Category Health/Medical

Chestnut leaf extract, rich in ursene and oleanene derivatives, shows that it that blocks Staphlococcus aureus virulence and pathogenesis without detectable resistance. The use of chestnut leaves in traditional folk remedies inspired the research, led by Cassandra Quave, an ethnobotanist at Emory University.

“Rather than killing staph, this botanical extract works by taking away staph’s weapons, essentially shutting off the ability of the bacteria to create toxins that cause tissue damage. In other words, it takes the teeth out of the bacteria’s bite.” The discovery holds potential for new ways to both treat and prevent infections of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, or MRSA, without fueling the growing problem of drug-resistant pathogens.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria annually cause ...

Preventive strategies, targeting diet, drugs, body chemistry, mental health, pre-existing disease, and lifestyle may help to stave off dementia. This could be particularly important, given that, as yet, there is no cure, they say. The researchers wanted to look at the factors associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease in a bid to determine the degree to which these might be modified and so potentially reduce overall risk.

They trawled key research databases, looking for relevant studies published in English from 1968 up to July 2014. Out of almost 17,000 studies, 323, covering 93 different potential risk factors and more than 5000 people, were suitable for inclusion in the analysis...

Potential mechanisms contributing to low bone mass and increased fracture susceptibility in diabetes mellitus.

“Clinical trials have revealed a startling elevation in fracture risk in diabetic patients,” says Liyun Wang, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware. “Bone fractures can be life threatening – nearly one in six hip fracture patients dies within a year of injury.” As physical exercise is proven to improve bone properties and reduce fracture risk in non-diabetic people, Wang’s group decided to test its efficacy in Type 1 diabetes.

Osteocytes are critical to maintenance of the tissue quality and mechanical integrity of bone...

Schematic representation of PTBP1 protein structure. Each RNA recognition motif (RRM) has different binding affinity for pyrimidine-rich sequences on mRNA. The N-terminal domain encloses partially overlapping nuclear localisation (NLS) and export signals (NES). Blue boxes representing RRMs are not drawn to scale.

A small change in a protein PTBP1 can spur the creation of neurons that could have fuelled the evolution of mammalian brains to become the largest and most complex among vertebrates. Brain size and complexity vary enormously across vertebrates, but it is not clear how these differences came about. Humans and frogs, for example, have been evolving separately for 350 million years and have very different brain abilities...