28Mar
A new research from Tel Aviv University shows that the aging process can be predicted through a bone examination. The new marker is called the osseographic score (OSS). This can be used by doctors to predict a person’s lifespan. If the result shows that a person is physically aging faster than his actual age, then the person can plan ahead and take measures to slow the aging process. Certain programs may be considered like regular exercise, taking of supplements, avoiding stress and smoking, getting enough rest and sleep.
Male and female bones have different aging patterns as shown in their genes.
Scientists and doctors are finding ways to fight aging, and to help people not only live longer, but function better regardless of age.
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23Mar
Paralysis is the result of a spinal cord injury. Most spinal cord injuries cannot be treated by existing therapies, as damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord do not regenerate and heal. Recently, a study showed the cause of non-regeneration of nerve cells, which gives researches an idea on how to develop new technologies that can eventually cure spinal cord injuries. Researches saw that a molecule called netrin-1 repels stem cells from the injured site, preventing stem cells to reach and repair the injury. Netrin-1 provides signals to nerve cells for it to reach its target.
Another recent research on mice used nanotechnology to treat spinal cord injuries.
to be continued…
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20Mar
With moral issues hounding stem cell research, especially with the use of stem cells from embryos, researchers are finding other ways to develop stem cell technologies that will have the same results as that of the use of embryonic stem cells.
Recent research showed that a polymer found in brown seaweeds can support the growth and release of stem cells in the body as disease or injury is detected.
“We have developed a scaffold for stem cell culture that can degrade in the body at a controlled rate,†said lead researcher Ravi Kane, professor of chemical and biological engineering. “With this level of control we can foster the growth of stem cells in the scaffold and direct how, when, and where we want them to be released in the body.â€
Engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute spearheaded this study. They used alginate, a complex carbohydrate found in the seaweed, which when mixed with calcium, becomes a rigid three dimensional mesh. They envision that this can be used in regenerative medicine, and release stem cells directly to injured body parts. For example, healthy bone stem cells can be released directly to the injured bone, or neuron stem cells can be released to the brain to replace cells destroyed by Alzheimer’s disease.
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17Mar
Stem cell research is the heart of regenerative medicine. It aims to develop new stem cell technologies such as cures for degenerative diseases, treatment for injuries and a possibility of growing body parts in laboratories for transplant purposes.
However, stem cell research has a lot of controversies, especially with the possible use of Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem cells are harvested from an embryo, thus ending its development. Moral issues arise and researchers cannot proceed with human experiments.
The use of stem cells derived from adult human tissue have actually started with bone marrow transplant, wherein hematopoietic stem cells produce new healthy blood cells in the patient’s body.
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14Mar
The future of artificial limb technology has been uncovered by the phenomenal beaks of giant squids. The beaks are made up of hard materials, but the squid has a soft body, and scientists have long wondered how this boneless animal could control this powerful weapon. The beak is said to be used by giant squids to attack whales and other preys.
It has been discovered that the “connection†between the hard beak and the soft squid’s body part changes density gradually, resulting to a softer material. This may be used as basis for development of safer and more elastic “cartilage†to connect a body part to a prosthetic limb.
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08Mar
It has been reported by the Discovery News that an experiment showed that an implantable biomedical device could be hacked and had the settings changed. The device used in the experiment was a cardiac defibrillator, a device that sends small amounts of electricity to maintain a regular heartbeat. However, if the settings are changed, it may kill the patient.
The issue on security is being tackled by the developers, but they are assuring the public that it will be very difficult to hack an implantable biomedical device since the interface being used is not easily manufactured, so there is enough time to develop hack free devices.
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03Mar
A research done on a Zebrafish showed that a genetic defect may be prevented by injecting a customized genetic patch on embryos. The genetic mutation is corrected at the early stage, enabling the embryos to develop normally. This research can lead to a similar study on humans. Zebrafish are vertebrates, and develop in a similar way like humans, and its transparent appearance enables researchers to observe the development of embryos. The genetic defect that was observed and prevented was the zebrafish model of Menkes disease. Children with this disease have seizures, abnormal bone development and kinky, colorless hair, among others, and they die before they reach 10 years of age. The researchers, headed by Erik C. Madsen, first author and an M.D./Ph.D. student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Washington University School of Medicine, developed morpholinos that prevent the gene mutation.
Consider the genetic code as a book, and someone has put in random letters or gibberish in the middle of the book,” Madsen said. “To be able to read the book, you have to ignore the gibberish. If we can make cells ignore the gibberish, or the splicing defect, the fetus can develop normally.
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