The Medical Thread

@Last page: Pretty much.

Tiny mitochondria play outsized role in human evolution and disease: "Mitochondria are not only the power plants of our cells; these tiny structures also play a central role in our physiology. By enabling flexible responses to new environments, mitochondria have helped humans adapt and evolve."

Scientists discover new system for human genome editing: "A team including the scientist who first harnessed the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 system for mammalian genome editing has now identified a different CRISPR system with the potential for even simpler and more precise genome engineering."

What powers the pumping heart?: "A treasure trove of proteins has been discovered, which researchers say hold answers about how our heart pumps — a phenomenon known as contractility. These molecules haven't been studied in the heart and little is known about what they do in other tissues, the investigators say."

Secrets of a cellular nanomachine revealed: Learning how any molecule passes through any membrane: "Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouses of our cells, because they generate chemical energy similar to that obtained from a battery. Whether it's a brain, muscle or plant cell, nano-sized gateways control the activity of the mitochondrial battery, by carefully allowing certain proteins and other molecules to enter into our mitochondria. Some of these proteins are large and complex molecules, yet they are essentially "spirited" into from the cytoplasm into the mitochondria, while the mitochondrial membrane remains water-tight and intact. How this happens has confounded science for decades."

edited 26th Sep '15 12:39:26 AM by rmctagg09

Dead woman sliced 5,000 times creates 'virtual human' for science experiments: "A man and a woman who donated their bodies to science decades ago could never have imagined just what their physical generosity entailed.

The image above is one of thousands from the Visible Human Project, a long-running scientific endeavour to create a comprehensive collection of cross-sectional imagery of the human body. The project began back in the 1980s and saw the most attention a decade later, when its first photographs were released to the public: a grisly scientific stockpile of thousands of cross-sections of two corpses.

Who were they? Little is known about the woman, other than that she died of heart disease at the age of 59 and lived in Maryland in the US. The man had a more chequered history: Joseph Paul Jernigan was a convicted murderer who was sentenced to death by lethal injection at the age of 39 in Texas in 1993.

Both cadavers were acquired by the Visible Human Project, and were imaged using both MRI and CT scans. They were then frozen and sliced up so their cross-sections could be photographed in painstaking detail. The man was cut at cross-sectional thicknesses of 1 mm, and the woman’s slices were even thinner, with each slice being just a third of a millimetre thick.

Now a new team of researchers led by Sergey Makarov of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the US has compiled new, high-resolution imagery of the woman’s body to create a ‘virtual human’ for study and experimental purposes."

Does "reproductive hyperspecialization" sound like an appropiate term to give to transforming someone (male or female) into little more than a living Baby Factory?

Sounds about right to me.

Monkeys and humans see optical illusions in similar way: "Monkeys perceive visual illusions in the same way great apes and humans see them, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition in August, indicate humans and monkeys perceive and misperceive the world similarly, which reflects resemblances in these species' perceptual systems and their interpretation of their physical worlds.

In the study, capuchin monkeys and rhesus monkeys saw the Delbouef illusion in a manner similar to human adults. Visual illusions emerge when information is misperceived on the basis of surrounding context or presentation style. The Delboeuf illusion is one type of visual illusion where a dot surrounded by a large ring is typically perceived by humans to be smaller than the same-sized dot surrounded by a small ring. This occurs because the ring creates a specific context in which the dots are perceived."

Particular brain connections linked to positive human traits: "There is a strong correspondence between a particular set of connections in the brain and positive lifestyle and behavior traits, according to a new study. The researchers point out that their results resemble what psychologists refer to as the 'general intelligence g-factor': a variable first proposed in 1904 that's sometimes used to summarize a person's abilities at different cognitive tasks. While the new results include many real-life measures not included in the g-factor — such as income and life satisfaction, for instance — those such as memory, pattern recognition and reading ability are strongly mirrored."

Ancestral background can be determined by fingerprints: "It is possible to identify an individual's ancestral background based on his or her fingerprint characteristics, new research shows — a discovery with significant applications for law enforcement and anthropological research."

Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk: "Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society — diabetes and obesity. EDCs contribute to health problems by mimicking, blocking or otherwise interfering with the body's natural hormones. By hijacking the body's chemical messengers, EDCs can alter the way cells develop and grow. Known EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA) found in food can linings and cash register receipts, phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics, flame retardants and pesticides. The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to one or more."

