2019

Mount Sinai Partners with Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. and ReqMed Company, Ltd. to repurpose drug to battle rare MPS diseases

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has entered into two exclusive licenses to develop the drug pentosan polysulfate sodium for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS), with Australia-based company Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (ASX: PAR) and ReqMed Company, Ltd. of Japan. MPS is a group of 11 lysosomal storage diseases, metabolic disorders caused by genetic…

Placentas adapt when mothers have poor diets or low oxygen during pregnancy

Cambridge researchers have discovered the placenta regulates how much oxygen and nutrients it transports to babies during challenging pregnancies in a study using mice to model conditions in the womb. The placenta is the least understood organ and is notoriously difficult to study in pregnant women. But its ability to function properly is vital as…

Researchers discover synaptic logic for connections between two brain hemispheres

IMAGE: (A) The structural markers for callosal (Ruby2sm-Flag) and intra-cortical (synaptophysin-mCherry) axonal terminals were expressed through a viral approach. The same dendritic segment that underwent functional mapping was reimaged with confocal… view more  Credit: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have developed a new combination of technologies…

‘Happiness’ exercises can boost mood in those recovering from substance use disorder

Brief, text-based, self-administered exercises can significantly increase in-the-moment happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders, report researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Recovery Research Institute. The study, published online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, is the first of its kind to test whether positive psychology exercises boost happiness in persons recovering…

Unifying tropical ecology: Strengthening collaborative science

The event celebrates the fourth European Conference of Tropical Ecology, the annual meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology and the Annual Meeting of the BES Tropical Ecology Special Interest Group (BES-TEG). The event is additionally supported by the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, in particular promoting participation from its new Africa Chapter. This…

Researchers identify specific cognitive deficits in individuals with spinal cord injury

IMAGE: Dr. Chiaravalloti is director of Neuropsychology, Neuroscience and Traumatic Brain Injury Research at Kessler Foundation, and director of the federally funded Northern New Jersey TBI Model System. view more  Credit: Kessler Foundation East Hanover, NJ. January 18, 2019. A multidisciplinary team of researchers has identified specific cognitive deficits in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).…

Liver cancer patients can be treated for Hep C infection

DALLAS – Jan. 18, 2019 – A large, multi-center study refutes earlier suggestions that antiviral drugs for treating hepatitis C may lead to a higher recurrence of liver cancer. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center studied the records of patients who had been successfully treated for liver cancer at 31 medical centers in North America,…

Researcher gets $2.85 million grant to discover ways to enhance bone strength

IMAGE: An example of bone sections used to study responses to mechanical loading. view more  Credit: School of Health and Human Sciences INDIANAPOLIS — A $2.85 million National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases-funded study at IUPUI will advance understanding of how bone cells sense and respond to mechanical force, one of the cues…

Firsthand accounts indicate fentanyl test strips are effective in reducing overdose risk

IMAGE: Firsthand accounts with young adults who use drugs find rapid-acting fentanyl test strips are an effective tool to reduce overdose risk. view more  PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid so potent that a miniscule amount equivalent to several grains of saltcan cause afataloverdose. Yet it’s difficult for people who use drugs…

Targeting ‘hidden pocket’ for treatment of stroke and seizure

IMAGE: A 93-series chemical compound joins with a neuron’s NMDA receptor. Compounds like this have a high affinity for the receptor due to a unique motif that is drawn into a… view more  Credit: Furukawa Lab/CSHL Cold Spring Harbor, NY — The ideal drug is one that only affects the exact cells and neurons it is…