#Sound waves levitate cells to detect stiffness changes that could signal disease Utah Valley University physicists are literally applying rocket science to the field of medical diagnostics.
With a few key changes, the researchers used a noninvasive ultrasonic technique originally developed to detect microscopic flaws in solid fuel rockets, such as space shuttle boosters,
to successfully detect cell stiffness changes associated with certain cancers and other diseases. Brian Patchett, a research assistant and instructor within the Department of physics at Utah Valley University, will describe the group's method,
which uses sound waves to manipulate and probe cells, during the Acoustical Society of America's Fall 2015 Meeting, held Nov 2-6, in Jacksonville, Fla.
The method combines a low-frequency ultrasonic wave to levitate the cells and confine them to a single layer within a fluid and a high-frequency ultrasonic wave to measure the cell's stiffness."
and how they change during the process of cancer and disease development.""The stiffness of the cell is the primary change detected with our high-frequency ultrasound;
and how it changes in certain diseases, "Patchett said. The group's method can also help distinguish between different types of cancer--such as aggressive breast cancer vs. less aggressive forms."
"By isolating the cells in a monolayer of fluid via acoustic levitation, we're providing a better method for the detection of cell stiffness,
"This method can be used to explore the aspect of cells that changes during Alzheimer's disease, the metastasis of cancer,
As far as other applications, the group's method may find use in clinics, hospitals,
and surgical centers as a way to immediately detect and characterize cancer or other diseases."
"Our method identifies aggressive types of breast cancer, for example, while in the operating room,"Patchett noted.""Faster than current pathology methods, it will enable doctors to ensure speedier assessments
and more effective treatment plans for patients--personalized to their specific needs, which, in turn, will end up being more cost effective in the long term."
which is part of the immune response to an illness.""We're collaborating with the Huntsman Cancer Institute--part of the University of Utah healthcare system--to explore various types of breast tissues under levitation to refine our pathology detection methods,
"Patchett said.""Our goal is to provide potentially lifesaving, personalized medical treatments based on our ability to quickly and effectively detect cancers and diseases in patients
#Preventing dental implant infections One million dental implants are inserted every year in Germany, and often they need to be replaced due to issues such as tissue infections caused by bacteria.
In the future, these infections will be prevented thanks to a new plasma implant coating that kills pathogens using silver ions.
Bacterial infection of a dental implant is dreaded a complication, as it carries with it a high risk of jawbone degeneration.
Implanting an artificial dental root sets off a race between infectious pathogens and the body's own cellular defenses.
If the bacteria win they form a biological film over the titanium to protect themselves from antibiotics.
Once the implant is colonized by germs, the result is an inflammatory reaction, which can result in bone atrophy.
To lower the risk of infection and improve the long-term effectiveness of the implant, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Bremen have developed a new type of implant coating in cooperation with industry partners.
The Dentaplas coating helps prevent the growth of bacteria, thus allowing the implant to properly take hold
and thereby form a faster and more permanent bond with the jawbone. The trick to this lies in combining surface materials that feature physical as well as chemical properties."
"We have given the Dentaplas coating a rough texture, which promotes cellular growth, in addition to combining it with a hydrophilic plasma polymer coating,
which attracts moisture, "says Dr. Ingo Grunwald, project manager at the IFAM. Researchers have integrated silver nanoparticles into the thin plasma polymer coating,
which is up to just 100 nanometers thick. The silver nanoparticles dissolve over a period of several weeks,
which can be exposed toxic when,"says developer Dr. Dirk Salz. Researchers can tailor the silver concentration as well as the thickness of the layers and their porosity.
This allows the silver ions to penetrate the outermost plasma polymer layer over a set period of time deemed necessary to properly integrate the implant.
thus avoiding any long-term toxic effects. In trials using finished implants and titanium test samples
the IFAM researchers demonstrated that the Dentaplas coating is not only antimicrobial but also fully biocompatible and sterilizable.
Here, they subjected the Dentaplas coated implants to the rigors of being screwed into place using the instruments found in modern dental practices.
The medical technology company is also the manufacturer of the Dentaplas three-layer coating system.
Heparin is used widely as an anticoagulant in cardiovascular surgery as well as in postoperative and long-term therapy.
such as unusual bleeding and blood in the urine. Purity is also an important issue. It is not unheard of for the contaminant oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) to slip into the heparin supply chain.
