Modeling a Cellular Cascade of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is complex and puzzling, and massively funded, high-profile efforts to find treatments for the condition have been failing for decades. The research community has focused on clearance of amyloid-β, as this protein accumulates and misfolds in Alzheimer's patients. Yet some old individuals exhibit high levels of amyloid-β and do not suffer Alzheimer's, while clearance of extracellular amyloid-β fails to meaningfully improve the condition of patients. It may be that intracellular amyloid-β is the real target, or that amyloid-β accumulation is a side-effect of the real pathological mechanisms.
O...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 31, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
In Other Words: Not All Bases Are in the Ballpark
You might first think about sports when you hear the word base, but not all bases are on the baseball diamond. In chemistry, a base is a molecule that reacts with an acid, often by accepting a proton from the acid or from water. Baking soda and dish soap are common bases.
Credit: NIGMS.
A Building Block for Life
Bases are found throughout biological systems and in many molecules critical to life. The pH scale measures how acidic or basic (“alkaline”) liquids, such as water or blood, are. Liquids with a pH less than 7 are acidic, while liquids with a pH greater than 7 are basic. Electrolytes, like sodium, ca...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - March 29, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures DNA In Other Words RNA Source Type: blogs
Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a nanotechnological solution for lymphedema, a failure of the lymphatic system that results in uncomfortable and irreversible fluid retention. Previous research efforts have focused on trying to grow new lymphatic vessels, but these researchers have taken a different approach, and instead engineered a drug delivery technology that can directly target sluggish lymphatic vessels and kickstart their pumping action.
Near infrared video demonstrating enhanced lymphatic contractile activity in model delivered drug loaded nanoparticles.
To achieve this, the r...
Source: Medgadget - March 27, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Nanomedicine News Oncology Surgery Source Type: blogs
Printing Bacteria to Make Bone-Like Structures
Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a method to 3D print mineralized constructs with a little helping hand from bacteria. The technique consists of printing a polymer bioink that contains bacteria that will produce calcium carbonate when exposed to a urea solution. The two-step process also involves printing a construct and then exposing it to urea for several days, over which time the bacteria naturally mineralize the structure. The approach allows researchers to accommodate some of the limitations of 3D printing, such as flow requirements for bioinks, but still c...
Source: Medgadget - March 17, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Materials Orthopedic Surgery 3d printing additive manufacturing EPFL Source Type: blogs
Incomplete test results …
Hi everyone! Time flies, doesn’t it? Sorry about not writing in so long…but I can assure you all that I’m fine, Stefano is fine, the kitties are fine. All is well, in sum.
Except…we’re still not back home yet. That means that I don’t have access to my wonderful PC (if I’d had any idea it was going to take this long, I would have moved my computer over here, duh), and I have to use my iPad now to do anything, including write this post. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPad, but I have all my data and stuff on my PC and, well, it’s just harder to work on the iPad…at least, for me. Pazienza…
I have rec...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 15, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll Source Type: blogs
Slideshow: Circles of Life
Every year on March 14, many people eat pie in honor of Pi Day. Mathematically speaking, pi (π) is the ratio of a circle’s circumference (the distance around the outside) to its diameter (the length from one side of the circle to the other, straight through the center). That means if you divide the circumference of any circle by its diameter, the solution will always be pi, which is roughly 3.14—hence March 14, or 3/14. But pi is an irrational number, which means that the numbers after the decimal point never end. With the help of computers, mathematicians have determined trillions of digits of pi.
To celebrate Pi ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - March 14, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Molecular Structures Cellular Imaging Cool Images Microbes Research Organisms Source Type: blogs
Innovating Education, Outreach, and Mentorship With Organic Chemist Neil Garg
Dr. Neil Garg. Credit: Penny Jennings.
“An important part of being in science is being in a community,” says Neil Garg, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). That philosophy has led him to prioritize mentorship, diversity, and inclusion—while maintaining research excellence—as well as re-envisioning what it means to educate students and the public.
Falling in Love With Chemistry
Science was always a part of Dr. Garg’s childhood. He participated in science fairs as a kid but says he did it for the commun...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - March 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Profiles Training Source Type: blogs
What are these hyperacute T waves, with STE and T-wave inversion in aVL, and STD in inferior leads?
