Category Health/Medical

At left, cells glow red to indicate that the detection system has been successfully delivered. The system was designed to produce green fluorescence in cells carrying a viral DNA sequence, as seen at right. Credit: Shimyn Slomovic

Biological engineers have developed a modular system of proteins that can detect a particular DNA sequence in a cell and then trigger a specific response, such as cell death. They needed to link these zinc fingers’ DNA-binding capability with a consequence – either turning on a fluorescent protein to reveal that the target DNA is present or generating another type of action inside the cell.

They used an”intein” – a short protein that can be inserted into a larger protein, splitting it into two pieces...

Beetroot juice enhances performance

Resesarch adds further weight to the case for beetroot juice as a superfood for elite and amateur sports players and athletes. Previously, the team at Exeter has regular beetroot juice drinks can help people to exercise for 16% longer. Drinking high nitrate beetroot juice improves both sprint performance and decision-making during prolonged intermittent exercise such as rugby and football. In the latest study,16 male team sport players received 140ml of Beet It Sport, high nitrate beetroot juice for seven days.

On day 7, the sportsmen, who were all members of rugby, hockey or football teams, completed an intermittent sprint test which consisted of two 40 minute sessions of repeated 2 minute blocks...

While it is not immediately clear why the communication between the brain and muscle was different as a result of different types of exercise, it offers leads for new means of research into neuromechanical differences in muscle function, muscle performance, muscle stiffness and other areas.

A University of Kansas study shows that the communication between the brain and quadriceps muscles of people who take part in endurance training, such as running long distances, is different than those who regularly took part in resistance training and those who were sedentary. The findings may offer clues to the type of physical activity humans are most naturally suited to.

Assistant Prof Trent Herda and Postdoc student Michael Trevino conducted studies in which they measured muscle responses of 5 peo...

A human donor Alzheimer’s disease brain tissue stained with an agent called ‘congo-red’, which allows for the visualization of amyloid-beta plaques (red) in the brain and surrounding blood vessels. Blue stains show the nuclei of the cells in the brain. Credit: Dr Matthew Campbell, 2015

Researchers believe that periodic clearance of a specific protein across the blood brain barrier could hold tremendous potential for new therapies. Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have shed light on a fundamental mechanism underlying the development of Alzheimer’s disease, which could lead to new forms of therapy for those living with the condition.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized, in part, by the build-up of a small protein (‘amyloid-beta’) in the brains of patients...