This same type of approach potentially also could be used to make other currently plant-based medicines for fighting cancer
infectious diseases and chronic illnesses. A similar"synthetic biology"technique is used already to make artemisenin, a key malaria-drug ingredient that was derived previously from trees (see Reuters story of August 12, 2014, http://reut. rs/1j2ovkj).
The scientists said they altered the yeast's genetic make-up in a way that coaxed the cells to convert sugar into two opioids-hydrocodone and thebaine-in three to five days."
it may provide an alternative supply for these essential medicines and allow greater access for most of the global population that currently has insufficient access to pain medication,
Waterborne diseases, such as typhoid or diarrhoeal illnesses, kill 1. 5 million people a year globally.
when disinfection has been achieved satisfactorily and when it has not. n any case, Dankovich now hopes to increase production of the book. f things keep going well,
the researchers found that gaps caused by brain injury can be bridged. The findings raise hopes that a euro prostheticthat automatically enhances flagging memory could aid not only brain-injured soldiers,
both groups are studying people with epilepsy who already have implanted electrodes. The researchers can use these electrodes both to record brain activity
Although the ultimate goal is to treat traumatic brain injury these people might benefit as well, says biological engineer Theodore Berger at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los angeles. That is
researchers asked 12 people with epilepsy to look at pictures and then recall up to 90 seconds later which ones they had seen.
) USC biomedical engineer Dong Song, a member of the team, says that the group has tried the stimulation on a woman with epilepsy,
or whether they are under stress. The team has found again by working with people with epilepsy, that stimulating a region called the medial temporal lobe,
which houses the hippocampus, improves memory that is functioning poorly. But when memory is functioning well,
it may be worth developing therapies based on it even if it is not fully understoods long as it can be proved to be safe and effective t
#This Robotic Hand Wired to a Brain Implant Restored a Paralyzed Man Sense of touch In the last few years,
a paralyzed 28-year-old man reported a ear-naturalsense of touch from a sensor-laden robotic hand wired to a brain implant.
In the case of paralysis, however, robotic arms wired directly to the brain via an implant have been primarily one-way devicesllowing action but not yielding sensory information.
This is why the Darpa announcement is so exciting. Robotic thought-controlled prosthetic limbs for amputees are controlled by the brain indirectly using healthy nerves and muscles in the stump.
however, the only way to link up to a robotic arm is directly through the brain by way of an implant.
The implant was wired then to a robotic hand built by the Applied Physics laboratory at Johns Hopkins. Using advanced pressure sensors,
the hand converts physical sensations into electrical signals that are communicated to the brain through the brain implant.
The volunteer, who was paralyzed by a spinal cord injury ten years ago, was not only able to control the hand,
invasive surgery and wired brain implants are not an ideal solution. And limited to pressure,
And advances in brain-machine interfaces should make implants less invasive. For now, however, it one step at a time.
such as a free mobile app where users help find data patterns in cancer research by playing games.
#Designed by a 16-year-old, these headphones are meant to save your hearing Wee going deaf using headphones.
or youl go deaf! his father, Rayman, would shout, trying to be heard over the racket.
he realized the danger of hearing loss by listening to music too loudly isn just something parents say
According to data by the World health organization and the American Academy of Audiology the recommended listening level is 85db for a maximum of eight hours at a time.
The same data says that 12 percent of children aged 6-19 suffer from hearing loss caused by bad headphone use.
Along with serial entrepreneur Anthony Lye, the startup they co-founded, Aegis Acoustics, is on a mission to prevent further hearing loss among kids who love consuming their music with headphones.
#New Incisionless Surgery to Treat Enlarged Prostate By age 60, more than 50 percent of men in the United states suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition that leads to annoying changes
While medical therapy is usually the first line of treatment, a new minimally invasive implant can dramatically reduce symptoms for men. his is a safe procedure for men with BPH to improve urination
while preserving sexual function, said Mike Hsieh, MD, urologist at UC San diego Health System. his endoscopic procedure is done on an outpatient basis under light sedation with virtually no side effects.
The prostate is sized a walnut gland that sits below the bladder. When the prostate becomes enlarged
said Hsieh. his is an excellent alternative to traditional surgeries that require removal of prostate tissue,
The implant is comprised of a series of tiny permanent sutures that lift the enlarged prostate open
The implants are delivered through a hollow needle and into the prostate. No urinary catheter is needed post-procedure.
