A new study led by Spanish researchers describes a new mechanism for muscle repair after physiological damage relying on the rearrangement of muscle fibre nuclei, and independently of muscle stem cells. Muscle is known to regenerate through a complex process that involves several steps and relies on stem cells. Now, a new study led by researchers at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF, Spain)/Centro Nacional de Investigationes Cardiovasculares (CNIC, Spain)/CIBERNED (Spain) and Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM, Portugal), published…

With each passing day, the dark side of our addiction to fossil fuels becomes more apparent. In addition to slashing emissions of carbon dioxide, society must find sustainable alternatives to power the modern world. In a new study, Gary Moore and his research group explore different approaches to catalysis, a chemical process that plays an essential role in biological reactions, as well as many industrial applications. Catalysts are substances that speed up the rates of chemical reactions, without being consumed during the…

The prognosis for a cancer patient who undergoes surgery is better if the surgeon removes all of the tumor, but it can be hard to tell where a tumor ends and healthy tissue begins. Now, scientists report in ACS Sensors that they have developed a fluorescent spray that specifically lights up cancerous tissue so it can be identified readily and removed during surgery. Surgeons often use sight and touch to identify cancerous tissue, but this approach can miss small tumors, as well…

A new study from the University of Gothenburg opens the way for more effective microscopy, making it easier to research diseases. The study shows how artificial intelligence can be used to develop faster, cheaper and more reliable information about cells, while also eliminating the disadvantages from using chemicals in the process. Studying cells and their components is a cornerstone of biomedicine and pharmaceutical research and can provide information about the health of cells, responses to different medications or deviations in…

Bone screws and plates that dissolve on their own after a broken bone has healed promise to be of great benefit – they could save some patients from having to undergo follow-up surgery. A research team led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon has now used a 3D X-ray method to determine for the first time quantitatively how different of magnesium alloys dissolve over time under body-like conditions. The result provides indications of which materials are particularly suitable for certain types of…

Polyreactive antibodies as markers for autoimmune hepatitis. Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver inflammation that is triggered by an immunological malfunction. In this case, the immune system falsely recognises the patient’s own liver cells as “foreign to the body”. The symptoms of this rare liver disease are unspecific, and the exact cause is not yet known. If left untreated, AIH can lead to abnormal scarring (fibrosis) of the liver, which can end in cirrhosis and require an organ transplant….

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) – a joint undertaking of the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) – today announced the launch of OPTIMA (Optimal Treatment for Patients with Solid Tumours in Europe Through Artificial intelligence), a € 21.3 million public-private research programme that will seek to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve care for patients with prostate, breast and lung cancer. OPTIMA’s goal is to design, develop and deliver the first interoperable, GDPR-compliant…

New crystal forms of common — and concerning — insecticide imidacloprid control mosquitoes and fruit flies up to nine times faster, allowing less to be used. Scientists have developed seven crystal forms of imidacloprid—one of the world’s most widely used insecticides—in an effort to sharply reduce its environmental impact, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The new forms work up to nine times faster than the original version, meaning a smaller amount can…

Urbanisation appears to be another key factor for insect decline. This is shown by a study in which the impact of climate and land use on insects was disentangled for the first time. Worldwide, the quantity and diversity of insects are declining: scientists have reported more and more evidence for this in recent years. In politics and society, these findings have raised great concern. Researchers attribute the decline in insect numbers on the one hand to changes in land use,…

Blue and green color vision were lost by human ancestors, but now we understand how the genes are regulated. After decades of studying color vision in mice, new research in zebrafish has allowed experts at the University of Tokyo to uncover how some animals regulate their ability to see blue light. The results, published in Science Advances, allow researchers to better understand the evolutionary history and current control mechanisms of color vision. “In 1989 when I began studying the evolution…

Neuroscientists at Technische Universität Dresden discovered a novel, non-invasive imaging-based method to investigate the visual sensory thalamus, an important structure of the human brain and point of origin of visual difficulties in diseases such as dyslexia and glaucoma. The new method could provide an in-depth understanding of visual sensory processing in both health and disease in the near future. The visual sensory thalamus is a key region that connects the eyes with the cerebral cortex. It contains two major compartments….

Versatile fabric is effective against virus that causes COVID-19. A Northwestern University research team has developed a versatile composite fabric that can deactivate both biological threats, such as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and chemical threats, such as those used in chemical warfare. A material that is effective against both classes of threats is rare. The material also is reusable. It can be restored to its original state after the fabric has been exposed to threats by a simple bleach…

Telemedical monitoring more reliable than self-assessment. Using telemedicine, COVID-19 patients can be cared for safely at home – from initial home isolation to recovery or, in case problems arise, admission to hospital. A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now successfully demonstrated this in a study involving 150 patients with risk factors for a severe progression of the disease. COVID-19 patients are required to go into home isolation. But this can be dangerous for high-risk patients if…

Findings suggest robot telepresence, more than a tablet, provides comfort to young patients. A new study from UCLA finds a visit from human-controlled robot encourages a positive outlook and improves medical interactions for hospitalized children. Robin is a social companion robot that stands at about 4 feet tall and has the capabilities to move, talk and play with others while being remotely controlled by humans. Specialists from UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital’s Chase Child Life Program conducted hour-long video visits with young patients using…

Microbiology researchers at Oregon State University have shed new light on the mechanisms of carbon cycling in the ocean, using a novel approach to track which microbes are consuming different types of organic carbon produced by common phytoplankton species. The research is an important step toward forecasting how much carbon will leave the ocean for the atmosphere as greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and how much will end up entombed in marine sediments, said Ryan Mueller, associate professor in OSU’s Department…

Researchers at the Kiel Evolution Center succeed for the first time in demonstrating that changes in certain proteins involved in packaging of the genetic material have a causal effect on the frequency of mutations. The change of genetic information over time is a key factor for evolutionary adaptations with which living beings can adapt to changes in their environment. On the one hand, genetic variability arises in the course of reproduction, where genetic information is divided and recombined in the…