Mechanical forces control cell fate during brain formation

A new study coordinated by the Research Group in Developmental Biology at UPF shows that during the embryonic development of the brain, the cells that are between adjacent segments detect the mechanical forces generated during morphogenesis to regulate the balance between progenitor stem cells and differentiated neurons. The study has been published in the journal Development. In vertebrates, the central […]

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Inhaled hydrogen could protect the brain during heart-lung bypass

Newborns with life-threatening congenital heart disease often need open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, which carries a risk of damaging the brain. Critically ill newborns who are placed on ECMO are at even higher risk for brain injury. Hypothermia, or cooling the body, can improve neurologic outcomes, but has limitations. A new study in a large animal model, published April 29th […]

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Mindful body awareness training during treatment for drug addiction helps prevent relapse

A novel type of body awareness training helps women recover from drug addiction, according to new research from the University of Washington. People in the study made marked improvement, and many improvements lasted for a year. It’s the first time the mindfulness approach has been studied in a large randomized trial as an adjunct treatment. The training helps people better […]

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Cannabis during pregnancy bumps psychosis risk in offspring

Pregnant women who use cannabis may slightly increase the risk their unborn child will develop psychosis later in life, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis. “Our research shows that prenatal marijuana exposure after maternal knowledge of pregnancy is associated with a small increase in psychosis proneness during middle childhood or about age 10,” said Jeremy Fine, an […]

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Kidney-resident macrophages—a role for healing during acute kidney injury?

During development in the womb, immune cells called macrophages go to the kidneys, and they remain there for life. Understanding the possible healing role for these macrophages after kidney damage may be crucial to helping treat patients who suffer acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury, or AKI, is a devastating condition that develops in two-thirds of critically ill patients, and […]

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Anti-inflammatory use during surgery could improve cancer outcomes

The world’s first clinical trial (SURGUVANT) evaluating anti-inflammatory use at the time of surgery in colon cancer patients to improve their cancer outcome has been published in scientific journal, BMC Cancer. The research successfully tested an anti-inflammatory agent with anti-cancer properties known as Taurolidine in the SURGUVANT trial which was funded by a grant from Geistlich Pharma AG, Wolhusen, Switzerland. […]

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Tdap vaccine given during pregnancy reduces occurrence of infant pertussis

A study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows the effectiveness of the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) vaccine for infants whose mothers receive the vaccine during pregnancy. The “Effectiveness of Prenatal Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis Vaccination in the Prevention of Infant Pertussis in the U.S.” study led by Sylvia Becker-Dreps, MD, MPH, associate professor in the […]

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