UC San diego Health System showcased this new procedure in a live-surgery during the 8th annual UC San diego School of medicine urology postgraduate course.
including low testosterone, erectile dysfunction and Peyronie disease. He is recognized also a expert in treating male infertility,
Such injection-molded parts are even suitable for mass production. Demonstration model of the experimental engine with lightweight cylinder casing to be presented at the Hannover Messe.
The researchers produce these components from granulated thermoset plastics using an injection molding process. The melted composite material
#Study finds cystic fibrosis decreases muscle strength Patients with cystic fibrosis have a muscle deficiency that gets worse with age, according to the findings of a joint study by researchers at the University of Georgia and Georgia Regents University.
and results showed cystic fibrosis patients had 15 percent less capacity than the control group -and that capacity grew worse with age.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 Americans, producing mucus that makes it difficult to breathe
The average life span of a patient with cystic fibrosis is less than 40 years. By including children in the study,
researchers opened a door to similar tests on a range of childhood diseases. The Mito Test uses near infrared spectroscopy, a special type of light beamed through the skin
it is easier to administer than traditional methods to measure muscle capacity, such as MRIS or biopsies.#
points to this decrease of muscle strength as one reason why cystic fibrosis patients are less likely to exercise as they get older,
complicating their health problems. Mccully, who developed the Mito Test, said the excessive muscle weakness that is common in cystic fibrosis patients now can be attributed to some degree to defects in muscle mitochondria.
Mccully and other UGA researchers will continue to work with Georgia Regents University to determine what is keeping cystic fibrosis patients#muscles from properly functioning,
as well as use the Mito Test in Athens, Augusta and elsewhere to study other childhood diseases that may affect muscle mitochondria.#
#This is the start of a collaboration; we agree there is something in the muscles that accumulates,
noting the shortened life span of cystic fibrosis patients.##We#re interested in optimizing that life,
#New treatment options for colon cancer Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Sweden Karolinska Institutet, one of Europe largest and most prestigious medical universities, have discovered that an existing
Colorectal cancer commonly referred to as colon cancer is one of the three most common cancers worldwide and the most common in Singapore.
Almost 95 per cent of colorectal cancers are from malignant tumours. The research team found that Imatinib,
The finding is also significant as currently there is no drug available to prevent the recurrence of tumours in the intestine after the cancerous tumours have been removed by surgery.
Professor of Metabolic Disease at NTU Lee Kong Chian School of medicine and senior principal investigator with the National Cancer Centre Singapore. ur work has important clinical implications,
and cancer progression in patients predisposed to develop colorectal cancer, said Prof Pettersson, who is also a Professor of Host-Microbe Interactions at Karolinska Institutet.
which had late-stage tumours and rectal bleeding. The same effects were shown also when Imatinib was tested on colon tumour tissues taken from human patients.
where the affected section of the intestine is removed through surgery. The scientists said these findings also suggest that short term intermittent chemotherapies could be possible as a treatment model,
#Unusual Chance to Study Patient's Residual Tumor Leads to New Finding Capitalizing on a rare opportunity to thoroughly analyze a tumor from a lung cancer patient who had developed resistance to targeted drug treatment,
the researchers were able to durably wipe out cancer cells in mice implanted with cells from the drug-resistant tumor. ven in cancers that are responding to targeted therapy by conventional criteria,
the senior author of the new study, Trever Bivona, MD, Phd, assistant professor of medicine and member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC).
n this work we have begun to crack open the question of why residual disease persists after targeted therapy.
which drug-resistant cells that survive treatment form residual, often lethal, tumors. Understanding the biological basis of acquired resistance has proved difficult,
partly because patients with late-stage lung cancer rarely undergo surgery, leaving scientists with few drug-resistant tumors to use in research.
But as described in the online edition of Cell Reports on Thursday, April 2, 2015, a team of UCSF researchers recently had unusual access to a surgically resected tumor from an EGFR-mutant lung cancer patient who had experienced a substantial,
but incomplete, response to erlotinib. Led by first authors Collin Blakely, MD, Phd, a clinical instructor at UCSF,
and Evangelos Pazarentzos, Phd, a postdoctoral fellow, the research group analyzed cells from this tumor using next-generation genome sequencing in an effort to understand how the cells sidestepped erlotinib treatment.