Early exposure to tobacco can cause behavioral problems in children: "Researchers have analyzed data on pre- and postnatal exposure to tobacco in the homes of 5,200 primary school children, and have found that early exposure to tobacco can lead to behavioral problems in children."

Early life infections may be a risk factor for Celiac disease in childhood: "Children with frequent infections in the first 18 months of life have a slightly increased risk of later developing celiac disease compared with children who have few infections, conclude researchers. Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. In recent decades there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of celiac disease and it is believed that one per cent of the population in Western countries."

Besides the genus Wolbachia, is there any real-life pathogen out there whose effects vary considerably depending on the sex of the afflicted organism? It's for a story idea of mine that involves a Gendercide-inducing Synthetic Plague (summarized description available mainly here, with some more details in subsequent posts).

Speaking of which, the question in is actually involved in this topic, too.

edited 29th Sep '15 3:13:35 PM by MarqFJA

There are parasites that change the gender of their host. Or are gender-specific.

Scientists to bypass brain damage by re-encoding memories: "Researchers are testing a prosthesis that translates short-term memories into longer-term ones, with the potential to bypass damaged portions of the brain."

Relationship between sympathy, helping others could provide clues to development of altruism: "Developmental psychologists long have debated whether individuals volunteer and help others because they are sympathetic or whether they are sympathetic because they are prosocial. Now, new research helps clarify some of the confusion, which could lead to better interventions to promote positive behaviors in adolescents and clues as to what makes some individuals altruistic."

Sleep may strengthen long-term memories in the immune system: "More than a century ago, scientists demonstrated that sleep supports the retention of memories of facts and events. Later studies have shown that slow-wave sleep, often referred to as deep sleep, is important for transforming fragile, recently formed memories into stable, long-term memories. Now, in a new article, researchers propose that deep sleep may also strengthen immunological memories of previously encountered pathogens."

Study sheds light on powerful process that turns food into energy: "The way in which our cells convert food into fuel is shared by almost all living things — now scientists have discovered a likely reason why this is so widespread. Cells that have more energy can grow and renew faster, giving them — and the organism to which they belong — an evolutionary advantage."

Enamel evolved in the skin and colonized the teeth much later: "When did the enamel that covers our teeth evolve? And where in the body did this tissue first appear? In a new study, researchers combined data from two very different research fields — paleontology and genomics — to arrive at a clear but unexpected answer to this question: enamel originated in the skin and colonized the teeth much later."

Our brain's secrets to success?: "We owe our success — both as a species and as individuals — to features of our brain that are just now beginning to be understood. One new study suggests how our primate brain's outer mantle, or cortex, was able to expand as much as 1,000-fold through evolution. Another links personal success — such as high education and income levels and life satisfaction — to increased chatter between key brain areas when we're not doing anything in particular."

Wearable electronic health patches may now be cheaper and easier to make: "A team of researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has invented a method for producing inexpensive and high-performing wearable patches that can continuously monitor the body's vital signs for human health and performance tracking, potentially outperforming traditional monitoring tools such as cardiac event monitors."

Examples of the first, please? Gender-specificity isn't what I'm looking for; it something more like the aforementioned genus of bacteria, which affects both males and females, but in very different yet related ways (all pertain to reproduction).

edited 30th Sep '15 5:35:39 AM by MarqFJA

Sacculina which turns male crabs it infects into female ones. A more general topic is Parasitic castration; I think it's plausible that a fictional parasite may modify the gender without necessarily sterilizing the animal (I dunno if that kind of flip happens in the real world, though).

Tommy Leung's Parasite Of The Day has probably posted nearly a hundred or so different ones that may fall into a category you're looking for over the course of the blog's run. Lots of interesting and unusual creatures to be found there.

edited 30th Sep '15 5:45:16 AM by carbon-mantis

How common are lawsuits against Hospital-acquired infections and how succesful are they, in general?

Arsenic found in many American red wines, but health risks depend on total diet: "A new study that tested 65 wines from America's top four wine-producing states — California, Washington, New York and Oregon — found all but one have arsenic levels that exceed US drinking water standards. But health risks from that naturally-occurring toxic element depend on how many other high-arsenic foods and beverages, such as apple juice, rice, or cereal bars, an individual person eats."

