Discovery offers starting point for better gene-editing tools
CRISPR has ushered in the era of genomic medicine. A line of powerful tools has been developed from the popular CRISPR-Cas9 to cure genetic diseases. However, there is a last-mile problem — these tools need to be effectively delivered into every cell of the patient, and most Cas9s are too big to be fitted into […]
New material can ‘capture toxic pollutants from air’
Researchers at University of Limerick, Ireland have developed a new material that has the ability to capture toxic chemicals from the air. The material is capable of capturing trace amounts of benzene, a toxic pollutant, from the air and crucially use less energy than existing materials to do so, according to the researchers. The sponge-like […]
Top 5 Financial Mistakes I’ve Made as a Physician
I’ve developed a love and respect for my financial mistakes. They got me to where I am now. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The list of what I have done right is relatively short and recent. The list of my financial mistakes, though, is long. Honestly, there are probably not many people out there […]
Make the Diagnosis: This is a Bit…Fishy
Presentation A 43-year-old woman visited her doctor about a smooth nodule that developed on her right hand 2 weeks ago. On examination, a tender, erythematous plaque with an ulcer was seen on her right dorsal hand. The patient had no recent travel history. She recalled injuring her hand a few weeks ago in the process […]
New COVID Vaccines From Canada, China Score in International Trials
A plant-based vaccine developed in Canada and a protein subunit vaccine from China proved safe and effective against symptomatic COVID-19, a pair of phase III trials found. The two-dose plant-based vaccine, a combination of coronavirus-like particles in plants plus an adjuvant, showed 69.5% efficacy (95% CI 56.7-78.8) against any symptomatic disease caused by five pre-Omicron […]
New portal improves forecasts of devastating storms in West Africa: Online tool will enable forecasters to provide communities with more reliable warnings
An online portal developed by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) will enable forecasters in West Africa to provide communities with earlier and more reliable warnings about large storms. Storms in the Sahel region, which can reach over 100km in size, have become more extreme since the 1980s due to global warming, with […]
A novel therapy ameliorates obesity and Type 2 diabetes in mice fed a high-fat diet: This therapy, using sustained release of nitric oxide, may be a novel, efficient and safe way to prevent and treat multiple metabolic diseases.
A novel therapy developed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham ameliorates obesity and Type 2 diabetes in mice fed a high-fat diet. The therapy acts through sustained release of nitric oxide, a gaseous signaling chemical whose most important function in the body is relaxing the inner muscles of blood vessels. “Because reduced bioavailability of […]
New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice: A single inhaled dose treated or even prevented infection by COVID-19 and its variants
A new protein-based antiviral nasal spray developed by researchers at Northwestern University, University of Washington and Washington University at St. Louis is being advanced toward Phase I human clinical trials to treat COVID-19. Designed computationally and refined in the laboratory, the new protein therapies thwarted infection by interfering with the virus’ ability to enter cells. […]
Kisspeptin: A new drug to treat liver disease? Rutgers researchers discover hormone has therapeutic effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mouse study
A hormone that triggers puberty and controls fertility in humans might be developed as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, according to new Rutgers research. The study, appearing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, provides powerful evidence that a modified version of the naturally occurring hormone kisspeptin can be used to treat non-alcoholic fatty […]
Kisspeptin: A new drug to treat liver disease? Rutgers researchers discover hormone has therapeutic effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mouse study
A hormone that triggers puberty and controls fertility in humans might be developed as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, according to new Rutgers research. The study, appearing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, provides powerful evidence that a modified version of the naturally occurring hormone kisspeptin can be used to treat non-alcoholic fatty […]