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    Category Health/Medical

    Shocking new role found for the Immune System: Controlling Social Interaction

    July 13, 2016, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Health/Medical

    Normal brain activityA hyper-connected brainUniversity of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have determined that the immune system directly affects and even controls, creatures’ social behavior, such as their desire to interact with others. So could immune system problems contribute to an inability to have normal social interactions? The answer appears to be yes, and could have great implications for neurological conditions eg autism-spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

    “The brain and the adaptive immune system were thought to be isolated from each other, and any immune activity in the brain was perceived as sign of a pathology. And now, not only are we showing that they are closely interacting, but some of our behavior traits might have evolved because of our immune response to pathogens,” explained Jonathan Kipnis, PhD...

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    Mini-brain model of Idiopathic Autism reveals underlying Pathology of Neuronal Overgrowth

    July 13, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    This image shows induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells after neuronal differentiation. The neurons express a pan neuronal marker Map2 in green and a percentage of the cells express a marker for inhibitory neurons, GABA, in red. The cells' nuclei are stained blue. Credit: UC San Diego Health

    This image shows induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells after neuronal differentiation. The neurons express a pan neuronal marker Map2 in green and a percentage of the cells express a marker for inhibitory neurons, GABA, in red. The cells’ nuclei are stained blue. Credit: UC San Diego Health

    The vast majority of cases of ASD are idiopathic (cause unknown). Researchers have created a “mini-brain” model, derived from persons with a particular form of idiopathic ASD characterized by over-sized brains, revealing a defective molecular pathway during brain development that results in early neuronal overgrowth and dysfunctional cortical networks...

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    Scientists move closer to developing Therapeutic Window to the Brain

    July 12, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    This is an illustration showing how the "Window to the Brain" transparent skull implant created by UC Riverside researchers would work. Credit: UC Riverside

    This is an illustration showing how the “Window to the Brain” transparent skull implant created by UC Riverside researchers would work. Credit: UC Riverside

    Transparent skull implant will allow doctors to deliver life-saving laser treatments to patients with brain disorders, eg brain cancers, traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. The recent studies highlight both the biocompatibility of the implant material and its ability to endure bacterial infections.

    The project began when Aguilar and his team developed a transparent version of the material yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) – the same ceramic product used in hip implants and dental crowns...

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    Gut Bacteria can Cause, Predict and Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis

    July 12, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Collinsella aerofaciens enhances arthritis severity. Two weeks post-immunization (marked with arrow) a subset of mice were treated with C. aerofaciens every alternate day for 4 weeks (marked with arrows), n = 10. Mice not treated with C. aerofaciens (n = 8) were used as a control. Mice were followed for a incidence and onset of arthritis (*P = 0.068) and b disease severity. Collinsella enhances T-cell proliferation. c T-cell proliferation was measured by culturing sorted (by fluorescence-activated cell sorting) CD4 cells from the spleens of CII-primed mice cultured with dendritic cells that were pre-cultured with Collinsella for 4 h. **P = 0.02 (n = 3 mice/group). Collinsella reduces the expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1 and Occludin. d CACO-2 cells cultured with or without Collinsella stained with ZO-1 and Occludin showed differences in the expression of tight junction proteins. e Quantification of the mean fluorescence intensity of ZO-1 and Occludin expression in CACO-2 cells cultured alone or in the presence of Collinsella, # P < 0.05 and *P < 0.01. f Increased gut permeability was observed in DQ8 mice when Collinsella was administered. Sera of mice were tested for FITC-Dextran before and after treating mice with Collinsella for 3 weeks (*P = 0.03; n = 10 mice/group). g Fold difference in the expression of Th17 regulatory cytokine/chemokine transcripts in CACO-2 cells cultured with C. aerofaciens compared with CACO-2 cells cultured with bacterial growth media. Error bars represent standard error of the mean values. Experiments were repeated for reproducibility

    Collinsella aerofaciens enhances arthritis severity. Two weeks post-immunization (marked with arrow) a subset of mice were treated with C. aerofaciens every alternate day for 4 weeks (marked with arrows), n = 10. Mice not treated with C. aerofaciens (n = 8) were used as a control. Mice were followed for a incidence and onset of arthritis (*P = 0.068) and b disease severity. Collinsella enhances T-cell proliferation. c T-cell proliferation was measured by culturing sorted (by fluorescence-activated cell sorting) CD4 cells from the spleens of CII-primed mice cultured with dendritic cells that were pre-cultured with Collinsella for 4 h. **P = 0.02 (n = 3 mice/group). Collinsella reduces the expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1 and Occludin...

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