Articles
Can animal-free research be the future of medical science?
Professor Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga from Radboud University, the Netherlands, aims to improve biomedical and medical research, reduce the use of unnecessary animal studies and replace animal studies by using better alternatives. Throughout her career she has researched and highlighted the disadvantages of animal studies, such as the substandard quality of results produced and lack of evidence for translatability to human clinical […]
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Investigating paedomorphism in the evolution of L. saxatilis
Littorina saxatilis (rough periwinkle) is often used as an example of adaptation to different ecological niches, with ecotypes adapted to life at different levels of the seashore. Professor Emilio Rolán-Alvarez and his colleagues at the University of Vigo, Spain, investigate whether one ecotype may have evolved from another by paedomorphosis. Their results indicate that, while there is some evidence in […]
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A mathematical model to predict cancer nanomedicine delivery
Dr Zhihui Wang is a researcher at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. He is a leading expert in the fields of computational biology, modelling-aided drug target discovery, biophysical modelling of drug transport, and multiscale cancer modelling. Together with Dr Prashant Dogra, the team have developed a computational model that improves our understanding of the relationship between key nanoparticle properties, the […]
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Atherosclerotic disease-related stroke: Predicting recurrence using plaque morphology
Stroke caused by a blood clot is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is a subtype of stroke whereby a build-up of material causes cerebral arteries to narrow and eventually causes onset of a stroke. ICAD-related strokes have the highest rates of stroke recurrence and death, leading to an urgent need for further research. […]
Collaborative facilitation of mental health of disaster responders
Preparation to reduce stressors and respond to stress reactions before and around a response to a natural disaster can facilitate greater mental wellbeing after the disaster. To protect their mental health, the individual disaster responders’ actions are just as important as the organisational support. A review by Maki Umeda and collaborators at University of Hyogo (Japan), Kobe University (Japan) and […]
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The extraordinary ups and downs of Bitcoin: Understanding the cryptocurrency’s market behaviour
Understanding the relationship between Bitcoin values and underlying economic drivers has challenged traditional perceptions of how currency and other financial asset dynamics work. Dr Dimitrios Koutmos of Texas A&M University, Texas examines the Bitcoin phenomenon and offers valuable insight into this most volatile of newcomers to the investment scene, and its short but dynamic life so far. There has perhaps […]
Can aquatic exercise be used as an effective therapy for age-related conditions?
Professor Eadric Bressel of Utah State University has been assessing the positive impact that aquatic exercise can have on motor function. Through a series of experiments, Professor Bressel and collaborators have demonstrated that partial water immersion can improve motor skills and cognitive functions such as memory recall in both young and older adults. This important work indicates a promising therapy […]
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Statistics in the era of COVID-19: Measuring lockdowns with doubling time
The key to understanding SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) transmission is understanding the exponential growth of viral transmissions. The problem is that the concept of exponential growth is challenging for many to understand and interpret, including policymakers who need to make quick and informed decisions. Dr Biljana Stangeland, Executive Director/Chief Scientific Officer at Alv B, Norway, has been using doubling time – the […]
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Walking anxiety: Potential rehabilitation for functional gait disorders
Functional gait disorders refer to neurological problems with walking which do not have a structural cause. Researchers have struggled to understand the mechanisms that underlie this elusive disorder, and clinicians have been unsure how to offer care or even how to diagnose it accurately. Professor Diego Kaski, however, has led a group of collaborators with a bold new approach, inspired […]
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Encephalitis – when viral infections attack the brain
Professor Clayton Wiley from the University of Pittsburgh studies the emergence of new brain viral infections and their link to dementia. He examines encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain tissue that disrupts brain function and causes symptoms of variable severity, such as headache, fever, confusion, altered consciousness, loss of a sense, memory problems, trouble focusing or speaking, or even seizures. […]
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