Slowing Down The Development Of Alzheimer's Plaques. Amyloid plaques are a hallmark feature in the brains of individuals suffering with Alzheimer's disease.
The problem is that once they've developed, it's very difficult to reverse the process. This has made treatment of Alzheimer's patients a particularly challenging hurdle. Now a group of scientists from the University of Michigan have managed to thwart one of the early processes contributing to plaque formation, thus slowing down their development in the lab. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia; dementia being an umbrella term for a group of different symptoms resulting from a decrease in brain function. Currently, over 800,000 people in the UK have dementia, two thirds of which are women. Alzheimer's disease has two main causes within brain cells; the development of tangles of a protein called tau, and the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins which form characteristic aggregates or plaques.
Scientists Discover A Process That Regulates Forgetting. Where did I park the car?
What time is my dentist appointment? Did I lock the doors? Oh no, it's Mom's birthday tomorrow! We are all very familiar with forgetting. It's incredibly frustrating, and sometimes it seems like your brain just isn't working. In a study published last week in the journal Cell, scientists searched through potential genes in the roundworm C. elegans in order to find a likely candidate involved in forgetting. Neurons are a type of brain cell, and the connections between these cells that facilitates cellular communication are called synapses. While it is still early days, it is hoped that further study into this field may yield advances in the discovery of therapeutic targets in certain diseases involving memory loss, such as Alzheimer's.
Doctors Hope To Convert Fat Into Ears. Microtia is a congenital condition that occurs in about 1 in every 5,000-7,000 births.
Due to an error during the first trimester, the pinna (external ear) does not develop completely or correctly. There are different grades of microtia, ranging from a slightly smaller pinna (grade I) to complete absence of the ear (grade IV). This deformity can be repaired when the child is about eight years old by obtaining cartilage from the child’s ribs and molding it into a new ear, which will continue to grow throughout the child’s life, just like a natural ear. However, there are some significant drawbacks to the latter approach, because the ribs aren’t able to rebuild the cartilage that was taken and requires multiple surgeries. Forschen - Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. Frank Madeo (l.) und Tobias Eisenberg entdeckten einen Mechanismus für die Zellreinigung.
Foto: Madeo/Eisenberg. Ein Grazer Forschungsteam könnte einem direkten Zusammenhang zwischen Ernährung und Gesundheit auf die Schliche gekommen sein. VERERBUNG: Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm. X-Chromosom: Intelligenz ist Frauensache. Verdanken wir Leonardo da Vincis Meisterwerke und andere Höchstleistungen des menschlichen Geistes den Frauen?
Indizien dafür liefern Genetiker der Universität Ulm, die damit die bisher umstrittene Theorie des amerikanischen Evolutionsbiologen Geoffrey Miller unterstützen. „Der Ursprung der menschlichen Intelligenz ist auf die Frau, genau genommen auf das X-Chromosom zurückzuführen“, erklärt der Humangenetiker Horst Hameister. Der Professor der medizinischen Genetik der Universität Ulm erforscht Erbinformationen, die für die Entwicklung des Gehirns verantwortlich sind und behauptet: „Klugheit ist ein weiblicher Erbfaktor.“ Warum wir immer intelligenter werden Noch vor 100 Jahren glaubten Forscher, dass der geringere Schädelumfang von Frauen Beweis für geistige Beschränktheit sei. Die Anhänger der verwegenen Theorie sind inzwischen rar geworden. Die Männer tragen die Last der Evolution. Age of Y-Chromosome ‘Adam’ The most recent common ancestor of the Y-chromosome variant present in all living human males today is referred to as “Y-chromosome Adam.”
Recent genetic analysis has revealed that “Adam” lived about 208,000 years ago. Eran Elhaik from the University of Sheffield led the study and published the results in the European Journal of Human Genetics. New Contraceptive Lasts For Three Months And Protects Against HIV And Pregnancy. An intravaginal ring that works as a contraceptive while also killing HIV and herpes has been announced in PLOS One.
Although it does not provide protection against the broad spectrum of sexual transmitted infections that condoms offer, a single device is expected to retain its effectiveness for three months. The ring is inserted into the vagina and releases tenofovir, an antiretroviral that kills HIV and herpes, and levonorgestrel, a contraceptive. Measles Outbreak Hits New York City. Remember that map we showed you in January that tracks all the instances of completely preventable diseases that are re-emerging due to lack of vaccination?
Sadly, it is receiving several new data points due to an outbreak of the measles in New York City. Map: Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks. This interactive map visually plots global outbreaks of measles, mumps, whooping cough, polio, rubella, and other diseases that are easily preventable by inexpensive and effective vaccines.
Red triangles indicate attacks on vaccinators and healthcare workers, as well as announcements from both governments and non-state actors that have had an impact—either positive or negative—on the successful implementation of vaccination programs. The Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations has been tracking reports by news media, governments, and the global health community on these outbreaks since the fall of 2008. This project aims to promote awareness of a global health problem that is easily preventable, and examine the factors that threaten the success of eradicating preventable illnesses such as polio. Learn more about Global Health. Beating Artificial Heart Tissue Announced. Engineered heart tissue has been made to beat in the lab and in animals, a major step towards creating an artificial heart from scratch.
Enormous progress has been made in producing individual cells that replicate those of different parts of the body. Unfortunately, most organs have complex structures that means they cannot be manufactured purely out of the appropriate cells, although the trachea is a rare exception. In the words of Dr Ali Khademhosseini of the Harvard Medical School.