I was reading EKGs on the system and came across this one:What do you think?This is diagnostic of hyperkalemia. HyperK can result in all sorts of pseudoSTEMI or pseudoOMI patterns, including ST elevation, ST depression, and large T-waves.These T-waves are tall but have a narrow base and a corresponding flat ST segment (see lead V4). Also, there are no definite P-waves and this is another result of hyperkalemia. In fact, sometimes the sinus node is working and acting as a pacemaker but no P waves are visible!! This is called sino-ventricular rhythm. See these 3 other posts of sinoventricu...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - February 27, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 20th 2023
In this study, researchers stimulate the ghrelin receptor using a suitable small molecule for much of the lifespan of mice, and observe the results. The overall extension of life span is a quarter of that produced by calorie restriction, and so we might draw some conclusions from that as to the relative importance of hunger in the benefits resulting from the practice of calorie restriction or fasting. Interestingly, the short term weight gains observed in mice given this ghrelin receptor agonist in the past don't appear in this long term study, in which the controls are the heaver animals. This is possibly because the rese...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 19, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Chest pain, among other symptoms. What do you see?
This patient had many complaints including chest pain.The computer called this ***Acute STEMI***What do you think?STEMI never has a very short QT. This QT interval is 320 ms, with a QTc of around 350, depending on which correction formula you use. (There is Bazett, Fridericia, Hodges, Framingham and Rautaharju -- see here at mdcalc: https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/48/corrected-qt-interval-qtcIf the ST Elevation here were due to STEMI, it would be an LAD Occlusion. You can use myLAD Occlusion/Normal Variant STE formula on this. I did, and the result was the lowest value I have ever obtained (1...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - February 17, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Request for Startups in the Rejuvenation Biotechnology Space, 2023 Edition
It is time once again for my once-yearly set of unsolicited thoughts on biotech startups that I'd like to see join those already working hard on the basis for human rejuvenation. The industry is growing rapidly, but patchily. Partial reprogramming has received enormous attention, as has the development of senolytics. Meanwhile, other important goals in rejuvenation research languish, or presently have only one or two companies involved in clinical translation of promising academic projects. Many plausible paths forward go undeveloped; there are just as many opportunities to make a real difference in the world as there were...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 13, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Investment Source Type: blogs
Got Calcium?
Someone’s hand moving to scroll through this blog post is possible because of a mineral that both gives bones their strength and allows muscles to move: calcium. As the most abundant mineral in our bodies, it’s essential for lots of important functions. It’s found in many foods, medicines, and dietary supplements.
Calcium keeps your bones strong, allows your muscles to move, and is important for many other bodily functions. The element is found in foods, medicines, and the world around us. Credit: Compound Interest CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Click to enlarge.
Committed to Critical Duties
For athletes, calc...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Diseases Proteins Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 30th 2023
In conclusion, deletion of p16Ink4a cells did not negatively impact beta-cell mass and blood glucose under basal and HFD conditions and proliferation was restored in a subset of HFD mice opening further therapeutic targets in the treatment of diabetes.
Communication Between Blood and Brain in Aging and Rejuvenation
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/01/communication-between-blood-and-brain-in-aging-and-rejuvenation/
As noted here, joining the circulatory systems of an old and young mouse results in some degree of rejuvenation in the old mouse. Where brain function is improved, researchers are inte...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 29, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Osteopontin Plays Diverse Roles in Degenerative Aging
Osteopontin levels are higher in blood samples taken from older people than in those taken from young people. It is a component of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) produced by senescent cells, disruptive to tissue function. Osteopontin acts as a regulator in a number of tissues, and appears to be relevant to the age-related decline, such as of hematopoiesis and muscle function. Here, researchers review what is known of the role of osteopontin in aging.
Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional noncollagenous matrix phosphoprotein that is expressed both intracellularly and extracellularly in variou...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 27, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Costco Wholesale: What Is Its Pharmacy Strategy? It's Complicated.
Conclusion: Costco Pharmacy Manages Hybrid Cash/Insurance Payments for Rx Drugs Better Than Most Other Big Pharmacy Chains. Still, Costco Won ' tALWAYS Be the Low-Price Leader Because of How the U.S. Prescription Drug Market Functions.Costco Pharmacy ' s cash prices for many prescriptions may be low enough for people to simply bypass their insurance and pay out-of-pocket, which Costco welcomes, similar to how Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. or a number of other rapidly-growing, cash-only pharmacies which are popping up nationwide operate because their cash prices may be potentially even cheaper than by using insurance. Howev...
Source: Scott's Web Log - January 21, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Big pharma bypass insurance cash pharmacy cash-only pharmacy Costco Costco Wholesale Corp. PBM ' Source Type: blogs
