Category: Education
Stingless bee honey found to contain high levels of healthy sugar
A type of healthy sugar known as trehalulose is only produced in the gut of stingless bees, found throughout tropical and subtropical parts of the world, the evidence of which was discovered by researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Native Australian plants have nectar high in sucrose – it is believed stingless bees […]
Antibody-based contraceptive prove successful in animal studies; will soon go to clinical trial
Inspired by infertility that occurs in some women who develop antibodies against their partner’s sperm, scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) are adapting new contraceptives that may offer women a non-hormonal option to prevent pregnancy. UNC researchers have so far engineered and tested ultra-potent monoclonal antibodies that effectively trapped and blocked more than […]
Promising new therapy for NTRK fusion cancer
by John Battersby In the past the prognosis for patients with Neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) fusion cancer, was poor as the cancer did not respond well to most available therapies. But now a new class of drug, recently approved by the FDA and now available in more than 40 countries, is offering new hope […]
COVID-19 vaccination effective against delta variant, researchers say
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSTL) have found that the delta variant of the virus causing COVID-19 is not more resistant to antibodies elicited by vaccination. According to WUSTL associate professor of medicine Dr. Jacco Boon, the delta variant is “[not evidently] better at overcoming vaccine-induced immunity compared to other […]
Mitochondrial peptide prevents Type-1 diabetes in mice, study finds
A new study of human cells in culture and live mice – by a research team at the University of Southern California (USC) – has shown that injections of an immune cell-regulating peptide can prevent the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic cells that cause type-1 diabetes. It is very likely that the peptide could later be […]
Risk of depression three times more likely in toxic workplaces
A study of full-time workers in Australia has revealed how toxic work environments pose a significant risk of depression – by at least three times. While depression and mental health at large is still of little concern to many employees, it can quickly deteriorate productivity and lead to functional impairment, elevated morbidity, and destructive social […]
Prototype soft robots used to deliver drugs to the nervous system
Targeted drug delivery using tiny, tumbling soft robots can be achieved soon thanks to rotating magnetic fields. In a study carried out by several US research institutes and biotechnology companies, tiny robots were observed to perform better as drug delivery vehicles to neural tissue: when controlled using a magnetic field, specially developed MANiAC (magnetically aligned […]
Special blood vessel coating prevents organ rejection
A special polymer used to coat the blood vessels of transplanted organs could one day do away with anti-rejection drugs – patients requiring an organ transplant also need to take certain drugs to prevent their immune system from rejecting the new organ, however the drugs may sometimes cause serious side effects. The protective polymer coating […]
Physical and psychological impacts seen in employees who work too much
New research once again addresses the impact of working too much – this time, participants from universities in Australia reported varying degrees of physical and psychological distress, when expected to respond to work calls, emails, or texts outside of business hours. This research echoes previous studies that have demonstrated the negative impact of continued work […]
