Category Health/Medical

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...

Kyoto University’s Institute team coated gold nanorods with lipoprotein. This allowed the nanorods to bind efficiently to nerve cell membranes bearing a pain receptor called TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1). Near-infrared light was then applied to the nanorod-coated pain receptors. The nanorods heated up, activating the pain receptors to allow an influx of calcium ions through the membrane. Prolonged activation of TRPV1 is known to subsequently lead to their desensitization, bringing pain relief. Importantly, heating the gold nanorods enabled safe activation of the TRPV1 pain receptors alone, without affecting the membrane in which they lie.

Previous studies had shown that magnetic nanoparticles are also able to activate TRPV1 receptors by applying a magnetic fie...

The hippocampus is particularly active when a person solves conflicts quickly and successfully. Credit: © RUB, Grafik: Bierstedt

In everyday life, people are confronted with decision conflicts, especially if they need to suppress an action that would have made sense under normal circumstances. eg when the pedestrian lights go green, a pedestrian would normally start walking. If, however, a car comes speeding along at the same time, the pedestrian should stay where he is.

METHOD: Study participants heard the words “high” or “low” spoken in a high or low tone, and they had to state – regardless of the meaning of the word – at what pitch the speaker said them...

The Virginia Tech researchers discovered that pre-diabetic people who were considered to be insulin resistant – also had altered mitochondrial DNA. Researchers made the connection by analyzing blood samples taken from 40 participants enrolled in the diaBEAT-it program, a long-term study run by multiple researchers in the Fralin Translational Obesity Research Center and funded by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Participants did not have diabetes or cardiovascular disease, but were pre-diabetic and showed signs of insulin resistance.

Blood samples revealed participants had lower amounts of mitochondrial DNA with a higher amount of methylation – a process that can change the expression of genes and mitochondrial copy numbers in ...