Disappearing carbon circuits on graphene could have security, biomedical uses: "In the television drama 'Mission Impossible,' instructions for the mission were delivered on an audio tape that destroyed itself immediately after being played. Should that series ever be revived, its producers might want to talk with Georgia Institute of Technology professor Andrei Fedorov about using his 'disappearing circuits' to deliver the instructions.

Using carbon atoms deposited on graphene with a focused electron beam process, Fedorov and collaborators have demonstrated a technique for creating dynamic patterns on graphene surfaces. The patterns could be used to make reconfigurable electronic circuits, which evolve over a period of hours before ultimately disappearing into a new electronic state of the graphene. Graphene is also made up of carbon atoms, but in a highly-ordered form.

Reported in the journal Nanoscale, the research was primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and involved collaboration with researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Beyond allowing fabrication of disappearing circuits, the technology could be used as a form of timed release in which the dissipation of the carbon patterns could control other processes, such as the release of biomolecules."

New predictor of health complications can identify high-risk preemies: "Premature infants have heightened risks of deadly diseases because their organs and immune systems are not fully developed. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a major gastrointestinal disease that causes the intestines to die, is a leading cause of death among these infants and is the most the common disease for babies born before 32 weeks. Now, researchers have found that the early and persistent presence of white blood cells during NEC, known as blood eosinophilia, is a predictor of life-threatening complications for preemies."

Experimental cancer drug shows therapeutic promise in mouse models of multiple sclerosis: "An experimental drug originally identified in a National Cancer Institute library of chemical compounds as a potential therapy for brain and basal cell cancers improves the symptoms of mice with a form of the debilitating neurological disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research."

Scientists refine model to predict dangerous errors in cell division: "A team of Virginia Tech researchers has refined a mathematical model that simulates the impact of genetic mutations on cell division—a step that could provide insight into errors that produce and sustain harmful cells, such as those found in tumors.

In a study in the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell, the group detailed their findings in laboratory experiments, which examined how mutant cells moved through a series of processes to duplicate their genetic material and divide.

Using these results, the group developed more accurate techniques for predicting the effects that gene mutations will have on a cell's ability to regulate its rate of division using natural checkpoints such as cell size and the availability of nutrients."

Late bedtimes could lead to weight gain: "Teenagers and adults who go to bed late on weeknights are more likely to gain weight than their peers who hit the hay earlier, according to a study that has found a correlation between sleep and body mass index."

A natural history of neurons: "Our brain cells have different genomes from one another. The study shows for the first time that mutations in somatic cells — that is, any cell in the body except sperm and eggs — are present in significant numbers in the brains of healthy people. These mutations appear to occur more often in the genes a neuron uses most. Patterns of mutation allow researchers to trace brain cell lineages."

Molecular switch keeps circadian clock running on time: "Circadian rhythms help everything from plants to humans coordinate with the daily light-dark cycle, but how this natural clock keeps accurate time, or why it goes awry in people with sleep disorders, is still under investigation. New findings suggest that a molecular switch balances the activity of two key proteins that keep the central timepiece of the clock — the daily accumulation and degradation of the PER2 protein — on schedule."

Is beauty really in the 'eye of the beholder'? Yes, and here's why: "Many of us have had the experience of disagreeing with friends or family about which celebrity is more attractive. Now, researchers show in a study of twins that those differences of opinion are mostly the result of personal experiences that are unique to each individual. In other words, even identical twins don't agree."

An accessible approach to making a mini-brain: "In a new paper, researchers describe a relatively accessible method for making a working — though not thinking — sphere of central nervous system tissue. The advance could provide an inexpensive and easy-to-make 3-D testbed for biomedical research."

Self-propelled powder designed to stop severe bleeding: "Researchers have created the first self-propelled particles capable of delivering coagulants against the flow of blood to treat severe bleeding, a potentially huge advancement in trauma care."

Brain network for observed social threat interactions revealed: "Observing one person threatening another is a commonplace event. Now, in new research, scientists have used large-scale neural recording and big data analysis in monkeys to enable a first glimpse of the brain remembering and recalling the memory of such negative social interactions."

