Category Health/Medical

The PolyU research team led by Dr Jianhua Hao, Associate Professor of Department of Applied Physics (right) and Dr Mo Yang, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering (left) have developed a novel nano biosensor for rapid detection of flu and other viruses. Credit: Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

PolyU’s invention utilizes an optical method called upconversion luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) process for ultrasensitive virus detection. It involves simple operational procedures, significantly reducing its testing duration from around 1-3 days to 2-3 hours, making it more than 10X quicker than traditional clinical methods. Its cost is around HK$20 per sample, which is 80% lower than traditional testing methods...

A mouse’s fat cells (red) are shown surrounded by a network of blood vessels (green). Source: Daniela Malide, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health

UC SF scientists have found a surprising new avenue for potential therapies to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders associated with chronic tissue inflammation in obesity. Inflammation in obesity may be caused, at least in part, by a completely different mechanism from the one that controls normal immune responses. The research shows saturated fats “short-circuit” both mouse and human immune cells, producing an inappropriate inflammatory response as a consequence...

Two skin cells of a mouse show the flow of calcium into the cell in response to a dose of histamine (lower panel). Duke researchers have shown that an ion channel called TRPV4 is the beginning of a chain of messages that ends up signaling “itch” to the brain. Credit: Yong Chen, Duke University

A potential drug target for itching sensations has been developed by researchers. Their work shows that skin cells – when exposed to certain itch-producing chemicals – can powerfully regulate nearby sensory nerve cells and facilitate transmission of the itchy feelings to the brain. The ion channel TRPV4 functions in skin cells as a pivotal switch in this newly revealed signaling pathway. Prof. Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D., Ph...

Representative high-magnification photomicrographs of H&E-stained sections of abdominal skin tumor specimens from DOX-treated ikGPCR+;Becn2+/+ and ikGPCR+;Becn2+/− mice. (Scale bars, 10 μm.)

Building upon earlier research, UT Southwestern Medical Center and their collaborators have identified a new innate immunity pathway that protects mammals from viral oncogenesis, the process by which viruses cause normal cells to become cancerous. Given the prevalence of virus-related cancers in humans, the discovery is significant – and could eventually contribute to development of new cancer therapies.

“More than 20% of human cancers – as well as a number of other diseases – are linked to chronic viral infections,” said Dr. Xiaonan Dong.
This study revealed that the autophagy-related protein becli...