Culture
Researchers in Japan have identified a new quality control system that allows cells to remove damaged and potentially toxic proteins from their surroundings. The study, which will be published February 18 in the Journal of Cell Biology, finds that the Clusterin protein and heparan sulfate proteoglycans combine to bring misfolded proteins into cells for degradation. The findings may lead to new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
The accumulation of aberrant proteins in the body will cause various neurodegenerative diseases. Amyloid β, one of these aberrant proteins, is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Eisuke Itakura, an assistant professor at Chiba University, says, "Human cells have functions for maintaining homeostasis. Scientists are now actively studying the typical intracellular protein degradation systems by autophagy and proteasome, but our knowledge of how cells act on aberrant external substances is still limited."
Early exposure to household cleaning products is associated with asthma and wheeze in young children
Early exposure of babies to household cleaning products is associated with the development of childhood asthma and wheeze by age 3 years, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The first articulated Neanderthal skeleton to come out of the ground for over 20 years has been unearthed at one of the most important sites of mid-20th century archaeology: Shanidar Cave, in the foothills of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Researchers say the new find offers an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the "mortuary practices" of this lost species using the latest technologies.
Shanidar Cave was excavated in the 1950s, when archaeologist Ralph Solecki uncovered partial remains of ten Neanderthal men, women and children.
CINCINNATI - The continuing epidemic of pre-term births includes this stark reality: tiny, fragile babies are born with underdeveloped lungs and prone to lifelong respiratory infections and related chronic illnesses.
WASHINGTON, February 18, 2020 -- People rely on a highly tuned sense of touch to manipulate objects, but injuries to the skin and the simple act of wearing gloves can impair this ability. Surgeons, for example, find that gloves decrease their ability to manipulate soft tissues. Astronauts are also hampered by heavy spacesuits and find it difficult to work with equipment while wearing heavy gloves.
Bethesda, Maryland (Feb. 18, 2020) - Patients at average risk of colorectal cancer who have a normal colonoscopy do not need to repeat screening for 10 years. It is common for polyps to be removed and tested during a colonoscopy, but the amount and size of polyps removed will change the patient's follow-up screening schedule. In two new publications from the U.S.
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL...February 18, 2020 - Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's (BGU) Cyber Security Research Center have found that they can cause the autopilot on an autonomous vehicle to erroneously apply its brakes in response to "phantom" images projected on a road or billboard.
New research from the CHILD Cohort Study shows that frequent exposure to common household cleaning products can increase a child's risk of developing asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and is the primary reason why children miss school or end up in hospital.
The study was published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It found that young infants (birth to three months) living in homes where household cleaning products were used frequently were more likely to develop childhood wheeze and asthma by three years of age.
The origin of an understudied hybrid population of poisonous frogs--highly endangered colorful animals that live deep in the Colombian jungle--is the result of natural breeding and not caused by wildlife traffickers moving them, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) study shows.
Finding new semi-conductor materials that emit light is essential for developing a wide range of electronic devices. But making artificial structures that emit light tailored to our specific needs is an even more attractive proposition. However, light emission in a semi-conductor only occurs when certain conditions are met. Today, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, in collaboration with the University of Manchester, have discovered an entire class of two-dimensional materials that are the thickness of one or a few atoms.
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology designed a new type of controller for the robotic arm used in robotic surgery. Their controller combines the two distinct types of gripping used in commercially available robotic systems to leverage the advantages of both, reducing the efforts of the surgeon and providing good precision.
An international team of researchers carried out an experiment at HSE University demonstrating that knowledge of several languages can improve the performance of the human brain. In their study, they registered a correlation between participants' cognitive control and their proficiency in a second language.
The complications of measles can be many and varied, and more serious than people might realise, doctors have warned in the journal BMJ Case Reports after treating a series of adults with the infection.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory viral infection, the symptoms of which include fever, cough, conjunctivitis, and an extensive rash all over the body.
Measles is entirely preventable as the vaccine used to immunise against it is safe and very effective.
Reducing animal product intake and following a primarily plant-based diet can decrease your risk of heart disease by minimizing the adverse effects of a gut-microbiome associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to research published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.