Category Health/Medical

ProAgio induces apoptosis by recruiting caspase 8, that plays an essential role in programmed cell death, to the cytoplasmic area of integrin v3

A protein designed Georgia State Uni researchers can effectively target a cell surface receptor linked to a number of diseases, showing potential as a therapeutic treatment for an array of illnesses, including cancer. ProAgio, which is created from a human protein, targets the cell surface receptor integrin v3 at a novel site that has not been targeted by other scientists. The researchers found ProAgio induces apoptosis of cells that express integrin v3. This integrin has been a focus for drug development because abnormal expression of v3 is linked to the development and progression of a number of diseases.

“This integrin pair, v3, is not expresse...

As control mice run along a track, the brain map of their environment isregularly updated through the neural circuitry in the hippocampus (left side of image). Without input from area CA3 in the hippocampus, the neural code that represents where the mutant mouse has come from (past coding) and is going (future coding) becomes disordered with only the current location remaining intact (right side of image). Credit: RIKEN

Neurons need well-waves of activity to organize memories across time. In the hippocampus, temporal ordering of the neural code is important for building a mental map of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you are going. RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan has pinpointed how the neurons that represent space in mice stay in time.

As a mouse navigates its environmen...

Dynamic cerebral reorganization in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia: a, MRI-derived cortical thickness study. Credit: Lena Palaniyappan

A team of scientists from across the globe have shown that the brains of patients with schizophrenia have the capacity to reorganize and fight the illness. This is the first time that imaging data has been used to show that our brains may have the ability to reverse the effects of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is an illness generally associated with a widespread reduction in brain tissue volume. However, a recent study found that a subtle increase in tissue also occurs in certain brain regions.

The study followed 98 patients with schizophrenia vs 83 patients without schizophrenia...