Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found that the force, or shear, of blood flow against the cells lining the early heart valve sends signals for heart "cushion" cells to become fully formed valves. Congenital heart valve defects appear in 2 percent of all live births, making them the most common type of birth defect. This study has been published in Developmental Cell.
A study demonstrates that continued deaths from strangulation on window blind cords demonstrate urgent need for stronger safety standards. Almost 17,000 children under six years of age were treated in hospital emergency departments in the US for window blind-related injuries from 1990 through 2015, averaging almost two per day. While the majority of children were treated and released, there was about one child death each month — most from strangulation when a child became entangled by the neck in a window blind cord.
An international group of researchers have designed new anti-viral nanoparticles that bind to a range of viruses, including herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and Dengue and Lentiviruses. Unlike other broad-spectrum antivirals, which simply prevent viruses from infecting cells, the new nanoparticles destroy viruses. This study has been published in the journal Nature Materials.
A new study recognized the Genes in Space-3 team turned that possibility into a reality this year, when it completed the first-ever sample-to-sequence process entirely aboard the space station. For an ability to identify microbes in real time aboard the International Space Station, without having to send them back to Earth for identification first, would be revolutionary for the world of microbiology and space exploration.
According to this study, Researchers have developed an inductive algorithm to study nucleotide frequencies using a multi-strain SIR model. Sequencing also benefits epidemiological studies, such as the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. These processes of sequence data will help scientists to understand organism function. This study got published in SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics.
A study has been declined that many of the complex folded shapes that form mammalian tissues can be recreated with very simple instructions. By patterning mechanically active mouse or human cells to thin layers of extracellular matrix fibers, the researchers could create bowls, coils, and ripples out of living tissue. The cells collaborated mechanically through a web of these fibers to fold themselves up in predictable ways, mimicking natural developmental processes. This study was published in the journal Developmental Cell.
A pledge by health and development experts to tackle neglected diseases that blind, disable and disfigure millions of the world's poorest people has spurred tremendous progress in five years.
More than one billion people were treated in 2016 for painful infections, such as sleeping sickness and elephantiasis, as increased funding, drug donations and political will helped health workers reach patients in remote areas, it said.
A new study published in the journal Heart Rhythm suggests that shocks from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) are quick and can be life-saving, but can also hurt patients' quality of life and peace of mind for months afterward, whether delivered appropriately or inappropriately.