Category Health/Medical

Highlights
d Loss of one Mcl-1 allele substantially delays
lymphomagenesis
d MCL-1 antagonizes BIM in lymphoma development
d Loss of p53 reduces requirement for MCL-1 during
lymphomagenesis

A protein that is key to the development of blood cancers caused by a common genetic error has been identified by researchers. The discovery is a missing piece in the puzzle of understanding how high levels of a protein called MYC drive cancer development, and may to lead to future strategies for early treatment or possibly even prevention of these cancers.

70% of human cancers have abnormally high levels of MYC, which forces cells into unusually rapid growth...

To understand human behaviors, it is crucial to understand the motives behind them. So far, there was no direct way to identify motives. Psychologist and neuroscientist Grit Hein, Ernst Fehr et al found that the way relevant brain regions communicate with each other is altered depending on the motives driving a specific behavioral choice. This interplay between brain regions allowed them to identify the underlying motives. These motives could not be uncovered by observing the person’s choices, or based on the brain regions that are activated during the decision-making.

Empathy-based altruism is primarily characterized by a positive connectivity from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to the anterior insula (AI), whereas reciprocity-based altruism additionally invokes strong positive conn...

These are multi-pixel electroluminescent displays fabricated via replica molding. The device measures 5 mm thick, with each of the 64 pixels measuring 4 mm. It can be deformed and stretched in various ways. Credit: Science, Organic Robotics Lab at Cornell University

Imagine a health care robot that could display the patient’s temperature and pulse, and even reacts to a patient’s mood. It sounds futuristic, but a team of Cornell grad students – led by Assistant Prof. Rob Shepherd- has developed an electroluminescent “skin” that stretches to more than 6X its original size while still emitting light. The discovery could lead to significant advances in health care, transportation, electronic communication and other areas.

“This material can stretch with the body of a soft robot, and that’s wha...

sTREM2 cerebrospinal fluid levels are a potential biomarker for microglia activity in early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease and associate with neuronal injury markers

This secreted marker molecule, which can be measured from CSF taps, may provide clinicians with a rapidly detectable biomarker for the transition from preclinical Alzheimer’s disease to cognitive impairment and progression to full dementia. Such is the conclusion of a multi-center study on a large group of human patients, published online in EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Alzheimer’s disease, an increasing problem in today’s aging populations, is characterized by amyloid peptide plaques and tau protein aggregates in nerve cells...