Chronic pain affects up to 20% of people in developed countries, and represents not only a profound impact on individuals and their families but also a sizeable burden on employers, health care systems, and society in general. Now, a study published in the Journal of Pain Research finds another safe and effective drug-free treatment option for chronic pain sufferers - spinal cord stimulation (SCS).
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The very first bony fish on Earth was susceptible to arthritis, according to a USC-led discovery that may fast-track therapeutic research in preventing or easing the nation's most common cause of disability.
The finding contradicts the widely held belief that lubricated joints enabling mobility -- called synovial joints -- evolved as vertebrates ventured onto land. For example, human knees and hips have synovial joints, which are highly susceptible to osteoarthritis.
Researchers at Hokkaido University have developed a new kind of hydrogel that bonds spontaneously and strongly to defected bones, suggesting potential use in the treatments of joint injuries.
A powerful new technology that maps the "social network" of proteins in breast cancer cells is providing detailed understanding of the disease at a molecular level and could eventually lead to new treatments, Australian scientists say.
The technique - called BiCAP - uses nanotechnology to visualise and isolate protein complexes in breast cancer cells. The results are then combined with a sensitive method called proteomics to map and measure how the proteins interact with each other and ultimately control cell behaviour.
Researchers from Dr. H.S. Gour University and Jadavapur University in India have found out structural requirements of some theophylline based molecules against the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase.
BETHESDA, MD - The constant battle between pathogens and their hosts has long been recognized as a key driver of evolution, but until now scientists have not had the tools to look at these patterns globally across species and genomes. In a new study, researchers apply big-data analysis to reveal the full extent of viruses' impact on the evolution of humans and other mammals.
Their findings suggest an astonishing 30 percent of all protein adaptations since humans' divergence with chimpanzees have been driven by viruses.
Bethesda, MD - For a single celled organism, as with many cells, cell shape is critical to the functions it can perform. However, little is known about how cells regain proper shape after an injury. In a new study being presented at The Allied Genetics Conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers report new insights about the underlying drivers that help cells heal and maintain their shape.
In Antarctic waters that would kill a person within minutes happily dwells a tiny, single-celled organism known as Euplotes focardii. In a new study, researchers from Italy's University of Camerino examine the genes and proteins behind this organism's remarkable ability to cope with its extreme environment, which is not only unthinkably cold, but also saturated with oxygen at a level that would be very stressful for most organisms. The team's findings reveal new insights about how--and how quickly--life can adapt to a changing climate.
One of the most exciting strategies researchers are pursuing for fighting cancer is to cut off the blood supply of cancerous cells. However, many initially-promising therapies have failed in part because tumor cells counteract these therapies by increasing their production of "pro-angiogenic" proteins that promote new blood vessel growth and boost tumor blood supply. In a new study, researchers have found a way to turn the tables on this process by disrupting the ability of vascular endothelial cells (blood vessel-forming cells) to respond to these pro-angiogenic signals from tumors.
A team of scientists in Portugal has discovered, in the mouse gut, a novel process that protects the bowel's lining against inflammation and microbial aggressions - and fights them when they arise. And, most surprisingly, they have shown that this mechanism is under the control of the intestinal nervous system - the so-called "second brain".
"We show that specific imbalances in the gut microbiota are essential contributors to insulin resistance, a forerunner state of widespread disorders like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, which are in epidemic growth," says Professor Oluf Pedersen, Metabolism Center, University of Copenhagen, and senior lead author of the paper.
A study of 3.9 million adults published today in The Lancet finds that being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of premature death. The risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer are all increased. Overall, the excess risk of premature death (before age 70) among those who are overweight or obese is about three times as great in men as in women.
Boston, MA - Being overweight or obese is associated with a higher risk of dying prematurely than being normal weight--and the risk increases with additional pounds, according to a large international collaborative study led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Cambridge, UK. The findings contradict recent reports that suggest a survival advantage to being overweight--the so-called "obesity paradox."
The study will be published online on July 13, 2016 in The Lancet.
Sturdy, lightweight carbon foam has many structural and insulating applications in aerospace engineering, energy storage and temperature maintenance. Current methods to create this material run into difficulties when trying to make the product strong, lightweight, environmentally friendly and low-cost. Now, a group reports in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces a method to produce such a carbon foam by using super-toasted bread.
Plastic packaging might seem impenetrable -- and sometimes nearly impossible to remove -- but water molecules can still pass through. And this permeability to moisture can limit the lifespan of a product. To better protect goods such as electronics and medicines, scientists have developed a new kind of packaging that incorporates a single layer of graphene. They report their material, which reduces by a million fold how much water can get through, in the journal ACS Nano.