Biochemistry

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AI model helps predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans

A new model that applies artificial intelligence to carbohydrates improves the understanding of the infection process and could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans. This is reported in a recent study led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg.

16 Jun 2021

Study explains the evolution of taste receptors in mammals

Is evolution responsible for people’s inability to resist a salty chip?

16 Jun 2021

Kirigami-inspired stent could deliver drugs to tubular organs

Inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of folding and cutting paper to create three-dimensional structures, MIT engineers and their collaborators have designed a new type of stent that could be used to deliver drugs to the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, or other tubular organs in the body.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 15 Jun 2021

Study finds a link between progression of Alzheimer’s disease and corpuscles in cell nuclei

Studies conducted on patients’ tissue as well as mini-brains created from stem cells have provided a better insight into Alzheimer’s disease.

15 Jun 2021

Microbes help convert plastic trash into vanilla flavor

Scientists have developed a novel solution to the growing problem of plastic pollution by using microbes to convert plastic waste into a vanilla flavor. According to a new study, the ubiquitous bacterium E. coli may be used as a sustainable technique to convert post-consumer plastic into vanillin.

11 Jun 2021

Living cells can produce semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated that a class of interwoven composite materials called semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (sIPNs) can be produced by living cells. The approach could make these versatile materials more biologically compatible for biomedical applications such as time-delayed drug delivery systems.

11 Jun 2021

Novel platform may lead to more improved gene therapies

Researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have developed polypeptide-based materials that serve as effective vectors in delivering gene therapies.

11 Jun 2021

ASU study reveals how diets high in saturated fats cause colon cancer

For decades, physicians and dieticians have urged people to limit their intake of high fat foods, citing links to poor health outcomes and some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

10 Jun 2021

Commonly used antidepressant drugs can also help the immune system to attack cancer

A class of drug called monoamine oxidase inhibitors is commonly prescribed to treat depression; the medications work by boosting levels of serotonin, the brain's "happiness hormone."

10 Jun 2021

Study reveals new insights into role of polyphenols in the soil microbiome

Fruits, vegetables, red wine and chocolate are all rich in polyphenols, natural plant compounds that double as cancer-fighting antioxidants. We can access these foods' health benefits because the microbes in our guts happily feast on them, breaking them down into smaller chemical components.

10 Jun 2021

Diets that increase inflammation linked to increased risk of breast cancer

A new study of more than 350,000 women found that women with diets incorporating more foods that increase inflammation in the body had a 12% increase in their risk of breast cancer compared to women who consume more anti-inflammatory diets. The new findings are being presented at NUTRITION 2021 LIVE ONLINE.

8 Jun 2021

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma more than three-fold for those with a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure according to an international, multi-center study.

8 Jun 2021

Single biomarker in the blood can accurately indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive.

8 Jun 2021

Food scientists aim to create healthier and tastier plant-based proteins

As meat consumption grows throughout the world, food scientists are working to develop better-tasting, more sustainable, and healthier plant-based protein products that replicate cheese, fish, eggs, milk, and meat.

8 Jun 2021

Nutritional supplement can help bolster key functions for people with brain disorders

An international subject pool was studied to confirm the effectiveness of a whole food complete vitamin and meal replacement product, IQed. The article, co-authored by Lisa Geng; Francine Hamel, EdD, SLP-CCC; Doreen Lewis, Ph.D., appeared in the peer-reviewed journal, Alternative Therapies (Altern Ther Health Med 2021 Mar;27(2):11-20).

7 Jun 2021