Category Health/Medical

The hallmark of an adaptive immune system is the ability of T-cells to recognise foreign substances, that are potentially harmful (Photo: Shutterstock)

In the past it was was largely assumed that “all receptors were equal.” as in George Orwell’s Animal Farm where the barnyard devolves into chaos, and the slogan “all animals are equal” becomes “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” Using powerful imaging technology and some of Australia’s only super-resolution microscopes that can zoom in to the level of a single molecule, UNSW researchers have viewed this critical first-stage in the immune response, inside a single functional T-cell, in unprecedented detail.

UNSW Scientia Professor Katharina Gaus said: “Although all receptors in a single T-cell are genetically...

Master Athlete

Researchers examined cerebral blood flow in master athletes (ages 50-80 years) before and after a 10-day period during which they stopped all exercise. Using MRI brain imaging techniques, they found a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions important for cognitive health, including the hippocampus, after they stopped their exercise routines.

“We know that the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory and is one of the first brain regions to shrink in people with Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. J. Carson Smith, associate professor of kinesiology...

Acetylcholine receptors, also known as nicotinic receptors

Several scientific studies have indicated that nicotine may be beneficial for memory function. Scientists set out to shed further light on the properties attributed to nicotine – which is known to have an adverse effect on health – by determining the precise structure of the nicotinic receptors in the hippocampus region of the brain. Using mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease, they identified the β2 subunit of the nicotinic receptor as a target that, if blocked, prevents the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by two types of lesion: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary degeneration...

Cancer — Histopathologic image of colonic carcinoid. Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0

A team including the National Cancer Center (NCC), RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), and Carna Biosciences Inc. has jointly announced the development of a novel small-molecule Wnt inhibitor named NCB-0846. Wnt signaling is a key pathway of cancer stem cell (CSC) development. The inhibitor may provide a new therapy option for patients with drug-refractory colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is a major cause of cancer death, accounting for approximately 700,000 deaths annually worldwide...