Category Health/Medical

The polymer sphere delivers the microRNA into cells already at the wound site, which turns the cells into bone repairing machines. Credit: Peter Ma

Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a polymer sphere that delivers a molecule to bone wounds that tells cells already at the injury site to repair the damage. Using the polymer sphere to introduce the microRNA molecule into cells elevates the job of existing cells to that of injury repair by instructing the cells’ healing and bone-building mechanisms to switch on, said Prof Peter Ma.

Using existing cells to repair wounds reduces the need to introduce foreign cells – a very difficult therapy because cells have their own personalities, which can result in the host rejecting the foreign cells, or tumors...

Construction of a tissue-specific protein abundance atlas. (a) Vascularized organs, plasma and cells adjacent to the blood plasma were collected from healthy Balb-C mice. The collected organs and cells were washed in PBS, homogenized, the proteins digested with trypsin and analysed by shotgun LC-MS/MS. (b) The scaled spectral counts from the LC-MS/MS analysis of the individual organs and cells were correlated using Pearson’s r correlation coefficient, indicated by the numbers in the heat map. (c) Heat map of the scaled spectral counts of the different cell and organs. The grey lines in the heat map shows percentage of signal associated with a given organ or cell type. Total number of identified proteins per organ, blood vessel and cells is shown in brackets below the heat map.

Research g...

Mapping of cortical fold depths. In green: sulcal pits (the deepest point of each fold). In red: localization of the abnormality detected in autistic children (in Broca’s area). Credit: © SCALP team / INT

Scientists have identified a cerebral marker specific to autism that can be detected by MRI present from 2 yo. The abnormality consists in a less deep fold in Broca’s area, a region of the brain specialized in language and communication, functions that are impaired in autistic patients. This discovery may assist in the earlier diagnosis and management of these patients...

Life-extending hormone bolsters the body’s immune function. Credit: Yale University

A hormone that extends lifespan in mice by 40% is produced by specialized cells in the thymus gland, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. The team also found that increasing the levels of this hormone, called FGF21, protects against the loss of immune function that comes with age. The study’s findings have future implications for improving immune function in the elderly, for obesity, and for illnesses such as cancer and type-2 diabetes.

When functioning normally, the thymus produces new T cells for the immune system, but with age, the thymus becomes fatty and loses its ability to produce new T cells...