Health & Medicine
To Test, Or Not To Test – The COVID-19 Question
Dr Cristina Isabel Ibarra-Armenta is a lecturer at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa and UNICAF University. Dr Moisés Alejandro Alarcon-Osuna is a lecturer at the University of Guadalajara, and a member of the Mexican System of National Researchers from CONACYT (National Council for Science and Technology). Their research focuses on econometrics, regional analysis, and policy and technology change. In a […]
A new generation of induced pluripotent stem cells for regenerative medicine
Embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells are unlimited sources for the generation of cell derivatives for the regeneration of failing organs. However, such cell transplants are subject to immune rejection by the recipient’s immune system. Drs Sonja Schrepfer and Tobias Deuse from the University of California, San Francisco, have developed a new generation of immune-edited induced pluripotent stem […]
A new 3D hybrid model for epithelial morphogenesis
Wound healing is a biological mechanism that allows the integrity and functionality of tissues to be preserved. Dr Jose Muñoz, Associate Professor at the Laboratory of Numerical Analysis (LaCàN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain, models the three-dimensional mechanisms involved in wound healing. In this research, these three-dimensional mechanisms are simulated with a hybrid vertex model. Supported by experimental observation, the […]
Preterm birth and danger-associated molecular patterns
Preterm birth is the leading cause of infantile mortality. Dr Claire Kendal-Wright from the Chaminade University of Honolulu works on human extra-embryonic membranes. More specifically, she studies danger-associated molecular patterns, or DAMPs, and examines how these molecules contribute to the prelabour rupture of the membranes that leads to birth. Understanding the mechanisms involved in healthy pregnancy could eventually allow the […]
The unwanted tenant: Parasitic nematodes in Aboriginal communities
Strongyloides stercoralis and HTLV-I are endemic pathogens that impact millions of people worldwide, particularly those in socioeconomically deprived communities. Dr Catherine Gordon and her team, led by NHMRC Leadership Fellow Professor Don McManus at QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane, Australia, summarise the current data on S. stercoralis and HTLV-I infections in Tropical Australia, and advocate for the inclusion of Strongyloides […]
When is a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial a good design choice?
Prof Karla Hemming and Prof Monica Taljaard examine a new type of study design, the stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial, that offers the chance to improve the evidence base on which policy decisions are made. They emphasise the importance of justifying the use of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial and explore a number of situations that reveal potential conditions where a […]
Novel cancer therapeutics could target ion channels
Although gynaecological cancers are amongst the most lethal cancers in women, treatments for the advanced stages of these cancers are scarce. Dr Saverio Gentile at the University of Illinois Cancer Center has been researching potassium ion channels as a potential target for novel cancer therapeutics. He has found that the use of potassium channel activators greatly reduced cell motility, tumour […]
COVID-19: An individualized treatment framework
The elderly are among those at greatest risk of serious infection and death from the coronavirus (COVID-19). By individualizing treatment for COVID-19 and its complications, a significant advance in medicine and improving care could be achieved. Dr Richard Aguilar and colleagues have developed the first known evidence-based recommendations for individualized treatment. These recommendations were derived from a preliminary review of […]
Bidirectional relationship between chronic pain and insomnia
Dr Aubrey Husak, internal medicine resident at the Ohio State University, and Dr Matthew Bair, Core Investigator at VA HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication and Associate Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, carried out a review on the bidirectional relationship between chronic pain and insomnia. They found common comorbidities, including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and catastrophising. Patients […]
The trials and tribulations in the drug discovery cycle: A particular case for Alzheimer’s disease
As people live longer lives, the spectre of Alzheimer’s disease will only grow. Scientists now know that the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides are important for treating Alzheimer’s, particularly Aβ42 which aggregates into the amyloid plaques that trigger the disease. Researchers have been looking to target γ-secretase – the enzyme that creates pathogenic Aβ42 affecting the relative abundance of short Aβ […]