A case of lead poisoning due to Ayurvedic medicine use demonstrates the importance of patient history in diagnosis and the need for public health collaboration to prevent similar risks. An article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) highlights a case of lead toxicity from Ayurvedic medicines in a young woman, and the complexity in diagnosing the [...]
An enormous meteor spelled doom for most dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But not all. In the aftermath of the extinction event, birds — technically dinosaurs themselves — flourished. Scientists have spent centuries trying to organize and sort some 10,000 species of birds into one clear family tree to understand how the last surviving dinosaurs filled [...]
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have successfully grown 'mini kidneys' in the lab and grafted them into live mice, revealing new insights into the metabolic defects and a potential therapy for polycystic kidney disease. "Mini kidneys," or kidney organoids, are kidney-like structures grown in the lab using stem cells. In the study [...]
Recent research illustrates how RNA molecules’ chemical characteristics might have played a crucial role in the development of complex life forms. How did complex life manage to evolve on the early, inhospitable Earth? Initially, ribonucleic acid (RNA) must have existed to carry the first genetic information. For these biomolecules to build-up complexity in their sequences, they [...]
By harnessing the power of composite polymer particles adorned with gold nanoparticles, a group of researchers have delivered a more accurate means of testing for infectious diseases. Details of their research was published in the journal Langmuir ("Gold Nanoparticle-Decorated Polymer (GNDP) Particles for High-Optical-Density Immunoassay Probes"). The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need for fast and reliable infectious [...]
Researchers have developed micromaterials made up only of proteins, capable of delivering over an extended period of time nanoparticles that attack specific cancer cells and destroy them. The micromaterials mimic natural secretory granules found in the endocrine system and were proven effective in mouse models of colorectal cancer. The study is published in the journal Advanced Science. [...]
Dementia is a major health issue worldwide in the 21st century, impacting over 50 million people globally. This figure is expected to soar to 152 million by 2050, as the global population ages. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading type of dementia, responsible for 60–80% of all dementia cases. Research on AD identifies two primary pathological [...]
Viruses need hosts. Whether it's measles, the flu or coronavirus, viral pathogens cannot multiply or infect other organisms without the assistance of their hosts' cellular infrastructure. However, humans are not the only ones affected by viruses: animals, plants and even microorganisms can all serve as hosts. Viruses that use bacteria as host cells are called bacteriophages [...]
Over the past few years, hardware manufacturers have developed technologies that ought to make it possible for companies and governmental organizations to process sensitive data securely using shared cloud computing resources. Known as confidential computing, this approach protects sensitive data while it is being processed by isolating it in an area that is impenetrable [...]
It’s been more than five decades since Dustin Hoffman’s character in “The Graduate” was offered a kernel of wisdom about the path to prosperity. “Plastics,” he’s told by Mr. McGuire, the starched corporate executive who offers the advice. “There’s a great future in plastics.” Plastics have indeed been a game changer for humanity, and the [...]
