Health & Medicine
Regression models using parametric pseudo-observations
The statistical analysis of survival data is the focus of research being carried out by Martin Nygård Johansen, a biostatistician at Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, and his colleagues. Some patients’ actual survival times are not observed during a clinical study and are said to be censored. This research offers a new way to transform such time-to-event data into a dataset without censoring. […]
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Human Leukocyte Antigens: The missing link in Alzheimer’s disease etiology
Alzheimer’s disease is a huge socioeconomic burden in developed countries. Recently, viral infections such as the herpes virus have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease risk. However, it is unclear what the link between the two is. Professor Lisa M. James of the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with Dr Apostolos Georgopoulos and Dr Spyros Charonis, has utilised computational biology to […]
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Mutant protein in Siamese cats may be involved in neurodegenerative disorders
Siamese cats and humans share the same pathology when it comes to neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Ingrid Niesman, based at San Diego State University, USA, believes it’s all down to a mutation in a protein called tyrosinase. The researcher wants to understand the impact of this malfunctioning protein, as well as use these cats as a basis […]
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Regulators of protein degradation as potential treatments for neurodegenerative disease
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, are characterised by the accumulation of misfolded and damaged protein aggregates. Normally, proteins that are damaged or malfunctioning are destroyed by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). However, the UPS itself is impaired in several instances of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr David Smith and his team at the School of Medicine, University of West […]
Quality of life for family caregivers is impacted by satisfaction with care
Cancer has an emotional and physical impact on caregivers as well as patients. If relatives are not happy with the care they are able to provide for the patient, this can impair their quality of life. Dr Miki Morishita-Kawahara at the Tokyo Women’s Medical University aims to understand better the factors that influence the quality of life of family caregivers […]
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Cell mechanics – from bench to bedside
All cells generate and respond to mechanical forces. The role of mechanical forces in cell biology has been understudied, but the forces are essential components of our physiology in health and disease. For example, they are involved in pathologies such as cardiac arrhythmias, muscular dystrophy and metastatic cancer. Dr Frederick Sachs from the University at Buffalo, New York, focuses on […]
X-ray histotomography: Characterising every cell of a whole organism
Histology is a powerful technique used to distinguish normal and abnormal cells and tissue. In practice, only a small sampling of thin, 2-dimensional slices is readily available for diagnosis. In contrast, micro-CT allows full-volume, 3-dimensional (3D) imaging of biological samples. By optimising micro-CT, a multidisciplinary team led by Dr Keith Cheng from Pennsylvania State University created X-ray histotomography, a technique […]
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Improving the iron delivery from staple food crops and food products
Dr Raymond Glahn, US Department of Agriculture and Cornell University, has pioneered several techniques to assess how much iron (Fe) is bioavailable from foods, meals and the overall diet. Such techniques are essential to identify and optimise dietary sources of Fe and alleviate iron deficiency, one of the leading global nutritional deficiencies. Staple food crops are a focus of this […]
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Headaches and neck pain: The impact of cervical anatomy
Headaches can be caused by a dysfunction in the neck. There appears to be a relationship between the movement or position of the spine and the intensity of headaches. Dr Rob Sillevis, from Florida Gulf Coast University, explored the anatomical relationship between a variety of structures in the upper cervical spine and the spinal cord. His observations could help understand how […]
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Talking about dying: How doctors and patients talk about life expectancy
When patients have life-limiting conditions, doctors need to talk with them about dying. These conversations can be difficult for doctors, patients, and patients’ family members. Professor Ruth Parry and Dr Marco Pino, from Loughborough University, analyse recordings of conversations during which patients request life expectancy estimates. They then use the findings from this research to develop training resources that can […]
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