Drug used to treat cancer appears to sharpen memory: "A drug now being used to treat cancer might make it easier to learn a language, sharpen memory and help those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease by rewiring the brain and keeping neurons alive. New research found that a drug — RGFP966 — administered to rats made them more attuned to what they were hearing, able to retain and remember more information, and develop new connections that allowed these memories to be transmitted between brain cells."

Say, regarding the made-up gendercide bioweapon that I mentioned here... I am wondering if my decision to give a single official name for the spectrum of effects caused by the bioweapon^note HADAS, or "Hyper-Anomalous Devirilization/Amazonization Syndrome". may be misguided, since the effects vary starkly depending on the sex of the infected individual (long story short, males either get killed off or "devirilized"^note covering everything pertaining to depriving a male from his virility, from actual emasculation and/or feminization to "just" terminally ruining the male's general health (i.e. total immunodeficiency)., while females are turned into super-amazons^note Basically anything from Amazonian Beauties to Brawn Hildas, with their natural powers and abilities at peak human to outright superhuman levels.). Am I overthinking it, or am I correct in assuming that I should split up HADAS into two separate syndromes for each of the sex-specific sets of symptoms?

Bio-inspired robotic finger looks, feels and works like the real thing: "Most robotic parts used to today are rigid, have a limited range of motion and don't really look lifelike. Inspired by both nature and biology, a scientist has designed a novel robotic finger that looks, feels and works like the real thing. Using shape memory alloy, a 3D CAD model of a human finger, a 3D printer and a unique thermal training technique, this robotic finger could ultimately be adapted for use as a prosthetic device, such as on a prosthetic hand."

Lab-grown 3D intestine regenerates gut lining in dogs: "Working with gut stem cells from humans and mice, scientists have successfully grown healthy intestine atop a 3-D scaffold made of a substance used in surgical sutures."

Surgeons restore hand, arm movement to quadriplegic patients: "A pioneering surgical technique has restored some hand and arm movement to patients immobilized by spinal cord injuries in the neck, reports a new study. The researchers assessed outcomes of nerve-transfer surgery in nine quadriplegic patients with spinal cord injuries in the neck. Every patient in the study reported improved hand and arm function."

Ancient genome from Africa sequenced for the first time: "The first ancient human genome from Africa to be sequenced has revealed that a wave of migration back into Africa from Western Eurasia around 3,000 years ago was up to twice as significant as previously thought, and affected the genetic make-up of populations across the entire African continent."

Machines have nothing on mom when it comes to listening: "More than 99% of the time, two words are enough for people with normal hearing to distinguish the voice of a close friend or relative amongst other voices. His study involved playing recordings to Canadian French speakers, who were asked to recognize on multiple trials which of the ten male voices they heard was familiar to them. 'Merci beaucoup' turned out to be all they needed to hear."

One in eight children at risk for measles, analysis shows: "Gaps in measles vaccination rates place one in eight children at risk for becoming sick from the highly contagious illness, according to an analysis of American national vaccination coverage."

Environmental memories transmitted from a father to his grandchildren: "If you have diabetes, or cancer or even heart problems, maybe you should blame it on your dad's behavior or environment. Or even your grandfather's. That's because, in recent years, scientists have shown that, before his offspring are even conceived, a father's life experiences involving food, drugs, exposure to toxic products and even stress can affect the development and health not only of his children, but even of his grandchildren. But, despite a decade of work in the area, scientists haven't been able to understand much about how this transmission of environmental memories over several generations takes place. Scientists think that they have now found a key part of the molecular puzzle. They have discovered that proteins known as histones, which have attracted relatively little attention until now, may play a crucial role in the process."

Epigenetics strikes again.

Detecting HIV diagnostic antibodies with DNA nanomachines: "An international team of researchers have designed and synthesized a nanometer-scale DNA 'machine' whose customized modifications enable it to recognize a specific target antibody."

Smoking, heavy alcohol use are associated with epigenetic signs of aging: "Cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use cause epigenetic changes to DNA that reflect accelerated biological aging in distinct, measurable ways, according to research. The researchers estimated biological age using a previously validated epigenetic 'clock' , calculated the difference between biological age and chronological age, and assessed the relationship between tobacco and alcohol use and premature aging."

