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Researchers determine patterns of nuclear alignment responsible for LR-asymmetrical changes in invertebrates

On the outside, animals often appear bilaterally symmetrical with mirror-image left and right features. However, this balance is not always reflected internally, as several organs such as the lungs and intestines are left-right (LR) asymmetrical.

15 Jun 2021

Novel calibration process for super-resolution microscopy

Light--and all waves--can bend around the corners of obstacles found along its path. Because of this phenomenon, called diffraction, it is impossible to focus light onto a spot that is smaller than half its wavelength.

15 Jun 2021

Bio-inspired robot reveals motion pattern of ray sperms

It is generally agreed that sperms "swim" by beating or rotating their soft tails. However, a research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered that ray sperms move by rotating both the tail and the head.

11 Jun 2021

New technique uses high-throughput sequencing to obtain ultra-high-resolution images of gene expression

The 30,000 or so genes making up the human genome contain the instructions vital to life. Yet each of our cells expresses only a subset of these genes in their daily functioning. The difference between a heart cell and a liver cell, for example, is determined by which genes are expressed--and the correct expression of genes can mean the difference between health and disease.

11 Jun 2021

New digital tool makes the analysis of microscopy images much easier

Information technology can make life easier in many areas - including research. In medicine, for example, it is still standard practice to evaluate microscopy images of tissue sections by hand. This is used, for example, to assess how many cancer cells are in a lymph node.

9 Jun 2021

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 with a single dose skin patch

Researchers from Australia recently reported a high-density microarray patch used to deliver a SARS-CoV-2 spike subunit vaccine to the skin directly. They used a combination of a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein vaccine candidate and the high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) vaccine delivery platform.

7 Jun 2021

Scientists assess the filtration efficacy of 227 models of face masks sold in Brazil

The novel coronavirus is transmitted mainly via inhalation of saliva droplets or respiratory secretions suspended in air, so that face covering and social distancing are the most effective ways to prevent COVID-19 until enough vaccines are available for all.

3 Jun 2021

Study reveals how HIV prevents the maturation of myelin-making brain cells

It's long been known that people living with HIV experience a loss of white matter in their brains. As opposed to "gray matter," which is composed of the cell bodies of neurons, white matter is made up of a fatty substance called myelin that coats neurons, offering protection and helping them transmit signals quickly and efficiently.

2 Jun 2021

UTokyo researchers study worms to understand the neuroplasticity of learning

As anyone who has ever procrastinated knows, remembering that you need to do something and acting on that knowledge are two different things. To understand how learning changes nerve cells and leads to different behaviors, researchers studied the much simpler nervous system of worms.

1 Jun 2021

A novel multiplexed diagnostic approach for COVID-19

Researchers developed a platform for detecting the virus directly from a patient's sample as well as the immune response through antibodies such as IgG and IgM.

31 May 2021

Researchers discover a new and unique form of ALS

In a study of 11 medical-mystery patients, an international team of researchers led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the Uniformed Services University discovered a new and unique form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

31 May 2021

New drug effectively prevents severe COVID-19 in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2

The drug diABZI which activates the body's innate immune response -- was highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 in mice that were infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

29 May 2021

New light-sheet fluorescence microscope provides high spatial resolution, lowers phototoxicity

A research group led by Takashi Saito, of the Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, developed a 2-photon excitation light-sheet fluorescence microscope which (1) lowers phototoxicity, (2) extends the field of view, and (3) heightens spatial resolution.

29 May 2021

Study examines impact of chemotherapy on mechanical properties of prostate cancer cells

Malignant tumor cells undergo mechanical deformation more easily than normal cells, allowing them to migrate throughout the body.

28 May 2021

Superoxide produced in the inner ear cochlea causes major types of acquired hearing loss

Professor UEYAMA Takehiko (Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University) and the inner ear research group (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine) have identified the cell types in the inner ear cochlea responsible for the production of superoxide (Nox3-expressing cells).

25 May 2021

New AI tool predicts the extent of chronic damage in the kidney

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is caused by diabetes and hypertension. In 2017, the global prevalence of CKD was 9.1 percent, which is approximately 700 million cases.

24 May 2021

Targeting mTOR pathway can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapies for pediatric brain cancer

Two experimental drug approaches that target vulnerabilities in cancer cell metabolism may extend survival and enhance the effectiveness of standard chemotherapies for a highly aggressive type of pediatric brain cancer.

21 May 2021

Western diet impairs the gut immune system, could increase risk of inflammatory bowel disease

Eating a Western diet impairs the immune system in the gut in ways that could increase risk of infection and inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Cleveland Clinic.

18 May 2021

Scientists unveil new Ebola virus vaccine design

Scientists at Scripps Research have unveiled a new Ebola virus vaccine design, which they say has several advantages over standard vaccine approaches for Ebola and related viruses that continue to threaten global health.

13 May 2021

New findings challenge the decades-old working mechanism of the hearing organ

Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have made several discoveries on the functioning mechanisms of the inner hair cells of the ear, which convert sounds into nerve signals that are processed in the brain.

10 May 2021