Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

weatheriscool
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Implant shows extreme promise for regenerating bone
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08- ... -bone.html
by University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Its powers may not rival Wolverine's, but a regenerative implant engineered by researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska–Lincoln could help repair bone-deep damage following physical trauma, surgery or osteoporosis.

The team has developed a biodegradable, nanofiber-based implant, or scaffold, whose design could better regenerate bone by effectively guiding the migration of recuperative cells to the injury site. When implanted in rats with bone defects, the cylindrical scaffold promoted the regeneration of bone that was denser, more voluminous and more like the surrounding tissue than that achieved by many other state-of-the-art designs.

The implant spurred regeneration even without the aid of externally sourced stem cells or so-called growth factors, which help promote healing but can also introduce regulatory complications and side effects that range from inflammation to unchecked tissue formation.
weatheriscool
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A machine learning approach for predicting risk of schizophrenia using a blood test
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08- ... blood.html
by Baylor College of Medicine

An innovative strategy that analyzes a region of the genome offers the possibility of early diagnosis of schizophrenia, reports a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine. The strategy applied a machine learning algorithm called SPLS-DA to analyze specific regions of the human genome called CoRSIVs, hoping to reveal epigenetic markers for the condition.

In DNA from blood samples, the team identified epigenetic markers, a profile of methyl chemical groups in the DNA, that differ between people diagnosed with schizophrenia and people without the disease and developed a model that would assess an individual's probability of having the condition. Testing the model on an independent dataset revealed that it can identify schizophrenia patients with 80% accuracy. The study appears in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
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raklian
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To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
weatheriscool
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New process yields more, purer RNA at a fraction of the cost
https://phys.org/news/2021-08-yields-pu ... ction.html
by University of Massachusetts Amherst
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently unveiled their discovery of a new process for making RNA. The resulting RNA is purer, more copious and likely to be more cost-effective than any previous process could manage. This new technique removes the largest stumbling block on the path to next-generation RNA therapeutic drugs.

If DNA is the blueprint that tells the cells in our bodies what proteins to make and for what purposes, RNA is the messenger that carries DNA's instruction to the actual protein-making machinery within each cell. Most of the time this process works flawlessly, but when it doesn't, when the body can't make a protein it needs, as in the case of a disease like cystic fibrosis, serious illness can result.

One method for treating such protein deficiencies is with therapeutics that replace the missing proteins. But researchers have long known that it's more effective when the body can make the protein it needs itself. This is the goal of an emerging field of medicine—RNA therapeutics. The problem is, the current methods of producing lab-made RNA can't deliver RNA that is pure enough, in enough quantities in a way that's cost-effective. "We need lots of RNA," says Elvan Cavaç, lead author of the paper that was recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, MBA student at UMass Amherst, and a recent Ph.D. graduate in chemistry, also from UMass. "We've developed a novel process for producing pure RNA, and since the process can reuse its ingredients, yielding anywhere between three and ten times more RNA than the conventional methods, it also saves time and cost."
weatheriscool
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Graphene binds drugs that kill bacteria on medical implants
https://phys.org/news/2021-08-graphene- ... lants.html
by Chalmers University of Technology

Bacterial infections relating to medical implants place a huge burden on healthcare and cause great suffering to patients worldwide. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new method to prevent such infections, by covering a graphene-based material with bactericidal molecules.

"Through our research, we have succeeded in binding water-insoluble antibacterial molecules to the graphene, and having the molecules release in a controlled, continuous manner from the material," says Santosh Pandit, researcher at the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering at Chalmers, and first author of the study which was recently published in Scientific Reports.

"This is an essential requirement for the method to work. The way in which we bind the active molecules to the graphene is also very simple, and could be easily integrated into industrial processes."
weatheriscool
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Innovative coating for blood vessels reduces rejection of transplanted organs
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08- ... anted.html
by University of British Columbia
Researchers have found a way to reduce organ rejection following a transplant by using a special polymer to coat blood vessels on the organ to be transplanted.

The polymer, developed by UBC medicine professor Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu and his team at the Centre for Blood Research and Life Sciences Institute, substantially diminished rejection of transplants in mice when tested by collaborators at SFU and Northwestern University.

"We're hopeful that this breakthrough will one day improve quality of life for transplant patients and improve the lifespan of transplanted organs," said Dr. Kizhakkedathu.
weatheriscool
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New CRISPR/Cas9 technique corrects cystic fibrosis in cultured human stem cells
https://phys.org/news/2021-08-crisprcas ... tured.html
by Hubrecht Institute
Researchers from the group of Hans Clevers (Hubrecht Institute) corrected mutations that cause cystic fibrosis in cultured human stem cells. In collaboration with the UMC Utrecht and Oncode Institute, they used a technique called prime editing to replace the 'faulty' piece of DNA with a healthy piece. The study, published in Life Science Alliance on August 9, shows that prime editing is safer than the conventional CRISPR/Cas9 technique. "We have for the first time demonstrated that this technique really works and can be safely applied in human stem cells to correct cystic fibrosis."

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most prevalent genetic diseases worldwide and has grave consequences for the patient. The mucus in the lungs, throat and intestines is sticky and thick, which causes blockages in organs. Although treatments are available to dilute the mucus and prevent inflammations, CF is not yet curable. However, a new study from the group of Hans Clevers (Hubrecht Institute) in collaboration with the UMC Utrecht and Oncode Institute offers new hope.
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Yuli Ban
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Good news!

And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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Ken_J
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maybe a pandemic culling the willfully scientifically illiterate from the population has a silver lining after all.
weatheriscool
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Researchers identify genetic cause of endometriosis and reveal potential drug target
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08- ... -drug.html
by Baylor College of Medicine

Endometriosis is a painful, chronic condition in which tissue from the uterus inappropriately grows outside the uterus. Current treatments are limited and include surgery and hormone therapy, which can involve unwanted side effects. New research conducted by Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Oxford, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Bayer AG, offers new insight into how to treat this debilitating disease.

The researchers performed genetic analyses of humans and rhesus macaques to identify a specific gene, NPSR1, that increases risk of suffering from endometriosis. The results reveal a potential new nonhormonal drug target that may lead to improved therapy. Their results are published in Science Translational Medicine.

The Oxford team, led by corresponding author Dr. Krina T. Zondervan, had previously found a genetic linkage to endometriosis on chromosome 7p13-15 by analyzing DNA from families containing at least three women diagnosed with endometriosis. The Baylor team, led by senior author Dr. Jeffrey Rogers, verified this genetic linkage in the DNA of rhesus monkeys with spontaneous endometriosis at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This validation justified further research through in-depth sequencing analysis of the endometriosis families at Oxford, which narrowed down the genetic cause to rare variants in the NPSR1 gene. Most of the women carrying these rare variants had stage III/IV disease. The Baylor researchers similarly sequenced rhesus monkeys and again showed suggestive evidence also in this species. Finally, an Oxford study of more than 11,000 women, including patients with endometriosis and healthy women, identified a specific common variant in the NPSR1 gene also associated with stage III/IV endometriosis.
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