Category Health/Medical

Metabolic differences in the small intestine A. Metabolic genes as well as the associated reactions involved in the formation of glutathione (GSH) are presented. B, C Significant differences associated with (B) glycine and (C) glutamine are shown. Red and blue arrows indicate the significantly (Q‐value < 0.05) higher and lower expression of the metabolic genes in CONV‐R mice compared to GF mice, respectively. D. The levels of glycine, glutamine, and cysteine used in the de novo synthesis of the GSH are measured in the hepatic portal vein that conducts blood from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver tissue. *Q‐value < 0.05.

Human intestinal flora regulates the levels of the body’s main antioxidant, glutathione, which fights a host of diseases, new research confirms...

Parietin pigment kills leukemia cells, combats Warburg effect. An orange pigment found in lichens and rhubarb called parietin may have potential as an anti-cancer drug, scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered.

Parietin, also known as physcion, could slow the growth of and kill human leukemia cells obtained directly from patients, without obvious toxicity to human blood cells. The pigment could also inhibit the growth of human cancer cell lines derived from lung and head and neck tumors when grafted into mice.

A team of researchers discovered the properties of parietin because they were looking for inhibitors for the metabolic enzyme 6PGD (6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase)...

Researchers modeled kidney development and injury in kidney organoids (shown here), demonstrating that the organoid culture system can be used to study mechanisms of human kidney development and toxicity. Credit: Ryuji Morizane, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

The kidney structures formed could be used to study abnormalities of kidney development, chronic kidney disease, the effects of toxic drugs, and be incorporated into bioengineered devices to treat patients with acute and chronic kidney injury. In the longer term, these methods could hasten progress toward replacing a damaged or diseased kidney with tissue derived from a patient’s own cells.

CKD affects 9 – 11% of the U.S. adult population and is a serious public health problem worldwide...

A 3-D image of a tooth filled with nanodiamond-enhanced gutta percha, and an individual gutta percha point. Credit: American Chemical Society/Dong-Keun Lee

Tiny particles strenthen the compound used to fill teeth, ward off infection. Nanodiamonds may help patients that have had the dreaded root canal. Dental researchers have developed a nanodiamond-reinforced version of gutta percha, the compound that is used to fill void spaces in dental root canals to prevent infection that can lead to tooth loss. Tested in patient-extracted teeth, the nanodiamond-embedded polymer was substantially stronger than conventional gutta percha...