Health & Medicine
The success of simple metaphors in communicating brain science
The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, supported by the Calgary-based Palix Foundation, has succeeded in achieving individual, organisational, and systems level change regarding brain development, epigenetics, mental health, and addiction. The Brain Story, which uses simple metaphors to communicate complex brain science, has proven an effective tool to achieve this change and move towards building more resilient individuals and communities. Until […]
Read More… from The success of simple metaphors in communicating brain science
Loneliness and social isolation: How can we protect our mental health and cognitive functions?
It is well known that social isolation can cause poor mental and physical health. Our recent global experience of compulsory social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has created a need to find new ways to prevent its devastating consequences, such as anxiety-induced cognitive decline, from manifesting. Dr Jing Liang and her team at the University of Southern California’s Mann School […]
Regulating RNA interference by modifying RNA backbone with amides
Professor Eriks Rozners and colleagues at Binghamton University in New York, USA, are using innovative nucleic acid chemistry to modify RNA-based technologies such as RNA interference (RNAi) and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) to enhance their utility in molecular biology. These technologies suffer from off-target effects that limit their clinical utility. By replacing phosphates in the backbone with […]
Read More… from Regulating RNA interference by modifying RNA backbone with amides
Cleft lip simulation: A step closer to achieving surgical excellence
Surgical training is a long and laborious process, traditionally performed by learning to operate on actual patients under a senior surgeon’s supervision. However, with surgical techniques getting ever more sophisticated and standards of care increasing, it is not always easy for surgical trainees to access the required number of surgical cases. Surgical simulation has recently become the solution to this […]
Read More… from Cleft lip simulation: A step closer to achieving surgical excellence
Valuable insights into caring for women with heavy menstrual bleeding
Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a common problem for women, but that doesn’t make it necessarily bearable. Its symptoms can be debilitating. Significant research by Professor Joe Kai and a multi-disciplinary team at the University of Nottingham and the University of Birmingham, UK, has provided invaluable insight into treatments for HMB and the critical role of the primary care physician. […]
Read More… from Valuable insights into caring for women with heavy menstrual bleeding
Autoimmune encephalitis and psychiatric disorders
Despite the latest advances in medical research, the causes of psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia (a long-term illness that affects the person’s perception of reality) remain a puzzle for researchers and doctors around the world. Unlocking the mechanisms behind these diseases is paramount for effectively treating or even preventing them. Through her study of an uncommon case of autoimmune encephalitis, […]
Read More… from Autoimmune encephalitis and psychiatric disorders
The heart of the matter: Elamipretide in the treatment of Barth syndrome
Barth syndrome (BTHS) is an ultra-rare but debilitating genetic disease affecting cell mitochondria. High infant mortality due to cardiac complications and a weakened immune system significantly decrease life expectancy. Current medications treat symptoms but not the cause, leaving an unmet clinical need to develop effective treatments that target the underlying pathology. Dr Hani N Sabbah, Professor of Medicine at Wayne […]
Read More… from The heart of the matter: Elamipretide in the treatment of Barth syndrome
Artemis:DNA-PKcs: A new drug target for cancer treatment?
Cells encounter DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) every day. Because they can lead to loss of genetic information, DSBs must be repaired. Nonhomologous DNA end joining (NHEJ) is the major pathway for repairing DSBs, and the key enzymes include Artemis nuclease and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). For the first time, Dr Go Watanabe and his team from the University […]
Read More… from Artemis:DNA-PKcs: A new drug target for cancer treatment?
Simple blood tests could predict immunotherapy effectiveness
Despite the extensive use of immunotherapy in patients suffering from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, this therapy has significant limitations. Not everyone responds to treatment and current therapies can have serious adverse side effects. When working at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA, Dr George Laliotis and his team discovered that biochemical factors, measured […]
Read More… from Simple blood tests could predict immunotherapy effectiveness
Ketamine: An old medication with newly discovered actions in pain and breathing regulation
Pain that lasts longer than the expected period of healing is tormenting a significant percentage of the population and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Although medications are available to control it, its management often involves trial and error, especially in cases where specific nerve damage cannot be found. Professor Albert Dahan at the Leiden University Medical Center in […]