Category Health/Medical

α2A agonists directly affect the non-amyloidogenic pathway and are neuroprotective through sAPPα.

In trials on rats, the drug brimonidine, which is routinely used to lower eye pressure in glaucoma patients, has been found to reduce the formation of amyloid proteins in the retina, which are believed to be linked to Alzheimer’s. The research was reported in the journal Cell Death and Disease. Amyloid plaques can be seen in the retinas of people with Alzheimer’s, so the researchers say the retina can be viewed as an extension of the brain that provides an opportunity to diagnose and track progression of Alzheimer’s.

Scientists found that brimonidine reduces neurodegeneration of cells in the retina by cutting the levels of beta amyloid in the eye...

1. Professor Kim De Keersmaecker (KU Leuven, Belgium) is shown.
Credit: KU Leuven – Rob Stevens. 2. In patients with multiple myeloma, the plasma cells in the bone marrow start proliferating malignantly.

20 – 40% of the patients with multiple myeloma have a defect in the ribosome, protein factory of the cell. These patients have a poorer prognosis than patients with intact ribosomes. At the same time, they respond better to a drug that already exists. These are the findings of a study by the Laboratory for Disease Mechanisms in Cancer at KU Leuven, Belgium.

Multiple myeloma (MM, also known as Kahler’s disease) is a blood cancer whereby the plasma cells in the bone marrow start proliferating malignantly. MM cannot be cured and is most common among older people...

Acute effects of air pollution on pulmonary hemodynamics: new evidence from both population and individual level studies

Authors recommend limiting physical activity in heavily polluted areas. Air pollution limits blood vessel function in the lungs, according to a study in more than 16,000 patients presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2016.1 “This is the first human study to report an influence of air pollution on pulmonary vascular function,” said lead author Dr Jean-Francois Argacha, a cardiologist at the University Hospital (UZ) Brussels, Belgium. “This is a major public health issue for people living in polluted urban areas where exercise could damage the lungs and potentially lead to decompensated heart failure.”

Promoting a safer environment appears to be as important as controlling c...

Physics student Ryan Bouricius with the prosthetic hand he built. Credit: Image courtesy of Ithaca College

With a 3D printer and about $15, senior physics major Ryan Bouricius was able to create a functional prosthetic hand that can be used to grip, write and even catch a ball. With the assistance of a non-profit group, the hand will one day be matched to a person in need of such a prosthesis. The prosthetic hand is designed for a person who still has the ability to move their wrist. By moving their wrist, they can control and use the hand’s fingers to grab and hold various objects.

Bouricius, who as a teaching assistant helps run the Ithaca College 3D Printing Lab, became interested in building prostheses after coming across a YouTube video of someone printing and assembling prosthetic ha...