News
Wait times increasing for some medical procedures outsourced to for-profit clinics in Ontario: report
Outsourcing surgeries and imaging to private for-profit clinics has not resulted in a drop in wait times for most procedures, according to a new study released Monday.
Modified HIV drug reverses vision loss and paralysis in multiple sclerosis model
A new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study indicates that the experimental drug kamuvudine-9 (K-9) facilitates recovery from pre-existing vision loss and paralysis in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers at the University of Virginia found that these benefits were likely the result of K-9 preventing the inflammasome, a cell-killing alarm system native to the brain and spinal cord, from activating. A nationwide analysis of more than 3 million patients showed reduced rates of MS and MS relapses among those receiving common antiviral medications called NRTIs, of which K-9 is a non-toxic derivative
These frogs ‘see’ prey with their star-shaped toes
In the murky, muddy puddles and jungle rivers across Suriname, a flat-backed frog lies in wait. Soon, it senses a small fish swimming by and pounces, swiping it into its tongueless mouth before engulfing it whole. How does this creature, known as the Suriname toad (Pipa pipa), detect its prey? Its strange, star-shaped toes. In a study published last month in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A, researchers show the Suriname toad’s toes are highly tuned sensory organs that function somewhat like tactile eyeballs, enabling them to size up putative prey and see them without actually seeing them.
Purdue Researchers Eliminate LC-MS Sample Preparation with Spatial Extraction Tool
A pressure-controlled probe scans unflattened tissue and food surfaces, preserving spatial chemical data that conventional extraction permanently destroys
Old hearts age backwards: transplanted organs adjust to host’s biological age
What happens to organs when they are transplanted? Hearts from young donors age rapidly in the bodies of older recipients, and older hearts are rejuvenated inside young people, according to a study1. The findings, posted on the preprint server bioRxiv and not yet peer reviewed, imply that replacement organs could be sourced from older people than they are at present.
Rethinking Immunohistochemistry: Why Workflow Is Central to Pathology’s Future
Accuracy and efficiency have always been paramount in pathology laboratories and are only becoming more urgent. By 2037, demand for pathology services is projected to increase by 16%, while the number of pathologists is expected to decline by 7%, according to the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
As testing volumes and biomarker complexity grow, workflow optimization can help laboratories improve IHC efficiency, consistency, and turnaround times.
Researchers found a curious mitochondrial pattern in people who moved more
Researchers found that greater self-reported activity, walking, and accelerometer-measured light activity were associated with higher mitochondrial DNA copy number in 256 healthy middle-aged adults. The cross-sectional findings cannot establish causation, and the very low amount of vigorous activity means they do not show that light movement is more beneficial than higher-intensity exercise.
Project will harness technology to track Amazon biodiversity in real time
Thanks to technological advances such as automated species detection from audio recordings and analysis of DNA shed into the environment, conservation scientists think it’s possible to assemble increasingly comprehensive and up-to-date views of biodiversity across huge landscapes. Today, a coalition of research organizations announced an initiative to test that promise by creating an Amazon-wide, regularly updated picture of what’s happening to plant and animal populations as development threatens one of the most species-rich parts of the world.
Microplastics impair liver function and increase fat in mice
Microplastics appear capable of significantly impairing the function of phagocytes in the liver, at least in mice. In turn, this disrupts the metabolism of this vital organ and increases the build-up of fat inside it.
The gene-regulatory evolution of the human skeleton
Skeletal modifications were central to human evolution, enabling adaptations for bipedalism, large cranial vaults and childbirth. Despite their importance, the genetic changes that gave rise to the unique human form remain mostly unknown. Here the gene-regulatory changes that shaped human skeletal evolution are systematically mapped.