Culture
Animal toxins are research targets owing to their therapeutic and biotechnological potential. Researchers at the Federal University of the ABC (UFABC), Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) and Federal University of Ceará (UFC) in Brazil have discovered that VmCT1, an antimicrobial peptide isolated from the venom of the scorpion Vaejovis mexicanus, and its analogs kill Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Previous research has demonstrated VmCT1's potential against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as tumor cells and other protozoans.
DALLAS - Dec. 21, 2020 - A UT Southwestern research team has catalogued gene activity in the skeletal muscle of mice, comparing healthy animals to those carrying a genetic mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in humans. The findings, published online recently in PNAS, could lead to new treatments for this devastating degenerative disease and insights into factors that affect muscle development.
A new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researchers poses a hypothetical question: What if air quality improvements in New York City during the spring 2020 COVID-19 shutdown were sustained for five years without the economic and health costs of the pandemic? They estimate cumulative benefits of clean air during this period would amount to thousands of avoided cases of illness and death in children and adults, as well as associated economic benefits between $32 to $77 billion. The study's findings are published in the journal Environmental Research.
Feel like you're suffering from face blindness? Research shows masks change the way we process faces
Berkeley -- Imagine typing on a computer without a keyboard, playing a video game without a controller or driving a car without a wheel.
That's one of the goals of a new device developed by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, that can recognize hand gestures based on electrical signals detected in the forearm. The system, which couples wearable biosensors with artificial intelligence (AI), could one day be used to control prosthetics or to interact with almost any type of electronic device.
So you want to look trimmer, be smarter, and successful next year? You strive to exercise and call your friends more, and spend less?
You are not alone. New Year's resolutions are as ubiquitous as they are difficult to keep. Does it even make sense to set such lofty goals for the new year, hoping anew each January first that this time really is the charm?
(AURORA, Colo.) December 21, 2020 - As the pandemic was starting to take hold, researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) at the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) performed a study to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the well-being of workers in Colorado. The team evaluated changes to employees' work and home life resulting from COVID-19 and individual perceptions of workplace safety and health climates. These climates reflect employee perceptions of how committed their employer is to their safety and health.
A research team led by Michael Fox, a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has identified the type of brain cell that produces collagen 19, a protein that is crucial for the formation of inhibitory circuits in the brain.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, depicts a previously unknown molecular mechanism underlying healthy brain development.
WASHINGTON -- A new method for visualizing breath that is exhaled while someone is speaking or singing could provide important new insights into how diseases such as COVID-19 spread and the effectiveness of face masks.
DETROIT (December 21, 2020) - With the Michigan high school and collegiate sports season influx due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by Sports Medicine researchers at Henry Ford Health System provides a new perspective on performance levels of female professional athletes after they return from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstructive surgery.
Cleveland - Child care programs can be safe within the context of low community transmission of COVID-19, according to new research from Case Western Reserve University, based on data from child care programs throughout Ohio.
The study took place from Aug. 15 to Nov. 20, during a timeframe of relatively low community transmission of COVID-19. The team found COVID-19 infection rates at child care programs have been low as a result of:
New Rochelle, NY, December 21, 2020--The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three researchers for their discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The undying perseverance that it took to find and cure this elusive virus is eloquently detailed in the peer-reviewed journal Viral Immunology. Click here to read the article now.
In order to survive, flourish and successfully reproduce, organisms rely on a high degree of genetic stability. Mutagenic agents, which can threaten the integrity of the genetic code by causing mutations in DNA, pose a serious risk to human health. They have long been implicated in a range of genetically inherited afflictions, as well as cancer, aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Conditions causing arrhythmia are among the most common cardiac conditions. A study headed by Prof. Georg Schmidt of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has demonstrated for the first time that the nocturnal respiratory rate can help with an important prediction: It is an indicator of whether a defibrillator will help to extend the life of patients with arrhythmia.