Are there any pathogens besides HIV that cause a spectrum of conditions, rather than being pretty much synonymous with a single disease like most pathogens are?

Depends upon how much you factor in "available information bias" - AIDS and HIV are widespread and very well researched, so a lot of sub-conditions are known. Prion and measles have many manifestations, for example.

Different types of child abuse: Similar consequences: "Emotional abuse may be as harmful as physical abuse and neglect. This finding complements previous imaging research showing that emotional and physical pain both activate the same parts of the brain."

Scientists convert skin cells into placenta-generating cells: "Regenerative medicine is a new and expanding area that aims to replace lost or damaged cells, tissues or organs in the human body through cellular transplantation. Now, researchers have succeeded in converting skin cells into stable and fully functional placenta-generating cells."

How the brain controls sleep: "Neuroscientists have discovered a brain circuit that can trigger small regions of the brain to fall asleep or become less alert, while the rest of the brain remains awake. The researchers believe this may help the brain consolidate new memories by coordinating slow waves between different parts of the brain, allowing them to share information more easily."

Extraordinary Artificial Skin Can Transmit Sense Of Touch To Brain Cells: "Even though there have been incredible advancements in the field of prosthetics, including some more unorthodox ones, those who are unfortunate enough to lose a body part will be unable to replicate the sense of touch with their artificial limb. A remarkable new study by a team of Stanford University engineers, published today in Science, has perhaps begun to finally address this problem: they have created a plastic skin that can 'feel,' transmitting sensory information as an electric signal to the brain."

Are there cures for ear pain caused by barotrauma, if they are consistent?

In medical terminology, are "disease" and "disorder" generally equivalent to each other (barring specific contexts)? It seems to me that "disease" is nowadays perceived as being always physical in nature (regardless of whether or not it's contagious), whereas "disorder" encompasses mental illnesses that have no physical cause (or at least appear to have none to our current understanding); in other words, someone using the phrase "mental disease" can be seen as rather backwards or guilty of negative discrimination.

edited 16th Oct '15 11:00:36 AM by MarqFJA

Scientists produce clearest-ever images of enzyme that plays key roles in aging, cancer: "The telomerase enzyme is known to play a significant role in aging and most cancers. Scientists have discovered several major new insights about this enzyme and they are now able to see the complex enzyme's sub-units in much sharper resolution than ever before."

Sexual transmission of Ebola virus in Liberia confirmed using genomic analysis: "A suspected case of sexual transmission of Ebola virus disease in Liberia was confirmed using genomic analysis, thanks to in-country laboratory capabilities. The work provides molecular evidence of Ebola virus transmission between a disease survivor and his female partner. It also demonstrates the value of real-time genomic surveillance during an outbreak."

Dreams turned off and on with a neural switch: "In dream or REM sleep, brain activity is more like awake than non-REM activity, and muscles are paralyzed. Various regions of the brain affect REM sleep, but neuroscientists have found a group of neurons in the medulla that seem to play a key role. Activating them makes mice go immediately into REM sleep, while inactivating them abolishes it. REM control could be useful for researchers studying the function of sleep in animals."

Chocolate smells pink and stripy: Exploring how synesthetes see smells: "Being able to identify a smell or flavor appears to be the most important factor in how some synesthetes 'see' them, according to a new study."

'Paleo' sleep? Sorry, pre-modern people don't get more Zzzzs than we do: "It's tempting to believe that people these days aren't getting enough sleep, living as we do in our well-lit houses with T Vs blaring, cell phones buzzing, and a well-used coffee maker in every kitchen. But new evidence shows that three ancient groups of hunter-gatherers — living in different parts of the world without any of those trappings of modern life — don't get any more sleep than we do."

Interesting, ethnographic present crap aside.

Activity Patterns Of The Brain Are As Unique As Fingerprints: "Every single person is different from the next, with even identical twins having subtle differences. This variation isn’t just limited to what we can see, but also extends to what’s going on inside our heads. Now researchers have discovered that the pattern of brain activity from one person to the next is different enough that it can be used to identify individuals in a similar way to using fingerprints."

How dHow do resolve diarrhea problems? All day I had to use the restroomand it interrupted my work. I don't get this all the time but it does irritate me when it does.