Fixing traumatic injuries to the skin and bones of the face and skull is difficult because of the many layers of different types of tissues involved, but now, researchers have repaired such defects in a rat model using bioprinting during surgery, and their work may lead to faster and better methods of healing skin and […]
Lifestyle
Gel loaded with cancer-fighting cells keeps tumors in check after surgery in mice
A new, biodegradable gel filled with a cocktail of immune-boosting cytokines and cancer-fighting cells staved off the growth of lingering cancer cells in mice after tumors were surgically removed. Three weeks after surgery, the tumors of mice treated with the specialized gel were roughly 60 times smaller than those of mice not given the treatment. […]
Study investigates link between prediabetes and youth beverage intake
Adolescents in the U.S. exceed the current recommendation of sugar sweetened beverage consumption and a new study in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care shows a link between the beverage and an increased risk for a prediabetes diagnosis. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that one in five adolescents are living […]
Dietary amino acid determines the fate of cancer cells
A research group at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) has discovered molecular events that determine whether cancer cells live or die. With this knowledge, they found that reduced consumption of a specific protein building block prevents the growth of cells that become cancerous. These findings were published in the scientific journal eLife […]
Transporter imbalance implicated in schizophrenia
Alterations in the balance of two chloride ion transporters may be responsible for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Science Advances. These alterations cause the most important inhibitory current in the brain, called GABAA, to become excitatory. Inhibiting the transporter activity with bumetanide, an FDA-approved diuretic, rescued cognitive symptoms […]
Communication challenges can offer clues that signal whether a child may have autism
Typically, babies babble and toddlers chatter. But a child with autism spectrum disorder may lack these—and other—communication skills. Allie Wainer, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorder at Rush’s Autism Assessment, Research, Treatment and Services (AARTS) Center, notes that signs of autism can be observed in the first years of life for […]
Study links hydraulic fracking with increased risk of heart attack hospitalization, death
The Marcellus Formation straddles the New York State and Pennsylvania border, a region that shares similar geography and population demographics. However, on one side of the state line unconventional natural gas development—or fracking—is banned, while on the other side it represents a multi-billion dollar industry. New research takes advantage of this ‘natural experiment’ to examine […]