Category Health/Medical

Non-gray circles and their connections represent 80, 70 and 60 percent (from top to bottom) of all outgoing traffic within the sampled section of a cortical region. Credit: Indiana University

70% of all info within cortical regions in the brain passes through only 20% of its regions’ neurons. These high-traffic “hub neurons” could play a role in understanding brain health since this sort of highly efficient network – in which a small number of neurons are more essential to brain function – is also more vulnerable to disruption. That’s because relatively small breakages can cause the whole system to “go down”...

Photocleavable Hydrogel-Coated Upconverting Nanoparticles: A Multifunctional Theranostic Platform for NIR Imaging and On-Demand Macromolecular Delivery. Lanthanide-doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have emerged as excellent nanotransducers for converting longer wavelength near-infrared (NIR) light to shorter wavelengths spanning the UV to visible (Vis) regions of the spectrum via a multiphoton absorption process, known as upconversion. Here, we report the development of NIR to UV–Vis–NIR UCNPs consisting of LiYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@SiO2 individually coated with a 10 ± 2 nm layer of chitosan (CH) hydrogel cross-linked with a photocleavable cross-linker (PhL).

Some drug regimens, eg those designed to eliminate tumors, are notorious for nasty side effects...

Short bursts of Intensive Exercise provide a more “time-efficient” and realistic way of preventing, delaying and managing Type 2 diabetes and also losing weight. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are linked, with >80% of people with the condition classed as overweight or obese – diet and physical activity interventions are the cornerstones for management of both conditions.

The effects of exercise on Type 2 diabetes and improving the body’s ability to use insulin to absorb blood sugar are well established, but its impact on weight regulation is more controversial...

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have shown they can stop leukemia in its tracks by targeting a protein that puts the handbrake on cancer cell growth. The researchers discovered that targeting a protein called Hhex could cure acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in preclinical disease models, and could be a key target for new therapies for human leukemia. Credit: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Melbourne researchers have showed that they can stop leukemia in its tracks by targeting a protein that puts the handbrake on cancer cell growth.They discovered targeting protein Hhex could cure acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in preclinical disease models, and could be a key target for new therapies for human leukemia...