Health & Medicine
Uncovering critical cell death mechanisms for novel cardioprotective therapies
Cell death is part of a natural process by which old cells are replaced by new, but it can also result from disease or injury. There are still many aspects of this process which are not fully understood. The laboratory of Dr Jason Karch, Baylor College of Medicine, aims to increase comprehension of the mechanisms behind cell death. If these […]
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High-throughput fluorescent sequencing of biomolecules within their cellular environment
Understanding the molecular diversity within healthy or diseased tissues is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and for gaining a better understanding of fundamental biological processes. Biological tissues contain thousands of different molecules, yet conventional staining looks at only a few at a time because it relies on a limited number of dyes. Prof George Church and Dr […]
A safer, effective treatment for autoimmune glomerulonephritis
In the disease autoimmune glomerulonephritis, the body’s own immune system attacks the blood vessels of the glomeruli, the part of the kidney that filters the blood. This condition is life-threatening, but current treatments are limited and carry a high risk of serious side-effects. Recently, Dr Dragana Odobasic of Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and her colleagues investigated the potential of tolerogenic […]
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Old drugs, new purpose: The search for binge eating medication
Binge eating is an important feature of two serious mental health conditions: bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. While medication can be helpful in treating patients with these illnesses, currently just two drugs are approved for this purpose. Professor Susan McElroy of the Lindner Center of HOPE, Ohio, USA, leads research into potential new medications for binge eating conditions. Professor […]
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NHS quality improvement could be driven by less formal regulation
In 2019 NHS Improvement and NHS England merged, becoming one major organisation responsible for regulating and improving the NHS system in England. But how best to do this, and improve quality of care and patient safety without increasing costs, is under debate. A comprehensive evaluation of a five year partnership between the English NHS and Virginia Mason Institute in the […]
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Rethinking the root of chronic headaches
Chronic headaches are a leading cause of health burden worldwide and are debilitating for people living with the condition. Pamela Blake, MD, Director of the Headache Center of River Oaks, and Carlton Perry, MD, River Oaks Plastic Surgery Center, are exploring the underlying cause of the condition in the hope of finding ways to provide patients with relief from constant […]
Cities in motion: To make our urban future sustainable, reconsider car dependency
Mark Stevenson, Professor of Urban Transport and Public Health at the University of Melbourne, warns that an increasingly urbanised world will not be sustainable unless governments reduce reliance on privately owned automobiles. Evidence from Beijing and elsewhere shows that car use results in millions of deaths from road crashes, pollution and chronic diseases. Cities should instead encourage public transport, walking […]
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Cryo-electron tomography and synaptic transmission in the brain
The transmission of information between brain cells is regulated by complex loops of biochemical processes. Neurotransmitter molecules are released in the intercellular space by an electrically stimulated neuron and bind to receptors in a different neuron, thus establishing a connection between these cells. By combining cryo-electron microscopy and tomography of vitrified brain samples, Dr Vladan Lučić at Max Planck Institute […]
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xAI-EWS — an explainable AI model predicting acute critical illness
Early clinical predictions of acute critical illness have a vital influence on patient outcomes. For clinical medicine to benefit from the higher predictive power of Artificial Intelligence, however, explainable and transparent systems are essential. Simon Meyer Lauritsen and his collaborators at Enversion, Aarhus University, and Regional Hospital Horsens in Denmark have developed xAI-EWS – an explainable AI early warning score […]
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Thickeners: The evidence for their appropriate use in dysphagia management
Swallowing difficulties, known as dysphagia, can impact a patient’s nutritional status, as well as their quality of life. If not managed correctly, dysphagia can lead to serious complications. Speech and language therapists are central to managing dysphagia and they often recommend the use of thickeners in fluids and foods to reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Thickeners are also used […]
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