young, resting neural stem cells in the brains of mice store large clumps of proteins in specialized cellular trash compartments known as lysosomes, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. As the cells age, they become less proficient at disposing of these protein aggregates, and their ability to respond readily to “make new neurons” signals wanes. Restoring the ability of the lysosomes to function normally rejuvenates the cells’ ability to activate.

The discovery of the aggregates in young stem cells was unexpected, in part because similar aggregates are associated with the development of ...