Category Health/Medical

CNPY2 is required for ER stress-induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Credit: Dr. Feng Hong of the Medical University of South Carolina.

The cell’s response to unfolded or misfolded proteins could be a cause, rather than a consequence, of metabolic disorders. The researchers identified a little-known molecule as the trigger for this response. There are links between protein-folding problems at the cellular level and a range of metabolic disorders, though it is unclear if those problems are causes or manifestations of such disorders. This study provides evidence that problems with protein folding contribute to certain metabolic disorders, according to Zihai Li, M.D., Ph.D...

Snapshot of neuronal activity in a normal, healthy mouse (left) compared to a mouse genetically modified to mimic schizophrenia (right). Credit: Attila Losonczy/Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute

A team of Columbia scientists has found that disruptions to the brain’s center for spatial navigation—its internal GPS—result in some of the severe memory deficits seen in schizophrenia. The new study in mouse models of the disorder marks the first time that schizophrenia’s effects have been observed in the behavior of living animals—and at the level of individual brain cells—with such high-resolution, precision and clarity...

Images from a new camera that can detect tiny traces of light through the body’s tissues. Here, the camera is detecting light emitted from a medical device known as an optical endomicroscope whilst in use in sheep lungs. Image on left shows light emitted from the tip of the endomicroscope, revealing its precise location in the lungs. Right image shows the picture that would be obtained using a conventional camera, with light scattered through the structures of the lung. Credit: University of Edinburgh

Scientists have developed a camera that can see through the human body and is designed to help doctors track endoscopes that are used to investigate a range of internal conditions...

Explored illustration of integrated electronics that includes a transistor, a diode, a memory, a capacitor, an antenna, and a resistor, with interconnects and dielectrics on a moisture-sensitive degradable polymer substrate. The inset in the lower right of the figure shows the top view (left). Optical image of the circuit fabricated on the substrate (right). Credit: Gao et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3: e1701222

A team from the U.S. and China has demonstrated electronic devices that can degrade and disappear on demand using nothing but moisture in the air. Most people know that electronic devices do not work particularly well in humid conditions—if your house is humid all the time, your desktop computer will not last very long, for example...