Category Health/Medical

Periostin (shown in pink) is being used in the clinic as a marker for allergic diseases such as asthma as well as atopic dermatitis. Left image: Periostin is overexpressed in atopic dermatitis. Right image: Blocking LIGHT also blocks periostin expression.

Finding provides a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of severe eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that is driven by an allergic reaction. In their latest study, researchers at La Jolla Institute reveal an important player that promotes skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis and the characteristic thickening of the skin...

Electronic Nose in the Detection of Wound Infection Bacteria from Bacterial Cultures: A Proof-of-Principle Study

A recent study conducted at the University of Tampere, Tampere University of Technology, Pirkanmaa Hospital District and Fimlab in Finland has concluded that an electronic nose (eNose) can be used to identify the most common bacteria causing soft tissue infections. The eNose can be used to detect the bacteria without the prior preparation of samples, and the system was capable of differentiating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA).

Skin and soft tissue infections are common diseases that need medical treatment...

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex mechanism

For years, attempts have been made to understand the mechanism behind the proliferation of cancer cells. However, until now it was not known which metabolites cancer cells actually need. A team of researchers from the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) at the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences)has identified one of the mechanisms behind this process, as published in a recent article in the journal Nature Genetics.

From a theory dating back to the early 20th century by Nobel Prize laureate Otto Warburg, it has been believed that, in order to support their growth, cancer cells needed to increase their glucose consumption, without using mitochondrial metabolism...

A thermal image of a localized cooled heart. The dark spot at the bottom is the cooled part. Credit: Catharina Hospital Eindhoven

Cardiologists at the Catharina hospital in Eindhoven have succeeded in the localized cooling of the heart during a heart attack, a world first. By cooling part of the heart prior to and following angioplasty, the cardiologists believe that the damage from a heart attack can be limited. The innovative new procedure was co-developed with scientists of the university in Eindhoven and the company LifeTec Group, a university spin-off.

“We have demonstrated in 10 patients that it is technically possible to cool part of the heart safely during a heart attack,” says cardiologist/intensivist Luuk Otterspoor...