225 articles from FRIDAY 16.10.2020

Gel instrumental in 3D bioprinting biological tissues

The eventual creation of replacement biological parts requires fully three-dimensional capabilities that two-dimensional and three-dimensional thin-film bioprinting cannot supply. Now, using a yield stress gel, Penn State engineers can place tiny aggregates of cells exactly where they want to build the complex shapes that will be necessary to replace bone, cartilage and other tissues.

How bacteria adapt their machinery for optimum growth

The tiny 'machines' that keep the processes in bacterial cells going are made up of a large number of different proteins and RNA molecules. Depending on their growth rate, bacteria have to produce these in different concentrations. Bioinformatics researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have developed a model that explains for the first time the precise composition of this...

Humans and climate drove giants of Madagascar to extinction

The entire endemic megafauna of Madagascar and the Mascarene islands Mauritius and Rodrigues was eliminated during the past millennium. To investigate possible drivers of this extinction, an international team of scientists constructed an 8000-year record of the islands' past climate. Their findings imply that the ecosystem was resilient to prior climate stress but ultimately collapsed with an...

In recovering COVID-19 patients, antibodies fade quickly

This week in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers report that antibody levels in the blood of COVID-19 patients drop rapidly during the weeks after their bodies have cleared the virus and symptoms have subsided. If convalescent plasma is ultimately shown to have a clear benefit, the authors concluded, then it needs to be collected during a specific...

Internet connectivity is oxygen for research and development work

Fast and reliable internet access is fundamental for research and development activity around the world. Seamless connectivity is a privilege we often take for granted. But in developing nations, technological limitations can become stumbling blocks to efficient communication and cause significant disadvantages.

Investigational ALS drug prolongs patient survival in clinical trial

An experimental medication that was recently shown to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has now demonstrated the potential to also prolong patient survival. The findings come from a clinical trial conducted by investigators at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company that manufactures the medication.

Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not

It's generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests that some sedentariness isn't all bad, so long as basic physical activity benchmarks are being met.

LGBTQ+ campus centers 'more important than ever' argue scholars

In a new commentary piece, scholars from Lehigh University and Ohio State University argue that LGBTQ+ college and university campus resource centers are essential to the health, well-being and academic achievement of LGBTQ+ students. These centers, they write, are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of these students during COVID-19 and, as such, must continue to receive support and funding.

Lineage tracing of direct astrocyte-to-neuron conversion for brain repair

A research team led by Prof. Gong Chen at Jinan University (Guangzhou, China) published a work on October 9th in Neural Regeneration Research, providing unambiguous data that brain internal astrocytes are directly converted into neurons through lineage tracing studies. Using brain internal astrocytes, a type of supporting cells to neurons, to directly convert into new neurons is an innovative...

Long-term data show a recent acceleration in chemical and physical changes in the ocean

New research published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment uses data from two sustained open-ocean hydrographic stations (Hydrostation 'S' and the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study) in the North Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda to demonstrate recent changes in ocean physics and chemistry since the 1980s. The study shows decadal variability and recent acceleration of surface warming,...

Malice leaves a nasty smell

Unhealthy behaviours trigger moral judgments that are similar to the basic emotions that contribute to our ability to survive. Two different hypotheses are to be found in the current scientific literature as to the identity of these emotions. After developing a new approach to brain imaging, a research team from the University of Geneva shows that unhealthy behaviours trigger brain responses that...

Membranes for capturing carbon dioxide from the air

CO¬2 capture from the air can mitigate further CO2 emissions, related increase in global temperature and climate change. Direct air capture of CO2 (DAC) is one of the promising ways for atmospheric CO2 extraction. In a new research paper, researchers propose CO2 capture from the air by membranes, which has been considered almost impossible for this challenging task.

Moffitt researchers develop tool to better predict treatment course for lung cancer

In a new article published in Nature Communications, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers demonstrate how a deep learning model using positron emission tomography/computerized tomography radiomics can identify which non-small cell lung cancer patients may be sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment and those who would benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

New dimensions in the treatment of muscle spasticity after stroke and nervous system defects

Chronic muscle spasticity after nervous system defects like stroke, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and painful low back pain affect more than 10% of the population, with a socioeconomic cost of about 500 billion USD. Currently, there is no satisfying remedy to help these suffering people, which generates an immense medical need for a new generation antispastic drug....