Category Health/Medical

Screenshot from video showing blood cells streaming through a “wound” and a clot forming. The red-stained cells are actually white blood cells. A green extracellular glue can be seen at the top of the wound; this is fibrin, which holds the clot together. See the full video at: https://youtu.be/l7k1dGfKG0g Credit: Yumiko Sakurai, Emory/Georgia Tech

System responds to drugs; endothelium promotes clotting. Biomedical engineers have developed a miniature self-sealing model system for studying bleeding and the clotting of wounds. The researchers envision the device as a drug discovery platform and potential diagnostic tool...

Researchers have discovered how a molecular ‘machine’ — that drives inflammation in a range of diseases — turns off in healthy cells. Credit: Kate Schroder, The University of Queensland

A discovery could be the key to stopping damage caused by uncontrolled inflammation in a range of common diseases including liver disease, Alzheimer’s and gout. University of Queensland researchers have uncovered how an inflammation process automatically switches off in healthy cells, and are now investigating ways to stop it manually when it goes awry. UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) researcher Associate Professor Kate Schroder said this inflammation pathway drove many different diseases...

This graphical abstract depicts the findings of Jang et al., which show that it is actually the small intestine that clears most dietary fructose, and this is enhanced by feeding. High fructose doses spill over to the liver and to the colonic microbiota for metabolism.

Princeton University researchers report that in mice, fructose, a sugar found in fruit, is processed mainly in the small intestine, not in the liver as had previously been suspected. Sugary drinks and processed high-sugar foods overwhelm the small intestine and spill into the liver for processing. Additionally, the authors learned that the ability of the small intestine to process fructose is higher after a meal. The work appears February 6 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Evidence from previous animal and human studies has s...

Lower BDNF levels observed in bipolar disorder patients may lead to reduced EGR3 levels. A dysfunctional pathway impairs several biological functions, including abnormal structural brain changes and cognitive and functional decline (known as neuroprogression). Disrupted neural circuits may explain the impaired neuroplasticity and resilience, increasing vulnerability to stress and mood episodes, all well-known characteristics of BD.

A new article reveals a novel potential drug target for bipolar disorder and offers new insights into the underlying biology of this lifelong and devastating mental illness. Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a multifactorial brain disorder in which patients experience radical shifts in mood and undergo periods of depression followed by periods of mania...