They found that the tumor cells retained the EGFR mutation targeted by erlotinib and had acquired not additional cancer-driving mutations,
or any other mutations known to confer drug resistance. These results suggested that the cells were still potentially susceptible to erlotinib,
when cells from the tumor were implanted in mice that were treated then with erlotinib. The drug effectively inhibited EGFR activity,
and they discovered that this increase is mediated by a previously unknown biochemical complex formed within the tumor cells.
a growing body of work has tied the NF-KAPPA-B pathway to various forms of cancer. An experimental drug known as PBS-1086 directly targets the NF-KAPPA-B pathway,
the implanted tumors shrank significantly, suggesting that combining a compound like PBS-1086 with erlotinib at the outset of therapy may help to prevent acquired drug resistance in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
Combined drug regimens designed to overcome drug resistance at the outset of therapy are now the norm in treating certain forms of melanoma,
said Bivona, and he believes PBS-1086 as a shotto play a similar role in NSCLC. he NF-KAPPA-B pathway is engaged by cells in response to EGFR inhibitors as a way to survive treatment,
we see tumors shrink. In lung cancer patients treated with these drugs, and that a substantial number of patients, this could be a very powerful companion therapy to minimize
or eliminate residual disease. i
#Engineers gain control of gene activity; new therapies may be ahead Duke researchers have developed a new method to precisely control
when genes are turned on and active. The new technology allows researchers to turn on specific gene promoters
and enhancersieces of the genome that control gene activityy chemically manipulating proteins that package DNA.
or the risk for genetic disease and it could provide a new avenue for gene therapies and guiding stem cell differentiation. he epigenome is associated everything with the genome other than the actual genetic sequence,
But the real excitement from their results is an emerging ability to probe millions of potential enhancers in a way never before possible. ome genetic diseases are straightforwardf you have a mutation within a particular gene,
then you have said the disease Isaac Hilton, postdoctoral fellow in the Gersbach Lab and first author of the study. ut many diseases, like cancer,
cardiovascular disease or neurodegenerative conditions, have a much more complex genetic component. Many different variations in the genome sequence can affect your risk of disease
and this genetic variation can occur in these enhancers that Tim has identified, where they can change the levels of gene expression.
With this technology, we can explore what exactly it is that theye doing and how it relates to disease or response to drug therapies.
Gersbach added, ot only can you start to answer those questions, but you might be able to use this technique for gene therapy to activate genes that have been silenced abnormally
#Scientists discover new treatment for dementia Pushing new frontiers in dementia research, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have found a new way to treat dementia by sending electrical impulses to specific areas of the brain to enhance the growth of new brain cells.
Known as deep brain stimulation, it is a therapeutic procedure that is already used in some parts of the world to treat various neurological conditions such as tremors or Dystonia,
which mitigates the harmful effects of dementia-related conditions and improves short and long-term memory. Their research has shown that new brain cells,
The increase in brain cells reduces anxiety and depression, and promotes improved learning, and boosts overall memory formation and retention.
The research findings open new opportunities for developing novel treatment solutions for patients suffering from memory loss due to dementia-related conditions such as Alzheimer and even Parkinson disease.
a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal published by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society and the Wellcome Trust.
and reduces anxiety. emory loss in older people is not only a serious and widespread problem, but signifies a key symptom of dementia.
At least one in 10 people aged 60 and above in Singapore suffer from dementia and this breakthrough could pave the way towards improved treatments for patients.
Growing new brain cells For decades, scientists have been finding ways to generate brain cells to boost memory and learning,
but more importantly, to also treat brain trauma and injury, and age-related diseases such as dementia. As part of a natural cycle, brain cells constantly die
and get replaced by new ones. The area of the brain responsible for generating new brain cells is known as the hippocampus
#Biologists identify brain tumor weakness Biologists at MIT and the Whitehead Institute have discovered a vulnerability of brain cancer cells that could be exploited to develop more-effective drugs against brain tumors.
The study, led by researchers from the Whitehead Institute and MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, found that a subset of glioblastoma tumor cells is dependent on a particular enzyme that breaks down the amino acid glycine.
Without this enzyme, toxic metabolic byproducts build up inside the tumor cells, and they die. GLDC caught the researchersattention as they investigated diseases known as nborn errors of metabolism
which occur when cells are missing certain metabolic enzymes. Many of these disorders specifically affect brain development;
the most common of these is marked phenylketonuria by an inability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine.
