Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: biotech/medical – Page 822

Scientists discover the Cellular Functions of a Family of Proteins Integral to Inflammatory diseases

In a scientific breakthrough, Mount Sinai researchers have revealed the biological mechanisms by which a family of proteins known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) activate immune system cells linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases.

This discovery, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could potentially lead to the development of selective HDAC inhibitors designed to treat types of IBD such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

“Our understanding of the specific function of class II HDACs in different cell types has been limited, impeding development of therapies targeting this promising drug target family,” says senior author Ming-Ming Zhou, PhD, Dr. Harold and Golden Lamport Professor in Physiology and Biophysics and Chair of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Through our proof-of-concept study, we’re unraveling the mechanisms of class II HDACs, providing essential knowledge to explore their therapeutic potential for safer and more effective disease treatments.”

Multi-scale, nanomaterial-based ice inhibition platform enables full-cycle cryogenic protection for mouse oocytes

Safe and high-quality fertility preservation is of growing significance for women in clinical trials. Current primary methods for cryopreserving human oocytes are slow freezing and vitrification, but existing techniques pose risks of biochemical toxicity and are restricted in large-scale clinical practice.

SamuelSchmidgall/AgentClinic: Agent benchmark for medical diagnosis

From Stanford, Albert Einstein, & Johns Hopkins U: a multimodal agent benchmark to evaluate AI in simulated clinical environments.

From stanford, albert einstein, & johns hopkins U

AgentClinic: a multimodal agent benchmark to evaluate AI in simulated clinical environments abs: https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.07960 project page: https://agentclinic.github.io code: https://github.com/samuelschmidgall/agentclinic.

A new multimodal agent…

Agent benchmark for medical diagnosis. Contribute to SamuelSchmidgall/AgentClinic development by creating an account on GitHub.

Cannabis compound’s neuroprotective properties revealed — could be key to treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Currently, treatments are largely limited to symptomatic relief rather than addressing the underlying disease progression. Given this gap in treatment options, there is a significant need for new therapies that can protect brain cells and potentially reverse damage.

Cannabinol (CBN), a compound derived from the cannabis plant, has emerged as a candidate for such treatments due to its neuroprotective properties, which are evident without the psychoactive effects associated with other cannabinoids like THC.

Previous studies indicated that CBN could help preserve mitochondrial function in brain cells, an essential factor for cell survival and energy production. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common feature in several neurodegenerative diseases, often leading to cell death. By focusing on CBN and its derivatives, researchers aimed to develop new pharmacological strategies to prevent or mitigate the cellular mechanisms that lead to neurodegeneration.

New AI Technology estimates Brain Age using Low-Cost EEG Device

As people age, their brains do, too. But if a brain ages prematurely, there is potential for age-related diseases such as mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Parkinson’s disease. If “brain age” could be easily calculated, then premature brain aging could be addressed before serious health problems occur.

Researchers from Drexel University’s Creativity Research Lab have developed an artificial intelligence technique that can effectively estimate an individual’s brain age based on electroencephalogram (EEG) brain scans. The technology could help to make early, regular screening for degenerative brain diseases more accessible. The work is published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroergonomics.

Led by John Kounios, Ph.D., professor in Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences and Creativity Research Lab director, the research team used a type of artificial intelligence called machine learning to estimate an individual’s brain age similar to the way one might guess another person’s age based on their physical appearance.

/* */