Category Health/Medical

Robot outperformed expert surgeons and current robot-assisted surgical techniques in open bowel surgery in pigs. (stock image) Credit: © ralamst / Fotolia

Putting surgery one step closer into the realm of self-driving cars and intelligent machines, researchers show for the first time that a supervised autonomous robot can successfully perform soft tissue surgery. The robot outperformed expert surgeons and current robot-assisted surgical techniques in open bowel surgery in pigs. By taking human intervention out of the equation, autonomous robots could potentially reduce complications and improve the safety and efficacy of soft tissue surgeries, about 45 million of which are performed in the U.S. each year.

Robot-assisted surgery currently relies on the surgeon to manually control it, and o...

Before the delivery of the neurotoxin (left) the SCN oscillate in a synchronized pattern. After the delivery of the neurotoxin (right), neurons in the SCN oscillate randomly. Credit: Image courtesy of the Doyle Lab

For the 1st time it has been shown how neurons in the SCN are connected to each other, shedding light on this vital area of the brain. Understanding this structure – and how it responds to disruption – is important for tackling illnesses like diabetes and PTSD. The scientists have also found that disruption to these rhythms such as shifts in work schedules or blue light exposure at night can negatively impact overall health...

After treatment with riluzole, the brains of old rats showed more of a transporter molecule that removes excess glutamate, (green fluorescence, right) as compared to untreated rats (left). Credit: Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at The Rockefeller University/Molecular Psychiatry

In new research a drug, riluzole, is capable of reversing key genetic changes associated with these conditions. “In aging and Alzheimer’s, the chemical signal glutamate can accumulate between neurons, damaging the circuitry,” Pereira says. “When we treated rats with riluzole, we saw a suite of changes. Perhaps most significantly, expression of molecules responsible for clearing excess glutamate returned to more youthful levels...

Furukawa and colleagues have obtained images showing for the first time how different domains of the NMDA receptor move when the receptor is in active, non-active, and inhibited states. Understanding how NMDA receptors activate is critical in designing novel therapeutic compounds for potential use in schizophrenia, depression and other disorders. Credit: Furukawa Lab, CSHL

Researchers have obtained images of the NMDA receptor in active, non-active, and inhibited states. Understanding how NMDA receptors activate is critical in designing novel therapeutic compounds for schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s and other illnesses...