Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

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Ken_J
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Post by Ken_J »

Nanotechandmorefuture wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:14 am
raklian wrote: Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:06 am How do carnivorous humans feel about this news?

Carnivorous human checking in. This was probably on some part in response to over fishing them. I suppose when the population gets out of control things will go right back to fishing for them. But before that we may see some world record frightening crab, octopus, and lobster sizes. I know here in Florida if you scuba dive you can see some giant goliath groupers around shipwrecks like I did at Spiegel Grove years back.

The same gigantic size differences may happen with these critters given time. They will probably be the most tasty by then... well if you can get one without problems of course lol.
First, Sentient is not Sapient.
second, my understanding is that it's mainly a point being made with regards to cooking live, or eating live. Basically do not allow people to cause undue suffering and torture of the creatures. it does not mean they cannot be consumed, just kill them before you start carving bits off or cooking them alive.
Nanotechandmorefuture
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Location: At the moment Miami, FL

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by Nanotechandmorefuture »

Ken_J wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:55 am
Nanotechandmorefuture wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:14 am
raklian wrote: Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:06 am How do carnivorous humans feel about this news?

Carnivorous human checking in. This was probably on some part in response to over fishing them. I suppose when the population gets out of control things will go right back to fishing for them. But before that we may see some world record frightening crab, octopus, and lobster sizes. I know here in Florida if you scuba dive you can see some giant goliath groupers around shipwrecks like I did at Spiegel Grove years back.

The same gigantic size differences may happen with these critters given time. They will probably be the most tasty by then... well if you can get one without problems of course lol.
First, Sentient is not Sapient.
second, my understanding is that it's mainly a point being made with regards to cooking live, or eating live. Basically do not allow people to cause undue suffering and torture of the creatures. it does not mean they cannot be consumed, just kill them before you start carving bits off or cooking them alive.
I understand the point being made. I should have elaborated in my post that the last time animal rights folks considered ocean wildlife to be sentient and usually change laws to save them after considering them sentient it lead to the shark population getting bigger. Australia is the example of what the article reminded me of with the same measures being taken but for sharks.
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Ken_J
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Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

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if this posts right it should start at around 3:20 with news about an injection used to regrow severed spinal cord connections in mice.
weatheriscool
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Microfluidics show promise as safer, simpler treatment option for severe neonatal jaundice

by Steve Lundeberg, Oregon State University
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Research by the Oregon State University College of Engineering has led to a promising potential therapy for neonatal jaundice that's more safe, simple and convenient than the blood transfusions currently given to babies suffering from the most dangerous forms of the condition.

The study led by Adam Higgins, associate professor of bioengineering, suggests microfluidics and high-intensity light can correct a dangerous bloodstream buildup of bilirubin. Bilirubin is the pigment that's responsible for the yellow skin color associated with jaundice, and at high enough levels, puts the afflicted infant at risk of sometimes irreversible neurological damage or even death.

Findings were published in Biomicrofluidics.

Neonatal jaundice is a common condition among newborns, whose bodies are busy breaking down the red blood cells used in the uterus and making new ones as the infant transitions to breathing ambient air once outside the womb.

Blood's red color stems from a protein called hemoglobin that carries oxygen, and as those red blood cells are broken down, the liver modifies hemoglobin into bilirubin. When an infant's immature liver can't keep up with all of the bilirubin it's producing, the pigment leaks into the bloodstream before settling in the skin, causing a yellowish appearance.

About two-thirds of all newborns experience some level of jaundice, typically a mild case. Much of the time it clears up on its own or with minimal treatment, such as getting more water into the infant's body.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12- ... ption.html
weatheriscool
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Scientists find first in human evidence of how memories form

by UT Southwestern Medical Center
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12- ... ories.html
In a discovery that could one day benefit people suffering from traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia, UT Southwestern researchers have identified the characteristics of more than 100 memory-sensitive neurons that play a central role in how memories are recalled in the brain.

Bradley Lega, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, and Psychiatry, said his findings, published in the journal NeuroImage, may point to new deep brain-stimulation therapies for other brain diseases and injuries.

"It sheds important light on the question, 'How do you know you are remembering something from the past versus experiencing something new that you are trying to remember?'" said Dr. Lega, a member of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

The most significant finding was that firing occurs with different timing relative to other brain activity when memories are being retrieved. This slight difference in timing, called "phase offset," has not been reported in humans before. Together, these results explain how the brain can "re-experience" an event, but also keep track of whether the memory is something new or something previously encoded.

"This is some of the clearest evidence to date showing us how the human brain works in terms remembering old memories versus forming new memories," Dr. Lega said.

