Articles
Can cognitive impairments caused by methamphetamine use perpetuate the addiction cycle?
The repeated use of methamphetamine, or meth, is known to cause significant changes in the brain and cognitive impairments, which might strengthen or perpetuate a user’s addiction. Dr Carmela Reichel at the Medical University of South Carolina has conducted extensive research investigating the relationship between motivated meth use, meth-induced cognitive dysfunctions, and relapse. Her work has highlighted a number of […]
Textile-embedded microcapsules: The future of drug delivery
Research on textiles has come a long way, with numerous examples of textiles having bifunctional characteristics. Advancements in the area show the incorporation of microcapsules on textiles, containing active principles with antimicrobial, cosmetic, or even drug characteristics. Prof Manuel Jose Lis Arias, at the Terrassa Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, has been […]
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Mind as Energy
Dr Holly Pollard-Wright, independent researcher and CEO of Wild Ride Wildlife Services, has developed a transdisciplinary theory of mind which draws on principles from classic and quantum physics, ancient philosophies of transforming the mind, and modern principles of behavioural and cognitive science. The mind is viewed as energies of relationships, with no beginning and no end, that give rise to […]
Dihydromyricetin shows promise as anxiety disorder treatment
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses, and social isolation can be a major source of contributing stress. Medications to treat these disorders, such as benzodiazepines, are available; however, they come with a range of downsides. In a recent study in mice, Prof Jing Liang’s team at the USC School of Pharmacy in the US discovered that […]
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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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Soil chronosequences shed light on the silicon soil-plant cycle
As soils age, geochemical weathering becomes less important for supplying silicon to the biosphere while terrestrial vegetation plays a greater role. Félix de Tombeur and Jean-Thomas Cornelis of the University of Liege (Belgium) visited the University of Western Australia to study two rare dune soil chronosequences spanning 2 million years. The impoverished soils of these dunes support biodiverse ecosystems. Their […]
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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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