08 Aug, 2013 | by Labroots
Prion Protein’s Tail Responsible for Brain Cell DeathInfectious pathogens known as prions are responsible for illnesses like Mad Cow Disease. But recent news points to the true cause of the proteinâs destructive nature, and why some prion proteins remain completely harmless while others become toxic. Prion protein occurs naturally in the human brain cell membrane. Sometimes, those normally harmless proteins will morph or become deformed. Itâs these...... Read More
07 Aug, 2013 | by Labroots
Bacteria Strain Inactivates Cardiac MedicineAre you sure your medication is working when you take it? For certain people, a strain of bacteria in their gut is getting to their cardiac drugs and inactivating them before theyâve had a chance to work. Itâs a discovery that could give new insight to human cell biology and why different people experience different reactions to certain medications. The idea of microbes stealing and chewing through...... Read More
06 Aug, 2013 | by Labroots
Neural Origins of Menopausal Hot Flashes IdentifiedA new neuroscience study from the Wayne State University of Medicine may have identified the first real insight into the neural origins of the uncomfortable hot flashes experienced by menopausal women. Until now, every study attempting to understand the bodyâs response to thermoregulatory events has been carried out by applying heat stimuli to the skin. But a hot flash is completely different because...... Read More
05 Aug, 2013 | by Labroots
Scientists Come Closer to Custom-Built Blood VesselsResearchers at Johns Hopkins made big steps towards the eventual creation of customized blood vessels this month. Creating new blood vessel networks from stem cells, the scientists were able to successfully transplant them into laboratory mice. The manufactured blood vessel network, which is produced through the reprogramming of ordinary cells, is a big accomplishment in the world of cell biology....... Read More
02 Aug, 2013 | by Labroots
New Hydrogel Gives Researchers a Better Way to Study Brain CancerEngineers have created a brand new, three dimensional hydrogel that mimics the conditions of the human brain better than any previous gel. The clinical applications of the new hydrogel are varied, but at the moment itâs giving researchers a whole new way to study glioblastoma multiforme â an aggressive and notoriously deadly form of brain cancer. Traditionally, researchers have been forced to...... Read More
01 Aug, 2013 | by Labroots
Could Psychedelic Drugs Hold the Key to Erasing PTSD?A new clinical application of some psychedelic drugs may provide a surprising new method for treating PTSD and related disorders. Found naturally in some mushrooms, psilocybin is a compound that stimulates certain serotonin receptors inside the human brain. Used for years in religious ceremonies by non-western cultures and people, psilocybin is best known for its psychedelic and hallucinatory properties....... Read More
31 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Long-Term Memory Protein Linked to Psychiatric DisordersNeuroscience researchers at Virginia Techâs Carilion Research Institute have made a discovery that links schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to a brain protein pathway critical in the formation of long-term memories. Rap1 is a protein pathway found in the brain, and itâs responsible for controlling the L-type calcium channels that assist in the formation of long-term memories. According to earlier...... Read More
30 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Mice-Grown Mini Livers May Give Transplant List Patients New HopeA new stem cell biology-based approach may one day help the thousands of patients in need of a liver transplant every year. In 2011, around 5,800 liver transplant surgeries were performed in the United States. That same year, nearly 3,000 more patients died while waiting for their turn on the waiting lists. This scarcity of human livers for transplant has led major hospitals, including New Yorkâs...... Read More
29 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
New Animal Model Gives Researchers a Better Understanding of Crohn’s DiseaseA new animal model, developed by Canadaâs McMaster University, is giving scientists a different way to study Crohnâs disease. The clinical applications for the new model are varied, and all will hopefully guide researchers towards a better understanding and more effective treatments for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Adherent-invasive E. coli has been associated with human Crohnâs disease. Until...... Read More
26 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Neuroscientists Find Possible Biological Cause of NarcolepsyA team of neuroscientists at UCLAâs Center for Sleep Research has made a discovery that could signal a major find in the search for a cause and eventual cure for narcolepsy. Characterized by random, uncontrollable periods of deep sleep, the disorder has baffled the neuroscience community for years, and affects roughly one in every 3,000 Americans. The first breakthrough came in the year 2000, when...... Read More