His study identified 103 memory-sensitive neurons in the brain's hippocampus and entorhinal cortex that increase their rate of activity when memory encoding is successful. The same pattern of activity returned when patients attempted to recall these same memories, especially highly detailed memories.
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Johns Hopkins team creates Lyme and tick-borne disease dashboard
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12- ... borne.html
by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress

A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has created and posted online a free Lyme and tick-borne disease dashboard. The group has published a paper describing the information available on the dashboard and how to use it on the open-access site PLOS ONE.

As the researchers note, tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the U.S., likely due to a warming climate. They also note that many cases of tick-borne diseases are never reported anywhere, which leaves people in certain areas unaware of the danger around them. In this new effort, the researchers created a dashboard (inspired by those used to track COVID-19) for use by people who want to know about the number of tick-borne disease cases in their area.

The dashboard made its debut last May but has been updated since then. The researchers note that Lyme disease is now the most commonly reported disease in the U.S. spread by insects or arachnids. They also note that scientists continue to discover new diseases that are spread by ticks. To help people understand it all, the researchers collected data from health departments around the country and added them to a database. The information in the database is then represented on a color-coded map of the U.S. Deeper reds, for example, show a state or county with high numbers of infections. The map can also show concentrations of different types of infections, though the researchers suspect its main use will be for tracking Lyme disease. Users can see concentration levels at the national, state and county levels. The dashboard also allows users to follow trends—tick-borne diseases are seasonal, with the most infections happening in the summer months. Users can watch the numbers increase in their area if they so choose.
weatheriscool
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The First FDA-Approved Eye Drops to Treat Blurry Vision Are Now Available in The US
DAVID NIELD
15 DECEMBER 2021
The joke about "needing longer arms" when you grow older and try to read small print is common enough.

The cause – a natural decline in our eyes' ability to focus on nearby objects, or presbyopia – is the reason so many people end up getting reading glasses in older age.

Now, for the first time, there could be another solution on hand.

In October, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regulatory approval to the first eye drops that treat presbyopia – a product called Vuity, developed by the company Allergan.

Now, these drops have been made available on prescription, and they could mean millions of people can ditch their reading glasses, at least some of the time.
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first- ... 0rekfiYL30
weatheriscool
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A biopolymer hydrogel with amino-functionalized bioactive glass for accelerated bone regeneration
https://phys.org/news/2021-12-biopolyme ... glass.html
by Thamarasee Jeewandara , Phys.org

Composite hydrogels can incorporate natural polymers and bioactive glass as promising materials for bone regeneration. However, the applications of such constructs are limited by poor compatibility between organic and inorganic phases. In a new study now published in Science Advances, Xinxin Ding, and a research team in medicine, in Shanghai China, formed an electrostatically reinforced hydrogel (abbreviated CAG) with improved interfacial compatibility. To accomplish this, they introduced amino-functionalized bioactive glass to the alginate/gellan gum matrix. When compared with bioactive glass, the electrostatically reinforced hydrogel indicated a more uniform porous structure with a pore size of 200 µm and an optimal compressive strength of 66 kPa. Using the reinforced hydrogel, the team promoted the phenotype transition of macrophages and upregulated the osteogenic gene expression of stem cells. They showed how new bone formation was also accelerated in vivo with enhanced biomineralization of the electrostatically reinforced hydrogel, with biocompatibility ideally suited for bone regeneration.
weatheriscool
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New biosensors measure toxic drugs in cancer, arthritis, and organ transplant patients
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12- ... ritis.html
by Queensland University of Technology
Researchers are a step closer to transforming a US$70 billion global diagnostic industry with new designer biosensors that 'switch on' color or electrical responses to drugs used in cancer, arthritis, and organ transplant treatment.

Researchers from the CSIRO-QUT Synthetic Biology Alliance have proven their modular approach to constructing small molecule biosensors—artificial proteins designed to capture biomarkers of choice and produce measurable responses—in collaboration with Clarkson University in the US and Pathology Queensland.

In two separate studies, biosensors were adapted to accurately measure immunosuppressant drugs cyclosporine A, tacrolimus and rapamycin, and anticancer drug methotrexate, which requires close monitoring to reduce toxicity and organ damage.

Lead researcher Professor Kirill Alexandrov said the protein biosensors had potential to expand patient care by enabling sophisticated tests on cheaper lab equipment and new point-of-care devices.

"Proteins are at the core of a US$70-billion-dollar global diagnostic market that relies heavily on central lab processing," Professor Alexandrov said.
weatheriscool
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Clues to treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder found in recently evolved region of the 'dark genome'
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12- ... order.html
by University of Cambridge
Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes—the 'dark genome'—have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

They say these new proteins can be used as biological indicators to distinguish between the two conditions, and to identify patients more prone to psychosis or suicide.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating mental disorders that are hard to diagnose and treat. Despite being amongst the most heritable mental health disorders, very few clues to their cause have been found in the sections of our DNA known as genes.
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