Category Health/Medical

A tiny RNA appears to play a role in producing major depression, the mental disorder that affects as many as 250 million people a year worldwide. Major depression, formally known as major depressive disorder, or MDD, brings increased risk of suicide and is reported to cause the second-most years of disability after low-back pain.

MicroRNA levels are significantly elevated in the brains of experimental rats with induced depression from corticosterone treatment, in the post-death brains of humans diagnosed with MDD and in peripheral blood serum from living patients with MDD, according to a study by led by Prof Yogesh Dwivedi, Ph.D.
This microRNA—miR-124-3p—is thus a potential therapeutic target for novel drug development, and it can serve as a putative bio...

Read More

Protein identification technique may be used in forensics, archaeology. Unique protein markers in hair could be used alongside DNA profiling for human identification. DNA profiling is commonly used for identification in forensic science and archaeology because DNA is unique to each individual. However, environmental and chemical processes can degrade DNA, limiting its usefulness over time. In contrast, protein is more stable than DNA but can also have variations that may be unique to the individual. Glendon Parker and his team therefore investigated whether the protein found in human hair could offer another tool for identifying individuals.

The researchers were able to examine bioarcheological hair samples from 6 individua...

Read More

A team has built a mathematical model that describes the molecular events associated with the beginning stage of learning and memory formation in the human brain. The research paves the way for understanding cognitive function and neurodegenerative diseases – at the molecular and cellular levels. The study focuses on the dynamics of dendritic spines, thorny structures that allow neurons to communicate with each other. When a spine receives a signal from another neuron, it responds by rapidly expanding in volume ie transient spine expansion.

Transient spine expansion is one of the early events leading up to learning and memory formation...

Read More

The sensor can detect E. coli bacteria in 15-20 minutes, much faster than traditional lab tests, over a wide temperature range . E.coli can be transmitted in contaminated food and water, posing particular risks to children and the elderly. In the late spring of 2011 a serious outbreak of E.coli bacteria sickened thousands of people in Germany and killed more than 50. “Using currently available technologies, which are mostly based on amplification of the sample, it takes several hours to days to detect the presence of bacteria. A fast and accurate detection alternative is, therefore, preferable over the existing technology,” said Saurabh Mani Tripathi, a physicist at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

The new sensor uses bacteriophages – viru...

Read More