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MIT engineers generate first laser ultrasound images in humans

For most people, getting an ultrasound is a relatively easy procedure: As a technician gently presses a probe against a patient's skin, sound waves generated by the probe travel through the skin, bouncing off muscle, fat, and other soft tissues before reflecting back to the probe, which detects and translates the waves into an image of what lies beneath.

21 Dec 2019

Blue light may not be so bad for sleep

The sun provides warmth and a bright light with orange-yellow hues during the day. But at night, cold, dim, and white light from the Moon, which exposes people to light similar to blue wavelengths emitted by various types of artificial lighting. Previously, blue light has been dubbed as disruptive to a good night’s sleep.

18 Dec 2019

Blue light may not be as disruptive to our sleep patterns as previously believed

Contrary to common belief, blue light may not be as disruptive to our sleep patterns as originally thought - according to University of Manchester scientists.

16 Dec 2019

Lowering the Barriers to Automated Microscopy

News-Medical Life Sciences spoke to Zaber Technologies at Neuroscience 2019 to find out how they are lowering the barriers of automated microscopy.

From Zaber 19 Nov 2019

Researchers reveal non-image light sensing mechanism of circadian neurons using fruit flies

University of California, Irvine researchers reveal how an ancient flavoprotein response to ultra violet (UV), blue and red light informs internal circadian processes about the time of day.

7 Nov 2019

Discovery of first blue light emitting South American insect

A rainforest reserve, bordering the mighty Atlantic, in the Sao Paulo state of Brazil, is now in the news because scientists saw a flash of blue while they were gathering mushrooms. Indeed, this privately-owned Reserva Betary park can boast the honor of being host to the newly discovered species of fungus gnat, named Neoceroplatus betaryiensis, the larva of which is the first bioluminescent creature found in the Neotropics that emits blue light.

31 Oct 2019

NUS researchers use glowing nanoparticles to control biological processes

The biological technique of 'optogenetics' uses light to control cells within living tissues that have been genetically modified to be light-sensitive.

29 Oct 2019

New nanoenzyme may help increase anti-tumor immunity

Theoretically, our immune system could detect and kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, tumors are well armed to fight these attacks. Despite modern cancer treatments, metastases and relapses remain a major problem.

25 Oct 2019

Blue light and fruit flies: a warning for humans

A new study involving the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, published in the journal npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, shows that when flies are kept in darkness, or in white light from which the blue spectrum has been excluded, they live longer, compared to flies kept in alternating 12-hour shifts of blue LED light and darkness. The reason appears to be a speeded-up version of aging; the brain cells, retinal cells and climbing ability, all suffer a breakdown.

18 Oct 2019

Prolonged exposure to blue light may affect longevity

Prolonged exposure to blue light, such as that which emanates from your phone, computer and household fixtures, could be affecting your longevity, even if it's not shining in your eyes.

17 Oct 2019

Using X-ray-nanoparticle interactions for improved radiation therapy

A new study has indicated a new way to deliver locally aggressive radiation therapy in cancer, using the element gadolinium.

30 Sep 2019

Developing cost-effective and milder synthetic routes to create oxygen heterocycles

Every biological reaction is a chemical reaction. The exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen in our lungs and blood cells, for example, is caused by molecules releasing chemicals and reforming with new ones.

20 Sep 2019

UV radiation exposure: Sun protection is important as athletes have elevated skin cancer risk

The dangers of ultraviolet radiation exposure, which most often comes from the sun, are well-known. Speaking at The Physiological Society's Extreme Environmental Physiology conference next week, W. Larry Kenney, Penn State University, will discuss how broad its effects can be, from premature aging to cancer, and how this can be influenced by different skin tones and the use of sunscreen.

30 Aug 2019

Gold nanoparticles used successfully in prostate tumour trial

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York have reported a pilot clinical trial with a “nanoparticle-based photothermal cancer therapy” for prostate cancers. Their work with this targeted therapy is published in a study titled, “Gold nanoshell-localized photothermal ablation of prostate tumors in a clinical pilot device study,” in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Science.

28 Aug 2019

New study reveals mechanism of ultraviolet-induced skin breakdown

The sunscreen industry has been plugging the use of various sun-protective creams for decades, ever since researchers found that certain skin cancers, including malignant melanoma, were due to sunlight-induced skin damage.

22 Aug 2019

Strong free-electron lasers can be used to break down amyloid protein aggregates

Amyloid fibrils are a type of self-assembled proteins/peptides that take on a stacked sheet-like formation. Amyloid fibril aggregates are known to be a cause of several diseases--including Alzheimer's--and therefore, it is of immense scientific interest to understand how these aggregates can be broken.

8 Aug 2019