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    Category Health/Medical

    Imaging study shows Promising Results for Patients with Schizophrenia

    May 29, 2016, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Health/Medical

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

    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...

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    Powering up the Circadian Rhythm

    May 29, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Researchers led by the Salk Institute are the first to discover a protein that controls the strength of the body's circadian rhythms. A mouse liver with a "weak" circadian clock, caused by the targeted deletion of FBXW7 (right), has disrupted the lipid metabolism program and promoted lipid accumulation, compared to the normal liver (left). Credit: Salk Institute

    Researchers led by the Salk Institute are the first to discover a protein that controls the strength of the body’s circadian rhythms. A mouse liver with a “weak” circadian clock, caused by the targeted deletion of FBXW7 (right), has disrupted the lipid metabolism program and promoted lipid accumulation, compared to the normal liver (left). Credit: Salk Institute

    At noon, levels of genes and proteins throughout your body are drastically different than they are at midnight. Disruptions to this 24-hour cycle of physiological activity are why jet lag or a bad night’s sleep can alter your appetite and sleep patterns for days—and even contribute to conditions like heart disease, sleep disorders and cancers...

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    Mimicking Deep Sleep Brain activity Improves Memory

    May 29, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Optogenetic inactivation of M2 axons impairs memory consolidation (A) Diagram of the miniature wireless LED device that was attached to S1 (or M2) in both hemispheres. AAV-ArchT or AAV-GFP was injected (inset) into M2 (or S1) in both hemispheres. (B) Examples of EEG and EMG recordings during the resting period. Brain states were identified with EEG recordings (see Methods). (C) Diagram of sleep-state specific optogenetics. (D) Summary for the task when M2 fibers were inactivated at S1 during the three periods. (E) Summary for the task when S1 fibers were inactivated at M2 during resting-NREM sleep (0-1h after sampling period). The cumulative illumination time was 30 min in each state. Statistical significance among more than 2 groups (**P < 0.01) was assessed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test, statistical significance between 2 groups was assessed by Student’s t-test, statistical significance from 50 % chance level (#P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01) was assessed by one-sample t-test.

    Optogenetic inactivation of M2 axons impairs memory consolidation (A) Diagram of the miniature wireless LED device that was attached to S1 (or M2) in both hemispheres. AAV-ArchT or AAV-GFP was injected (inset) into M2 (or S1) in both hemispheres. (B) Examples of EEG and EMG recordings during the resting period. Brain states were identified with EEG recordings (see Methods). (C) Diagram of sleep-state specific optogenetics. (D) Summary for the task when M2 fibers were inactivated at S1 during the three periods. (E) Summary for the task when S1 fibers were inactivated at M2 during resting-NREM sleep (0-1h after sampling period). The cumulative illumination time was 30 min in each state. Statistical significance among more than 2 groups (**P < 0...

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    Simpler way to keep Therapeutic Proteins where needed for Long Periods

    May 28, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Adsorption may be rate-limiting for the release of positively charged proteins from PLGA np. (i) Initially, the protein is fully adsorbed to the negatively charged nanoparticle surface. (ii) As the nanoparticle begins to degrade, acidic components build up and decrease the local pH. (iii) At a certain threshold, the nanoparticle surface becomes neutral, weakening the electrostatic interactions with the positively charged proteins and initiating release.

    Adsorption may be rate-limiting for the release of positively charged proteins from PLGA np. (i) Initially, the protein is fully adsorbed to the negatively charged nanoparticle surface. (ii) As the nanoparticle begins to degrade, acidic components build up and decrease the local pH. (iii) At a certain threshold, the nanoparticle surface becomes neutral, weakening the electrostatic interactions with the positively charged proteins and initiating release.

    It’s a potential game-changer for Rx of chronic illnesses or injuries that often require multiple injections or daily pills. For decades, biomedical engineers have been painstakingly encapsulating proteins in nanoparticles to control their release...

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