New technology could lead to treatments for osteoarthritis
January 27, 2021 SHARE Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered cartilage cells to release an anti-inflammatory drug in response to stresses such cells undergo when they are compressed during weight bearing and movement. Here, the cell, called a chondrocyte, is stimulated with a very small glass pipette, about 1/5 the diameter of a human hair. When these cells undergo compression, they release the drug that combats inflammation. (Image: Guilak lab)
Working to develop new treatments for osteoarthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have genetically engineered cartilage to deliver an anti-inflammatory drug in response to activity similar to the bending of a knee or other motions that put stress on joints.
Technology has potential to help people affected by stroke or other conditions communicate
January 28, 2021 SHARE
Areas in the back of the brain become active when a person looks at an image. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have used light to decode brain signals and identify what image a person sees. (Video: Edward Del Rosario)
Some people are trapped within their own minds, able to think and feel but unable to express themselves because brain injury or disease has damaged their lines of communication with the outside world.
As a step toward helping people in such situations communicate, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have demonstrated that they can use light to detect what is going on inside someone’s head. The researchers use LED light beamed from the outside of the head inward to detect activity in the area of the brain responsible for visual processing, and then decode brain signals to determine
We re regularly told to minimise the amount of saturated fats we consume, but a new study suggests that eating foods rich in these fats could actually offer some protection against certain diseases.
Researchers have revealed that eating foods rich in saturated fats, which are found in cakes, fatty meats like bacon and cheese, may reduce the risk of acute pancreatitis.
The US team analysed data from people in 11 countries on how different fats consumed by different nations – either unsaturated or saturated – are linked with the serious condition, where the pancreas becomes inflamed.
Saturated fat is found in foods heavily consumed in western societies, while unsaturated fats are mostly found in oils from plants and fish and are prevalent in Asian and some South American diets.
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS: Family conflicts and the pain children feel
By Jeanine Hatt
Special to the Herald Democrat
The coronavirus pandemic is straining many marriages some to the breaking point. There are signs that separations and the divorce rate is rising as couples struggle with the emotional and economic fallout of the past year. According an article in WebMD last November, family lawyers surveyed in April and July reported a 25% to 35% increase in requests to start divorce proceedings compared to the same time in 2019.
Unfortunately, the family members who are most at risk of being hurt are the children. There are so many times that, during a child’s visit in my pediatric office, I have witnessed a parent criticizing the other parent in front of the child as well as admitting that there are heated arguments at home with the children present. New research warns that kids who see their parents bicker are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depres
Two drugs targeting cancer cells’ energy source potentially could replace toxic chemo in osteosarcoma
January 26, 2021 SHARE A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that a two-drug combination targeting a tumor’s energy sources could be as effective and less toxic than methotrexate, a long-used chemotherapy drug often given in high doses to treat osteosarcoma, a bone cancer. Shown is a cross section of osteosarcoma. (Image: Richa Rathore)
An innovative approach to treating bone tumors starving cancer cells of the energy they need to grow could one day provide an alternative to a commonly used chemotherapy drug without the risk of severe side effects, suggests a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Studying human cancer cells and mice, the researchers said that a two-drug combination targeting a tumor’s energy sources could be as effective and less toxic than methotrexate, a long-used chemot