Culture
Pamplona (Spain), September 29th, 2020. Researchers at Cima and the Clinica Universidad de Navarra (Spain) have led an international study identifying the cardiac cells responsible for repairing the damage to this organ after infarction. These "restorative" cells are a subpopulation of cardiac fibroblasts that play a fundamental role in the creation of the collagen scar needed to avoid the rupture of the ventricular wall. The research also reveals the molecular mechanisms involved in the activation of these cells and the regulation of their function.
In a proof-of-concept study, North Carolina State University researchers reported promising preclinical findings for a prototype of a vascular graft designed as a replacement for a damaged or blocked coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart.
Scientists have challenged a popular theory behind the evolution of similar traits in island lizards, in a study published recently in eLife.
The findings in Greater Antillean Anolis lizards provide insights on why creatures often evolve similar physical features independently when living in similar habitats. They suggest that the role of developmental plasticity in shaping adaptive evolution may be less important than commonly thought.
Women who have suffered unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL) have altered perceptions and brain responses to male body odours, in comparison to those with no history of uRPL, suggests a new study published today in eLife.
The results could lead to urgently needed answers for many women who experience repeat miscarriage with no clear underlying explanation.
Scientists have built a computer 'brain circuit', or artificial neural network, that mirrors human decision-making processes and sheds light on how circuits might be altered in psychiatric diseases, a new study published today in eLife reports.
The model identifies a potential mechanism for the impaired decision making that is commonly seen in schizophrenia, involving the reduced activity of molecules in the brain called NDMA receptors. These results provide new insight that may inform the development of future treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions.
HAMILTON, ON, Sept. 29, 2020 -- An international team led by current and former McMaster University researchers has developed an artificial lung to support pre-term and other newborn babies in respiratory distress.
The group has proven the concept using a live piglet, a major step along the route toward approval for use in humans, where the portable device could save many lives and prevent catastrophic damage by taking up some of the placenta's role in oxygenating the blood until babies are able to breathe independently.
A team of researchers found out that children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased levels of the amino acid hydroxyproline. According to the medics, this may be associated with joint hypermobility, a common symptom in ASD patients. This information can help improve anti-ASD therapy. The work was published in the Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders journal.
By examining preexisting research for other conditions, researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found a potential treatment that could be applied to COVID-19.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Patients with large polycystic kidneys in need of a kidney transplant can have their diseased kidneys safely removed laparoscopically at the same time as their transplant surgery. That is the finding of a Mayo Clinic study recently published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Using a zebrafish model, researchers from North Carolina State University have found that vitamin D deficiency during early development can disrupt the metabolic balance between growth and fat accumulation. The results suggest a linkage between vitamin D and metabolic homeostasis, or equilibrium.
Jizhong Zhou, the Director of the Institute for Environmental Genomics, a George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the OU College of Arts and Sciences and the lead for the study, tackles a problem that has challenged scientists for more than a decade.
STONY BROOK, NY, September 29, 2020 - Diet remains an important part of disease prevention and management, and a new study suggests that consumption of fructose may worsen intestinal inflammation common to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Led by David Montrose, PhD, of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, the study is currently published early online in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
In 2016, the world's largest ever data leak dubbed "The Panama Papers" exposed a scandal, uncovering a vast global network of people--including celebrities and world leaders, who used offshore tax havens, anonymous transactions through intermediaries and shell corporations to hide their wealth, grow their fortunes and avoid taxes.
PHILADELPHIA (September 29, 2020) - Serious traumatic injuries are a health event that can begin a trajectory toward chronic health and social challenges. Research on patient outcomes following traumatic injuries establishes the pervasive nature of injuries' long-term consequences in physical, psychological, social and economic well-being, which may persist months and even years after an injury hospitalization.
A new treatment for breast cancer patients with hormone receptor (HR+) early stage disease who are at a high risk of recurrence has been shown to reduce the risk by 25%, according to a study led by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.