Such patients must avoid eating phenylalanine to prevent problems such as intellectual disability and seizures. Loss of GLDC produces a disorder called nonketotic hyperglycinemia,
which causes glycine to build up in the brain and can lead to severe mental retardation. GLDC is also often overactive in certain cells of glioblastoma,
the most common and most aggressive type of brain tumor found in humans. The researchers found that GLDC,
These regions are often found at the center of tumors, which are inaccessible to blood vessels.
which makes them better suited to survive in the ischemic tumor microenvironment, Kim says. However, this highly active SHMT2 also produces a glut of glycine,
Without GLDC, glycine enters a different metabolic pathway that generates toxic products that accumulate and kill the cell. n interesting aspect of the current study is uncovered that they why glycine accumulation is toxic,
says Navdeep Chandel, a professor of medicine and cellular biology at Northwestern University who was not part of the research team.
LDC loss accumulates glycine, causing nonketotic hyperglycinaemia, a disorder that severely affects the developing brain.
resulting in funneling of glycine into metabolic pathways that generate toxic molecules, such as aminoacetone and methylglyoxal.
#In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection In the first results to emerge from HIV patient trials of a new generation of so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies,
Rockefeller University researchers have found the experimental therapy can dramatically reduce the amount of virus present in a patient blood.
or even preventing HIV infection. hiv antibodies In a person infected with HIV, there is an ongoing arms race between the virus and the body immune system.
Even as the body produces new antibodies that target the virus the virus is constantly mutating to escape,
The new study, conducted in Michel Nussenzweig Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, finds that administration of a potent antibody,
called 3bnc117, can catch HIV off guard and reduce viral loads. HIV antibodies previously tested in humans had shown disappointing results. 3bnc117 belongs to a new generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies that potently fight a wide range of HIV strains. hat special about these antibodies is that they have activity against over 80 percent
of HIV strains and they are extremely potent, says Marina Caskey, assistant professor of clinical investigation in the Nussenzweig lab and co-first author of the study. 3bn117,
Broadly neutralizing antibodies are produced naturally in some 10 to 30 percent of people with HIV,
but only after several years of infection. By that time the virus in their bodies has evolved typically to escape even these powerful antibodies.
However by isolating and then cloning these antibodies, researchers are able to harness them as therapeutic agents against HIV infections that have had less time to prepare.
Earlier work in the Nussenzweig lab had demonstrated that these potent antibodies could prevent or suppress infection in mouse and nonhuman primate models of HIV.
But these animal models are very rough approximations of human infections, explains Caskey. The mice must be engineered genetically to be susceptible to HIV
and therefore lack an intact immune system, and the primates used in HIV studies can only be infected with a simian version of the virus. The proof of principle awaited human trials.
In the new study uninfected and HIV-infected individuals were given intravenously a single dose of the antibody
and monitored for 56 days. At the highest dosage level tested in the study, 30 milligrams per kilogram of weight,
all eight infected individuals treated showed up to 300-fold decreases in the amount of virus measured in their blood,
The drop in viral load depended on the individual starting viral load and also the sensitivity of their particular strains of HIV to the antibody.
This is the first time that the new generation of HIV antibodies has been tested in humans. Not only was a single dose of 3bn117 well tolerated and effective in temporarily reducing viral loads,
Researchers also believe that antibodies may be able to enhance the patient immune responses against HIV, which can in turn lead to better control of the infection.
In addition, antibodies like 3bnc117 may be able to kill viruses hidden in infected cells, which serve as viral reservoirs inaccessible to current antiretroviral drugs.
Most likely 3bnc117, like other anti-retrovirals, will need to be used in combination with other antibodies
or antiretroviral drugs to keep infections under control. ne antibody alone, like one drug alone, will not be sufficient to suppress viral load for a long time
because resistance will arise, says Caskey. One important benefit is the dosing schedule: an antibody therapy for HIV might require treatment just once every few months,
compared to daily regimens of antiretroviral drugs that are now the front-line treatment for HIV. n contrast to conventional antiretroviral therapy,
antibody-mediated therapy can also engage the patient immune cells, which can help to better neutralize the virus,
says co-first author Florian Klein, also assistant professor of clinical investigation in the Nussenzweig laboratory.
Besides the possibility of treatment, the study also raises hopes for an HIV vaccine. If researchers can induce an uninfected person immune system to generate potent antibodies such as 3bnc117
it might be enough to block the HIV infection before it can be established. Ongoing clinical research in Nussenzweig lab and The Rockefeller University Hospital aims to address the impact of additional broadly neutralizing antibodies, alone or in combination, on viral load in HIV-infected patients.
Source: Rockefeller Universit l
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