Category Health/Medical

Heat inducible expression of pdgf-b mRNA in transgenic PD-1 L. sericata. a Schematic of heat-inducible pdgf-b gene construct in a piggyBac transformation vector with a ZsGreen marker gene. b Genomic DNA sequence adjacent to the 5′ pBac end in the PD-1 transgenic line. The TTAA insertion site is underlined. c RT-PCR amplification of pdgf-b on total RNA obtained from first instar PD-1 larvae that had been given a heat shock (+HS) or no heat shock (-HS)

Genetically engineered green bottle fly larvae (Lucilia sericata) can produce and secrete a human growth factor – a molecule that helps promote cell growth and wound healing...

Man unable to sleep (stock image). Acute sleep loss in humans is associated with increased appetite and insulin insensitivity, while chronically sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to develop obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Credit: © Focus Pocus LTD / Fotolia

A new study is the first to identify that a conserved gene – translin – works as a modulator of sleep in response to metabolic changes. The sleep habits of fruit flies are remarkably similar to humans. They get most of their sleep at night, certain drugs and stimulants like caffeine can negatively affect their sleep, and if they get a lousy night’s sleep it can even affect their memory performance.

When fruit flies are hungry, they sleep less because they will sacrifice sleep for their...

Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy by Microneedle Patch-Assisted Delivery of Anti-PD1 Antibody.

Biomedical engineering researchers have developed a technique that uses a patch embedded with microneedles to deliver cancer immunotherapy treatment directly to the site of melanoma skin cancer. In animal studies, the technique more effectively targeted melanoma than other immunotherapy treatments.

More than 67,000 people in the US were diagnosed with melanoma in 2012 alone – the most recent year for which data are available. If caught early, melanoma patients have a 5yr survival rate of more than 98%. That number dips to 16.6% if the cancer has metastasized before diagnosis and treatment.

Cancer cells can trick T cells...

Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top

Closer adherence to Japanese dietary guidelines is associated with a lower risk of death from all causes and death from cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke, finds a study published by The BMJ today. The findings suggest that balanced consumption of grains, vegetables, fruits and adequate intake of fish and meat, can contribute to longevity in the Japanese population.

In 2005, the Japanese government developed the spinning top – a Japanese food guide – to illustrate the balance and quantity of food in the daily Japanese diet. A team of researchers, led by Kayo Kurotani at the National Centre for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, set out to examine the association between adherence to the food guide and total and cause specific mortality.

They used...