Category Health/Medical

This drawing shows part of the atomic-level structure of coxsackievirus B3 polymerase, which is responsible for making copies of the virus genome. The researchers replaced the orange phenylalanine 364 that is found in two different positions, with the turquoise tryptophan that is larger and covers both positions without needing to move. This causes fewer mutations to be made and reduces the ability of the virus to replicate and cause disease. Credit: Olve Peersen/Colorado State University

A genetic modification to a type of coxsackievirus that strips its ability to replicate, mutate and cause illness. They hope their work could lead to a vaccine for this and other viruses like it...

Highlights • The study of fish shallow-frying is undertaken for the first time by 1H NMR. • Migration of main and minor lipidic compounds between oils and fish occurs. • Thermo-oxidation and hydrolysis reactions in oils and fish lipids are studied. • Pan-frying provokes higher thermo-oxidation than microwave-frying. • As for aldehyde formation, extra-virgin olive oil is safer than sunflower oil.

Researchers have studied the changes that take place in fish lipids and in the oil during frying processes. The frying techniques, the nature of the oil used and the fish species have been shown to exert a great influence on the changes that take place during the process...

Controlling Spatial Heat and Light Distribution by Using Photothermal Enhancing Auto-Regulated Liposomes (PEARLs).

Dr. Gang Zheng and a team of biomedical researchers have discovered a “smart” organic, biodegradable nanoparticle that uses heat and light in a controlled manner to potentially target and ablate tumours with greater precision. The proof-of-concept findings provide a viable approach to boosting the clinical utility of photo-thermal therapy in treating cancer, says Dr. Zheng, Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret and Professor of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.He talks about and demonstrates the research at https://youtu.be/EEN6Mz5iWBI.

In the lab, using phantom models, the “smart” nanoparticle the team has dubbed PEARLs – photo-thermal enhancing auto-regula...

The DN gel and HAp/DN gel implanted in rabbit femurs. The Micro-CT image shows HAp/DN gel has the same contrast as the bone HAp (indicated with the red arrow); the cross-section shows that the boundaries of the bone and the HAp layer are fused. Credit: Nonoyama T., Wada S. et al., Advanced Materials, May 17, 2016

Researchers at Hokkaido University have developed a new kind of hydrogel that bonds spontaneously and strongly to defected bones, suggesting potential use in the treatments of joint injuries. When soft supporting human tissues – including cartilage and ligaments, which are joined firmly to bones – are damaged, they cannot spontaneously repair inside the body. The use of artificial supporting tissues has the potential to significantly ameliorate damage to soft tissues...